From the Forum – down in the dumps with a slack SM
We live in strange times indeed, and this week we received one of the longest posts to the Forum that I have ever seen. The main topic? A strata manager…
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.
Upper House report slams Government on cladding, defects and reforms
A NSW Upper House committee has slammed the NSW State government over alleged failures in three key areas all of which are directly related to apartment living. The government is…
TMI … but managers’ guide may just be invaluable
Can there be such a thing as too much information in these confused and trying times? At the risk of nit-picking, the recently issued Strata Community Australia guide to dealing…
From the Forum: Can we say no to noisy renos during lockdown?
If you think being forced to work from home – or even just being stuck indoors with no work to go to – is bad enough, imagine how it feels…
Podcast 69 – fostering pets, falling rents, failing tradies and TV flats
This week’s Flat Chat Wrap has just about everything; pets, tradies, TV shows set in apartments and, of course, Airbnb – plenty to keep your spirits up through the Lockdown.…
New rules on rent relief and evictions announced
Since at least half of the residents in strata are renters (meaning about half of the properties are owned by landlords) the recent announcements about the moratorium on evictions and…
Podcast 68: Six months of Sundays, classic movies, perfect pods
In this week’s Flat Chat Wrap. Jimmy and Sue look at the wealth of good advice about how to get through this crisis without the whole system falling around our…
Strata managers step up with info and advice
Monitoring cleaning services, supporting owners who are struggling to pay their levies, keeping track of the disputes procedures, keeping contractors and service providers afloat, advising on the use of communal…
From the Forum: Can we block unit sub-division?
There’s been a flurry of activity on the Forum this week, as regular readers find they have time to ask and answer all those question that have been nagging at…
Podcast 67: Airbnb bugged, gym junkies fret … and fun
In this week’s extra-long Flat Chat Wrap, obsession with coronavirus is spreading like, well, a virus. Jimmy and Sue discuss how it may be having a crippling effect on that…
How to manage strata finances if levies dry up
There’s a lot of talk around at the moment about rent and mortgage support, to help individuals and families whose income has been hit by the coronavirus. We touched on…
Surviving and thriving as the world shuts down
Last week we invited our sponsors to let us know what we can do to make life easier during these restricted days, and maybe even to find some positives that…