Roundup: What happens when the powers that be curb Airbnb
As I sit in a hotel in Da Nang, Vietnam, my planned billet in Hoi An under water, and the death toll from Typhoon Damrey rising up to 50, it’s…
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Roundup: New commissioner – same old story?
So we have a new Fair Trading Commissioner. Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean this week announced the appointment of Rose Webb to the NSW Fair Trading hot seat. Mr…
Whine like an old modem but don’t expect faster internet
With all the conflicting reports about NBN in the media at the moment, you could burn up half your download allowance scouring the internet for the best option for your…
ROUNDUP: Airbnb – wake me up when it’s all over
Are you sick of reading about Airbnb? Me too. I for one will be so glad when the whole online holiday letting debate is put to bed. That said, unfettered…
Stamp duty: Hard floors and high anxiety
A funny little notice appeared in our lifts this week, headlined “Hard Floors and High Heels”. Apart from sounding like a Pedro Almodovar movie, it was a simple request for…
Strata managers back a better cladding deal for owners
Strata management unbrella organisation Strata Community Australia say they are stepping up their fight for fairness as the issue of non-compliant aluminium cladding hits strata owners across Australia. And the…
Roundup: Punch-ups predicted as party animals fly in
Flat Chat was on a panel at a conference of barristers in Sydney last week, talking about the “sharing” economy and how new technologies are changing or lives. One of…
How much do you really know about Airbnb?
What happens when you complain? How many homes have been taken out of the residential market? What’s an “astroturfing” campaign?If you don’t know already, it’s time you took our fun…
By-laws review: Beware the rusty ratchet effect
Tucked away near the end of the new strata laws that came into force in NSW almost a year ago is a requirement which is being widely ignored but should…
Flammable cladding the ‘asbestos of 2017’ says fire safety expert
Future owners of new apartments will be protected from buying into potentially unsafe buildings with Federal and State government agreement last week to place a moratorium on the use of…
Your chance to speak out on Airbnb in unit blocks
Want to have your say about short-term holiday letting in apartment blocks but feel your voice isn’t being heard? Not sure what to say in a submission to to state…
Roundup: Clock ticking on your compulsory by-law review
Have you completed your by-laws review yet? What do you mean “what by-law review?” The NSW strata laws that came in last November gave all owners corporations exactly one year…