Cracks in Opal block reveal holes in strata protections
OK, nobody died, but this was a pretty grim Christmas for the residents and owners of the Opal Tower in Sydney’s Olympic Park. Many of them were evacuated from their…
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Roundup: No smoke as strata residents ignored yet again
As I sit on an island off Cambodia, dealing with the consequences of risking one “street food” meal too many, a very urgent and important email from the government pops…
Podcast: The Wrap … all the way from Cambodia
Wrestling with laptops and hotel wi-fi, we finally bring you the second-last Flat Chat wrap podcast of the year. Was it worth the effort? Only you can be the judge…
Property prices – are you predator or prey?
With house and apartment prices falling – to the extent that some people who bought off-the-plan at the height of the boom are potentially looking at negative equity –opportunists are…
Roundup – even from a distance, cladding plan looks thin
Greetings from Cambodia! OK, the picture above is from the centre of Saigon but we stopped off for a few days on our way to Angkor Wat. Anyway, how would…
The perfect gift for your pet – a treat-feeding spy camera
If you are one of those families that gets Christmas cards from their pets – how do those flat-dwelling moggies get out to the Post Office? – you’ll probably want…
Top Vic cop warns of Airbnb-enabled crime wave
In what has to have been one of the worst weeks for Airbnb since short-term online holiday letting landed on these shores, we’ve had two prime examples of exactly why…
Parking winner loses big time for side-stepping NCAT
The next time you think you have a rock-solid strata case – so good that you want to take it to the Supreme Court, where you think wiser heads may…
Airbnb launches campaign against pro-resident MPs
Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Having had an easy ride from Australia’s mostly pliant politicians, Airbnb has warned that they will now use their considerable online clout to campaign…
Roundup: Something fishy when they say we live like sardines
I’m not one to jump on Nimbys (Not In My Back Yard) – most of us think there should be shelters for the homeless, and halfway houses for former jail…
The Wrap podcast – on air with James Valentine
About once a month I trundle down to the ABC studios in Ultimo, Sydney, for an on-air chat with James Valentine. Last week we discussed the latest political moves on…
How to rid your committee of control freaks and clowns
Having lived in apartments in Australia for 30 years, I have encountered every kind of dubious committee office-holder, from the corrupt bully to the incompetent narcissist, and the hands-off passive…