How strata apathy can cost you big-time
Owning in strata is not easy. The personalities and power games, the complex laws, the myriad variations of by-laws, and the differing levels of respect for them are deterrent enough…
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Building regs come back to bite gov in new Opal claim
The government’s new regulations on building defects may have come back to bite them on the bum, with owners of apartments in the infamous Opal Tower in Sydney suing the…
Forum: Can we turn extra space into more parking?
Among the perennial Flat Chat Forum issues, parking is right up there with pets, parties and parquet flooring. And among all the parking questions, the most common are probably queries…
Podcast 80 – Shape of strata blocks to come
In this week’s Flat Chat Wrap podcast, in the run-up to the Australian architectural awards, we talk about some of the innovative apartment block designs that made it the short-list.…
How to game the home reno grants and win
If you’re wondering if you can take advantage of the government’s HomeBuilder renovation grant to improve your investment property, the simple answer is no. But it could be used to…
App offers fast answers to levies shortfall question
Strata schemes facing a temporary financial crisis due to the coronavirus – or just anxious to get on with delayed projects – can now get an instant answer on whether…
Quiz: How well do you know your strata facts?
Want to know the definition of an easy quiz question? I might leave the answer till later. Meanwhile our good friend Brent Clark, from Wattblock, the company that saves strata…
Forum: At wits’ end with nasty neighbour campaign
There’s a smorgasbord of strata strife in this week’s forum but the story that stands out for me is the tenant who’s being targeted by a couple of owners who…
Podcast 79 – bad pads, fams and James Valentine
It’s a bumper edition of the Flat Chat Wrap this week, boosted by an extract from JimmyT’s guest spot on James Valentine’s Afternoons on ABC radio. But first Jimmy and…
Best of times and worst of times to buy a new flat
There’s never been a better time to invest in an apartment. No, sorry, there’s never been a worse time to buy and let a unit. Obviously both points of view…
‘Abominable’ tower was last straw on defects
An apartment block described by its developers as one of its “architectural landmarks of the finest standard” has been outed by NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler as the “straw that…
From the Forum: no-reply neighbours delay renos, costing owners a fortune
What do you do when you are paying rent while your unit awaits renovation but your neighbours won’t even respond to communications, let alone hold the meeting required to pass…