Podcast: Luxury pad threat to low-cost homes
It’s a bit of a catch-up in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap and a look to the immediate future, too. We’ll be getting abreast of the news that NSW is…
insurance
NSW to crack down on strata manager scams
The NSW State government is planning to crack down on the “small number” of “unscrupulous” strata managers whom it says are undermining public confidence in apartment living. New laws will…
Video nasty exposes nightmare on Easy Street
Ready to see something really awful? It’s a cross between a video nasty version of The Block and a horror film they could call Nightmare on Easy Street. Once again…
Forum: Back with a brand new year screamer
Ah, we’re back with a bumper post bag chock full of all the odds and ends (some of them very odd) of strata life. There are some perennial favourites –…
Double insurance relief for most strata owners
NSW apartment owners could be paying less for insurance next time they renew their policies due to the government’s decision to scrap the Emergency Services Levy (ESL). And since all…
Getting all fired up about ebike batteries in flats
Charging lithium-ion batteries inside apartments is rapidly becoming a burning issue for strata committees and fireys. It seems a day doesn’t go by without another eBike or electric scooter battery…
Pets and ‘forced sales’ strata laws to change
Major updates on the cards for four key areas while Property Services Commissioner to take on strata too. Pet ownership barriers, the cost of repair work, collective sales and compulsory…
Why unit owners can’t cut insurance to save
Fires in Hawaii, floods in Australia, earthquakes in Turkey and storms in New Zealand are likely to hit apartment owners in ways they can’t avoid. These natural disasters are driving…
Forum: Vexed question of in-house sex workers
There’s an arcane set of laws around both working from home in apartment buildings and about where sex workers can ply their trade. As far as working from home goes,…
Forum: Spat over rooftop spa and hot tub
Here’s a tricky one from Queensland – with a strong whiff of penthouse-envy motivating actions. The owner of the top floor apartment in his block has a spa pool and…
Forum: All fired up over EV safety in strata
There’s a bit of a stoush developing in the Forum over the charging of electric cars. If it’s not concerns about exploding batteries and subsequent fires, it’s worries about sneaky…
Forum: Blindsided by a sneaky committee coup
It’s a classic strata committee coup: on the TV show Survivor, it would be called a blindside. Obviously, someone in our Flatchatter’s strata scheme didn’t like the way things were…