Queensland to confront ‘toxic’ strata culture
Thinking of investing in a unit in Covid-free Queensland? Be careful. It seems those familiar helicopter shots of glittering high-rise apartment blocks marching up the sands of Gold Coast beaches…
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Strata owners slam NSW Health ‘confused mess’
With yet another “tightening” of lockdown restrictions for greater Sydney, and once again the specific needs of apartment residents being ignored, the peak group for apartment owners in NSW has…
Virus rages unchecked – and so does anger at renos
“Just stay home … don’t go out … work from home if you possibly can,” say the Premier, the Health Minister and anybody else tasked with enforcing our lockdown. And…
New pet-friendly strata laws about to bite
A change in NSW strata law that comes in next week will radically alter the default position on pets in NSW strata schemes, bringing relief to pet owners and some…
Forum: In strata everyone can hear you scream
There’s a couple of issues that merit close examination this week. The first is the plight of someone stuck at home and unable to get a minute’s peace because of…
You can’t be too clean with Covid-19 lurking
I have never been crash-hot on domestic cleaning. My natural indolence was once reinforced by a country farming woman who told me that she kept her house spotlessly clean, which…
JimmyT’s comfort food kitchen: Guacamole
Several years ago, I was paying for my small selection of groceries at a convenience store in Kings Cross, Sydney, when I noticed a young woman from Backpacker Central Casting…
Locked down? Free ‘grow your wellbeing’ webinar
If there was a society for the prevention of cruelty to plants, here at Flat Chat Central we would long ago have been led off in chains while our wilting…
Rent relief extended for landlords and tenants
The NSW government has extended its rent relief package to allow landlords to reduce the rent for their tenants without losing too much income. The Residential Tenancy Support package –…
Podcast: Pets to lets – 200 columns and counting
How has apartment living in Australia changed in the past four years? The answer is a lot, but still too little. This week, we celebrate our 200th column in the…
How Flat Chat grew from a bitter defects battle
Believe it or not, the 200th edition of Flat Chat to appear in the Australian Financial Review was published at the weekend. But that’s not half of it – not…
Unit block cleaners ‘must be cleared to fight Covid’
Sydney’s leading high-rise services provider says NSW Health’s reluctance to designate apartment block cleaners and building facilities managers as essential workers is turning buildings into potential breeding grounds for the…