Upper House report slams Government on cladding, defects and reforms
A NSW Upper House committee has slammed the NSW State government over alleged failures in three key areas all of which are directly related to apartment living. The government is…
From the Forum – is working from home legal?
With more of us working from home, a fairly obvious question has been raised – is it legal? And the answer is … probably yes, possibly no. The critical issue,…
Podcast 71 – Redesigning flats for work and a legal view of solo meetings
Sometimes the way we want to live influences architecture, sometimes architecture influences the way we live. There are still older blocks dotted around Sydney’s harbour suburbs where someone who wanted…
Insurance loans for cash-strapped strata schemes
With strata insurance being one of the few mandatory expenses in apartment blocks – even essential maintenance can be delayed and deferred – it looms as a serious concern for…
Mutually assured distraction … working AT home or ON your home
If there was going to be anywhere in these long days of lockdown that mutually exclusive wants and needs were going to butt up against each other, it was apartments.…
TMI … but managers’ guide may just be invaluable
Can there be such a thing as too much information in these confused and trying times? At the risk of nit-picking, the recently issued Strata Community Australia guide to dealing…
From the Forum: Money, money, money … or not
Unsurprisingly, finances are on a lot of people’s minds these days, whether it’s levies or rent and what you do when you can’t afford to pay. And then, of course…
Podcast 70 – renos and what to wear when working from home
In this week’s Flat Chat Wrap, Jimmy and Sue discuss the competing and often conflicting needs of those who are working from home and those who are working on their…
Buy the by-law and say bye-bye to Airbnb
If you thought the battle to restrict Airbnb-style short-term rentals from apartment buildings that don’t want them was over in NSW, you may be in for a shock. The new…
Make a connection to somebody less tech savvy
A while ago I was setting up Skype on my in-laws’ computer as they were far away in the NSW Blue Mountains (hence the need for Skype). First I verbally…
From the Forum: Can we say no to noisy renos during lockdown?
If you think being forced to work from home – or even just being stuck indoors with no work to go to – is bad enough, imagine how it feels…
Podcast 69 – fostering pets, falling rents, failing tradies and TV flats
This week’s Flat Chat Wrap has just about everything; pets, tradies, TV shows set in apartments and, of course, Airbnb – plenty to keep your spirits up through the Lockdown.…