Podcast 98: A tale of two very different rentals
We are looking at two very different kinds of rentals this week. The first is build-to-rent apartments (which is definitely NOT affordable housing, regardless of what anyone else might tell…
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Fair Trading “fakes it till it makes it” on party houses
It’s been called window dressing and a sham. In fact, the only thing in favour of the “party animals” short-term holiday letting (STHL) code of conduct announced last week is…
Passing the buck when there’s no bucks to pass
In these straitened times, with so many apartment owners and renters suffering severe financial stress, the buck – or lack of bucks – often stops with the owners corporation or…
Catastrophes and things that go bump in the day
Bathroom chronicles, Part 6. It has begun. In an exercise that had the military precision of a Dad’s Army assault gone slightly awry, we rounded up our cats and decanted…
Forum: Is ancient wiring too big a risk to keep?
Here’s a question that will resonate with owners in older buildings. When your block’s electrical wiring isn’t good enough to safely power a domestic oven, should the owners corp be…
Podcast 97: Renovation – best-laid plans (and tiles)
It’s renovations all the way in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap as we chat about a Forum post asking what can be done about a disastrous and unauthorised renovation, now…
Party animals plan masks limp Airbnb code
It’s easy to spot when a state government policy on controlling short-term letting might have serious holes in it – Airbnb and other holiday letting (STHL) operators say they’re happy…
Rents rollercoaster as Airbnbs abandoned
Rents in Sydney’s suburbs have been on a rollercoaster for the past few months, with the obvious culprit being the Covid-19 pandemic and all its side-effects. But while some areas…
Electric cars – just another strata power struggle
When you think about it, we have been brainwashed by petrol pumps. You roll up, unscrew the filler cap, stick the nozzle in, fill up, pay your money and leave.…
Bathed in glory – smaller bath is bigger inside
Part 5 of the Bathroom Chronicles. It has taken me about 20 years to realise something fundamental about our bath. The reason it fits so perfectly into the slot behind…
Forum: Reno nightmare owner selling up
This week’s lead Forum post is a strata nightmare. It starts when a hobby renovator undertakes a major revamp of his flat, knocking down walls, adding staircases, shifting rooms, ripping…
Podcast 96: Pets, rents and new age steam trains
People who don’t care about pets in apartments shouldn’t switch off just yet, regardless of how bored you are with the whole issue. It has implications for everyone in apartments,…