Kean announces tighter laws for apartment builders
On Sunday, February 10, NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean announced a plan for a tightening of building regulations, clearly in a response to the Opal Tower and cladding scandals.…
Cladding: It’s your money that the governments are burning
There was another cladding fire in Melbourne the other day. It was one of those “accidents waiting to happen” we’ve been hearing about since the horror Grenfell Tower blaze in…
Small fire, not many dead: Ignorance and racism in Neo200 debate
On Wednesday morning I woke up to read a somewhat hysterical story in the Sydney Morning Herald about the latest apartment block fire in Melbourne. Not only was I appalled…
Flat Chat Wrap #11 – Taking your calls on (very) early morning ABC radio
JimmyT gets up at 4am to talk to ABC Radio presenter Rod Quinn (and other insomniacs) about strata living in Australia.
Podcast: Chatting flats with “mighty” Rod Quinn
In this week’s podcast we have kind of hijacked the Rod Quinn “Talking Points” segment for his ABC Overnight show on radio last week – featuring Flat Chat’s very own…
Flat Chat Wrap #11 – Taking your calls on (very) early morning ABC radio
JimmyT gets up at 4am to talk to ABC Radio presenter Rod Quinn (and other insomniacs) about strata living in Australia.
Election connection as OCN faces the big issues for 2019
Last year was huge for the Owners Corporation Network (OCN), the only significant body for apartment owners, run by apartment owners. Most notably, they were hugely instrumental in turning what…
Roundup: From a secret coup to levies discounts for pensioners
The holidays are behind us, the kids are back at school and Flatchatters have their fingers poised over their keyboards (wondering what the heck has happened to the Forum). If…
That sinking feeling … and why funds run dry
It’s something of a cliché – the ageing apartment block crumbling slowly before your eyes while the oldies on the committee zealously guard the plump sinking fund (as it used…
Roundup: We’re back … with the odd hiccup
It’s been a tough week at Flat Chat Central. Our fabulous website developers (Liveby5) have been working overtime to fix a range of problems that have been increasingly causing irritating…
Opportunists swoop and buyers walk as apartment prices plummet
Apartment owners trying to sell out of the now notorious Opal Tower block are being offered knock-down prices for their apartments, according to newspaper and online news reports. And neighbouring…
Podcast: On air with Josh Zepps and Part 2 of the strata disaster
Every so often, I get invited on to a radio or TV show to talk about apartments. This week I’ve been on Breakfast on ABC 702 with Josh Zepps, (usually…