Short but not so sweet: FYI, initials can confuse
Recently a plea from a Flatchatter drew my attention to an issue that I’ve been planning to address for some time now – the overuse of initials and acronyms in…
Forum: Strata pros who won’t talk to owners
Things tend to be a little quiet around holiday weekends but one discussion caught the eye this week and it concerns a solicitor telling committee members that they will only…
Podcast: Poor ratings – where’s the stars, Dave?
This week on the Flat Chat website we celebrate the launch of Sue’s new book about spray-on skin pioneer, Professor Fiona Wood. What’s the link with strata? Well, if there…
Three webinars – with Lawyer in the Hot Seat
Spring has sprung and as the weather warms up we are pleased to announce three new free webinars for October – including the return of “Lawyer In The Hot Seat”…
Dazed and confused by law and regs changes
Am I missing something here … apart from any ability to shrug off NSW Fair Trading’s dubious communications skills, that is? Take the announcement last week of updates to both…
No more panic evacs from crisis-hit blocks
EXCLUSIVE: The days of immediately ordering all the residents out of blocks, even where major, potentially life-threatening problems have been discovered, could be a thing of the past thanks to…
Forum: Owner’s workers parking in visitor spots
A question that goes back to March this year has been revived, obviously because it hasn’t been resolved. Basically it involves an owner of a commercial property in a strata…
Podcast: Chandler’s rating has starring role
This week’s podcast is mostly (but not entirely) focussed on an announcement we believe is going to change the way we buy apartments in NSW and probably across Australia. Last…
How to fast-track strata conflict resolution
It is generally accepted that our states’ strata dispute systems are slow, frustrating and expensive – but isn’t there a way to provide instant answers before issues become serious problems.…
Forum: Reno costs rocket thanks to new regs
There’s a growing rumble of discontent among strata owners who want to do the right thing but find it comes at a substantial price – sometimes doubling or trebling the…
Podcast: Is history against build-to-rent plans?
OK, it’s our stupid fault for crossing the ditch to New Zealand without taking even our basic recording gear. We could have just about coped and recorded it on our…
How to curb your levies but keep the quality
A few weeks ago we looked at the fancy additions to your apartment block that may be inflating your levies through running and maintenance costs. But there are many ways…