How to manage strata finances if levies dry up
There’s a lot of talk around at the moment about rent and mortgage support, to help individuals and families whose income has been hit by the coronavirus. We touched on…
Surviving and thriving as the world shuts down
Last week we invited our sponsors to let us know what we can do to make life easier during these restricted days, and maybe even to find some positives that…
Working from home works … but only for some
Between social distancing, self-isolation and plain old working from home, there are a lot more people around apartment blocks during the day than there were only a few weeks ago.…
D-Day looms for Airbnb apartment ban by-laws
D-Day for apartment blocks in holiday areas of NSW is just around the corner – where D stands for “Dump short-term letting”. On April 10, the new NSW strata regulations…
Can they make us close our strata gyms?
I have been asked this question several times in the past few days, and it has taken a while to find the definitive answer: do we need to close our…
From the Forum: Soft-touch seniors don’t get it
How bad does a strata scheme have to be before you head off to NCAT and apply for the appointment of a statutory strata manager? Very, very bad, is the…
Podcast 66 – Locked down and loaded up with medical misinformation
In this week’s Flat Chat Wrap, Jimmy and Sue discuss Australia’s coronavirus lockdown and what it means to people living in apartments. There’s the whole issue of returned travellers settling…
Cleaning king says Covid-19 carriers should be cleared out of apartments
Frank Boross, Australia’s apartment block “cleaning king” has called on the government to rethink its attitude in allowing apartment residents infected with coronavirus (Covid-19), or suspected of having it, to…
Many a slip … bet they wouldn’t do this to George
OK, I know this is very much a First World problem but when a company promotes itself with slick advertising and mucho flannel about caring for their customer, it’s sometimes…
Strata anger over Airbnb coronavirus packages
Apartment residents across Australia are angry that their buildings could be turned into high-risk viral hot-spots, with Airbnb hosts offering self-isolation packages to returned overseas travellers. Community leaders claim that…
Danger from dodgy health advice posts
There’s an email flying around at the moment claiming to contain advice from a Sydney hospital to its staff. It bears a lot of similarities to another (literally and figuratively)…
Strata’s silenced majority needs to find its voice
When it comes to public speaking, are you a Nervous Nelly or the kind of orator who won’t stop talking until the microphone has been prised from your cold dead…