Webinar: Flooded with queries on waterproofing
One of the more fascinating facts to emerge from Building Commissioner David Chandler’s discussions about the two recent surveys revealing the number and extent of defects in new buildings was…
Strata Defects
They range from minor issues with finishes to major structural and fire safety problems – and when repairs are rwuired , the buck stops with the owners. Hers are hundreds of posts that track the failures of the past and the current efforts to create a less defective future.
Strata insurers must not forget a horrible history
There’s a statement about a proposal to invite insurance firms to provide building warranties for new apartment blocks – but only those constructed by the best builders – which may…
Podcast: See you soon … on your CCTV screens
Exactly who gets to view the recording from your strata scheme’s CCTV cameras? That’s a topic that’s been keeping us occupied on the Flat Chat Forum and now gets an…
Insurance plan to drive out dodgy developers
The best and most reliable apartment developers will soon be able to get construction insurance, for the first time in Australia for nearly 20 years, writes Sue Williams. And that…
Podcast: Chandler reveals true defects challenge
In this week’s podcast we hear the voice of defect rectification in NSW as David Chandler takes to the airwaves to explain why two different surveys have revealed that about…
On brink of evacuation after defects warning
A perfect storm of disagreeing experts, extreme caution, genuine fears for safety and an earthquake, took an apartment block to the brink of being evacuated last week. Add in concerns…
Report reveals extent of unit block defects
For the past two years or more, a team of top academics based at UNSW’ s City Futures Research Centre has been investigating defective apartment construction in NSW. In a…
Podcast: Freedom for some but at what cost?
The Flat Chat Wrap podcast covers a lot of ground this week, from the state-wide easing of covid restrictions in NSW (but not in Victoria) to a little local difficulty…
Podcast: Defects detective Chandler’s candid chat
We have something of a star guest on this week’s podcast. Sue Williams, our regular co-host, has allowed us to dip into her recordings of her interview with Building Commissioner…
Hi-viz commish kicking butt and naming names
To some, he’s a knight in shining armour, a hero in a hi-viz. To others, he’s the devil incarnate. But wherever anyone might stand on the subject of rampaging NSW…
Drive to entice insurers back to high-rise buildings
Buyers of off-the-plan high-rise apartments in NSW might soon be able to claim on insurance for any defects arising within the first 10 years in a massive game-changer for the…
Holding out for a strata superhero (or heroine)
A couple of weeks ago we highlighted NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler’s heroic efforts to boost confidence in the construction of apartment buildings. But there’s another aspect of confidence in…