Great Escapes: Northern delight, epic Arctic cruise
For hundreds of years explorers and traders who wanted to get from the Atlantic ports in Europe and North-East America, to the Pacific Ocean had two major obstacles in their…
POLL: What shops do you want in your block?
This week’s poll is related to two stories that we have mention in the Flat Chat Wrap podcast. One is all about “placemaking” which is building homes in a way…
Chandler works his ‘magic’ on Mascot Towers
NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has “pulled a very large rabbit out of a very small hat” in wrangling a deal for owners in the blighted Mascot Towers, says one…
Podcast: Find your place … just shop around
In this week’s pod we look at “placemaking” which seems to be designing communities simply to make them nicer places to live. By nicer, of course, we mean places that…
Forum: Mending fences creates division – twice
We have never been known for sitting on the fence here at Flatchat but we have two fence issues in the Forum this week. In one, the builder of a…
Great Escapes: Fantastic trips for Flatchatters
We’re making a bit of a departure (no pun intended) from our normal Lock Up and Leave column from this week as we have hooked up with Luxury Escapes –…
All you ever needed to know about renos
There are so many different sources for information about what you can and can’t do in your apartment or strata scheme I thought I might post this compilation of renovation…
Podcast: Email crazy – how a few clicks cost $17k
We’ve lifted a post from the Flat Chat Forum for the podcast this week to illustrate two issues – one is basic good practise, the other highly contentious. The post…
Strata law changes – but not where it really matters
As governments in our three most apartment-heavy states ponder changes to strata laws, the question is, will it be enough to restore confidence in the sector. In NSW, while developers…
Strata managers accused of $240m insurance rort
Almost 150 allegations of improper insurance commissions paid to strata managers, worth more than $240 million, have been reported to both the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the…
NSW plans crackdown on ‘Airbnb’ rentals
The NSW government is moving to crack down on Airbnb style short-term rentals and vacant holiday homes in an effort to put some of the state’s 50-60,000 untenanted dwellings back…
Forum: Zombie post poses very live question
This week we want to feature what can only be described as a “zombie post” – first sent in 2016 – but no less relevant for that, as a reply…