From the Forum: Treasurer pumping cash for dubious rent of space
There are times when strata committee office-bearers get themselves into trouble for no good reason, like simply failing to keep their paperwork up to date. And there are others when…
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Flat Chat Wrap #4 – Homeless on common property & build-to-rent in the USA
Homeless people sleeping in common property and – a world away – what it’s like to live in a ‘build-to-rent’ apartment in the USA. The Flat Chat Wrap takes an…
Smoke alarm and rent rise shocks in Airbnb lets
Smoke alarms that either don’t exist or are covered up, higher rents for permanent residents and a new service that helps hosts find somewhere to stay when they are renting…
When you can sue over loss of rent due to renos
We’ve had a lot of discussion recently about whether or not owners can claim compensation for things like loss of rent when renovations – either by individual owners or by…
Live where you love, buy where you can afford
There are few feelings of financial disappointment greater than scrimping and saving (not to mention begging and borrowing) for a deposit only to see the prospects of living where you…
Rental data reveals … not a lot, really
Here at Flat Chat we are all in favour of transparency and freely available information. But we’ re scratching our heads at the latest step in that direction by the…
New options put renters first in housing affordability
There are two new buzz-phrases in the housing affordability lexicon – ‘build-to-rent’ and ‘rent-to-own’. Build-to-rent and rent-to-own are at opposite ends of the housing culture spectrum but both are being…
How to avoid buying a high-rise lemon
Flat Chat is now appearing in the Australian Financial Review, both in print and online at weekends. This is the first column in its new home. With recent revelation that…
Roundup: Doing it tough in the Old Dart too
On a working trip to the UK, I am struck by a story that featured on the TV news this morning about housing affordability. Yep, it’s happening over here too.…
Roundup: Are holiday lets worth the hassle?
At the risk of quoting myself too extensively, I have been discussing in the forum why some people might find letting their homes as holiday lets worth the additional hassle,…
Finding positives in negative gearing
To many Australians, the connection between negative gearing and inflated property prices seems obvious. But would rents rise if it was scrapped? Reader John Byrne thinks he has a solution.…
Airbnb: Free Money and Castles in the Air
Airbnb and the battle for your block: Part 2 Last week Jimmy Thomson looked at the growth of Airbnb and the opportunity and potential threats it presents to apartment residents.…
Airbnb and the battle for your blocks
In an exclusive five-part series Jimmy Thomson examines spectacular growth of short-stay letting in our cities’ most popular areas and the affect that has on rents, house prices and, especially,…
A good whinge and the power of negative thinking
Nobody likes a whinger, but in strata, sometimes it pays to stow your personal aversion to complaining. A well-timed complaint could save you a heap of grief, not to mention…
The trouble with tenants (it’s us)
There are two major problems with tenants. Firstly, we treat them with contempt and disdain and then wonder why some of them – a tiny minority – behave badly. Then…
New app to end flatshare pain
“Sorry, mate, I can’t quite give you the full rent this month” must be one of the most common – and frustrating – cries in flat share world. But now there’s…