Podcast: Housing crisis advice that Albo can’t take
The housing crisis is still uppermost in many minds but there’s a new twist with a former Mirvac boss, now an advisor to the government, telling the Prime Minister to do something…
Jimmy-T
Unbalanced: When owners stop paying levies
With inimitable timing SCA (Vic) President Julie McLean has posted about the dangers of letting individual owners’ levy debts pile up. As you’ll see from these posts to the Flat…
Forum: Screen doors in the sights of fire experts
Is there a nationwide ban on screen doors? That ubiquitous, iconic entrance to so many suburban homes has come under fire from fire protection consultants. Is it, as one Flatchatter…
Podcast: Blame the housing crisis on Nimbys
It seems we have a new culprit on whom to blame Australia’s housing shortage. The Nimby mantra of “Not In My Back Yard” seems to be the latest target for…
Why did you buy? Tell UNSW to enter $100 draw
It seems that, suddenly, everybody wants to know what strata owners are thinking. Following the success of our recent survey into your opinions on self-management of strata schemes – results…
Don’t panic – investment in units still adds up
It was enough to send a chill through the heart of any investor; a recent story in a Sydney newspaper warned that you could be paying almost $17,000 a month…
Podcast: Zooming in on connections lost in France
There’s a different sound to the Flat Chat Wrap this week, Firstly it was recorded over Zoom, then Jimmy seems to have acquired hay fever in the south of France,…
‘Majority rules’ may not be the best way to run strata
In her latest post for the Flat Chat website, Strata Community Association (Victoria) president Julie Maclean argues that majority rule is too blunt an instrument – especially in strata – while…
Forum: Outvoted by other blocks in scheme
Strata democracy is an odd beast. Whether by apathy, ignorance or sheer bloody-mindedness, a majority who don’t care about an issue, can go against the wishes of a minority who…
Lawyer in the Hot Seat: we get As for your Qs
There can be fewer areas more susceptible to rumour, misinformation and – let’s face it – ignorance, than strata law and by-laws. You know how it goes. Someone has a…
Defects and cladding help deadlines looming
There are two very important deadlines coming up for strata schemes in NSW – both on June 30, this year and both demanding immediate attention from affected schemes. In one,…
Forum: Would you own up to an unapproved reno?
There are a couple of questions about bathroom renovations in this week’s forum, mainly about whether it’s necessary to have permission, especially long after the work is done and dusted.…