Forum: Why are our facilities still closed?
As we emerge blearily from our Covid-induced hibernation, obviously some strata schemes are quicker to get back to normal than others. One Flatchatter wants to know why the spa and…
Covid-19 in strata
Strata blocks have been likened to vertical cruise ships when it comes to their potential for speading the disease. Here are stories that represent our coverage of the issues. NB: Some of the Covid-19 references are in subsidiary parts of the story and some facts and figures may have been overtaken by more recent events.
Podcast: Crazy questions, architects with answers
We turn back the clock – but just a little – for this week’s podcast when we look at the weirdest and wackiest questions asked and problems presented on the…
Rents drop as Airbnb flats return to residential lets
The pandemic hasn’t quite killed off short-term holiday letting but it’s certainly applied a hefty brake – at least as far as our cities are concerned. The return to the…
Rental as anything – new app by-passes agents
New research has revealed that both tenants and landlords believe unhelpful real estate agents are among the biggest obstacles to their happy co-existence. Research commissioned by the founders of a…
Podcast 101: Pets and some post-Covid plusses
With most of the worst of the pandemic behind us here in Australia – or, at least, the first and hopefully the last wave of infections – we thought we’d…
State to pay interest on flammable cladding loans
Flat Chat sponsor Lannock Strata Finance has welcomed the decision by the NSW Government to cover the interest on commercial strata loans taken out to pay for the removal of…
Fun and occasional fury as our podcast hits 100 eps
We’ve scored a century! This week sees us post the 100th episode of the Flat Chat Wrap – and that’s only counting properly produced and distributed episodes. We would have…
How your state’s strata laws are being upgraded
Just as different states have different strata laws, they have very different approaches to revising and updating them. NSW, Victoria and Queensland are all at various stages of reviews while…
Podcast 99: Long-term rental will tempt tenants
This week we returned to a topic we raised in the last podcast, namely build-to-rent and specifically the new Liv Indigo building at Sydney Olympic Park. They held an open…
Podcast 98: A tale of two very different rentals
We are looking at two very different kinds of rentals this week. The first is build-to-rent apartments (which is definitely NOT affordable housing, regardless of what anyone else might tell…
Podcast 97: Renovation – best-laid plans (and tiles)
It’s renovations all the way in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap as we chat about a Forum post asking what can be done about a disastrous and unauthorised renovation, now…
Party animals plan masks limp Airbnb code
It’s easy to spot when a state government policy on controlling short-term letting might have serious holes in it – Airbnb and other holiday letting (STHL) operators say they’re happy…