Renters lose but few owners gain with Airbnb, claims Sydney Uni report
More than half the empty rental properties in Sydney’s holiday hotspots are likely to be listed on Airbnb, according to a Sydney University report cited in a plea to new…
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Roundup: If you leave us, Mr Dominello, can we come too?
I was chatting the other day with the strata Minister Victor Dominello (his proper title is Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation). I realised afterwards that, now that he has…
Meet airbnb’s public enemy No 1
Airbnb is a ‘sinister force’ that hides its true business, while its popularity distorts the housing market and overly influences politicians, says the Australian who is arguably, globally, the online…
Roundup: Drones and moans
Sometimes I wonder how closely people read my stuff. I was criticised by a couple of people for my “dirty tricks” story (below) being pro-airbnb. Huh? Just because they’re dirty…
Guerrilla warfare warning over holiday lets in apartments
Bogus by-laws, sneaky shut-outs and strangulation with red tape are all likely to be employed to keep holiday lets out of apartment blocks that don’t want them, say Sydney’s building…
Roundup: A fair go for proxy people
Happy New Year and welcome to 2017, arguably the biggest year in apartment living in NSW since our state inflicted this particular method of sharing our space on an unsuspecting…
Social media minefield for shabby holiday flats
Here at Flat Chat we tend to get a bit fixated on illegal short-stay holiday lets in residential schemes, so much so that we can forget that there are entirely…
Roundup: Kicking butt and taking names
It has been a gratifying week here on the Flat Chat desk with a couple of appreciative emails thanking us for our advice. We even learned a colleague had been…
Big guns wheeled out in holiday lets battle
It’s been a funny old week in StrataLand. The whole short-stay letting issue is headed for a major showdown with both apartment owners and Airbnb bringing out the heavy artillery…
MP warns airbnb backlash could lead to bans
Exclusive by Jimmy Thomson A backlash against commercial holiday lets being forced on strata buildings could see home shares and holiday swaps banned completely from high-rises in NSW, warns a…
Minister targets strata law cheats and tyrants
Fair Trading minister Victor Dominello has promised to crack down on strata “tyrants” and cheats who set out to circumvent the letter and the spirit of the new laws that…
Strata Santa’s gift for you
As this is the last Flat Chat of the year, I have a Christmas gift for you. It’s a book full of fun and games and recipes and comes…