Why do we neglect our single biggest investment?
For most Australians, our home is the biggest single investment we make. If we also own other properties, even more so. So why would you let the value of that…
Roundup: Litigious lawyers, solar power and a ban on … guess who
A few of our recent featured posts have stimulated a lot of discussion here on the Forum. My comments about how some landlords won’t rent to lawyers was borne out…
Why lazy landlords end up with terrible tenants
If you are a landlord – or the less feudal term ‘property investor’ – do you think of your tenants as assets or liabilities? You might worry about getting bad…
Roundup: Oldies rewarded but Byron gutted by Airbnb
An odd coincidence this week had me back on radio again this week yacking about our old friends Airbnb. The first, in their continuing effort to convince politicians that they…
Five dumb reasons (and one good one) for saying no to solar
Wondering whether your building is ready to make the great leap forward into solar energy? This month a new online tool was launched, allowing you to calculate how much…
It’s Byron Airbn-Bay as holiday town “gutted” by online lets
A newspaper interview by our good mate Mark Dapin reveals that online holiday letting is “gutting” Byron Bay. Meanwhile the State government snuggles up to Airbnb with a plan to…
Floating floors and renos
Who’s responsible when a neighbour floods your timber floor – insurers can’t agree. And then there’s the vexed question of compensation for tenants during major renovations … and more on…
Roundup: Complicit or compliant?
A story in the SMH last week about the relaxation of planning laws explains how new rules about ‘complying developments’ will make it easier to build townhouses and small…
Strataleaks – why you MUST lock your website
A few weeks ago we discussed in Flat Chat in the Australian Financial Review whether or not it’s a good idea for your building to have some sort of internet…
Roundup: Mr Valentine ponders training committee members
In a post-broadcast chat with James Valentine the other day (you can hear the Podcast here), he raised the issue of qualifications for strata committee members. James, who chaired…
How you can recycle, recover and re-use
In the dim and distant days before the Flat Chat strata forum was born and my partner was briefly chair of our building, she said: “Why don’t we have a clothing recycling…
Free guides through the strata maze
There are many barriers to the smooth running of strata schemes but foremost among them would have to be lack of knowledge. If you add up all the people who…