FLAT CHAT WRAP

A decades-long parking battle ends up in the Appeals Court, trendy pet names, how to be a better Airbnb host, garage doors and more ... all in our Flat Chat Wrap podcast. Listen hereIf you haven’t already done so you can subscribe to this podcast, completely free, on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or your favourite podcatcher. If the link doesn’t take you straight there, just s...

Homeless people sleeping in common property and - a world away - what it's like to live in a 'build-to-rent' apartment in the USA.  The Flat Chat Wrap takes an international twist. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questi...

Is this the best time to buy an new apartment or just the worst time to sell? And what you should look out for in offers that seem to be too good to be true. Can bad by-laws be used to bully owners? And what happened to the common property lawn being churned up by illegal parkers? Sue Williams joins JimmyT for a chinwag about the latest posts on the Flat Chat website.https://episodes.castos.com/fl...

Is this the best time to buy an new apartment or just the worst time to sell? And what you should look out for in offers that seem to be too good to be true. Can bad by-laws be used to bully owners? And what happened to the common property lawn being churned up by illegal parkers? Sue Williams joins JimmyT for a chinwag about the latest posts on the Flat Chat website. _____________________________...

The roundup this week includes a link to the latest Flat Chat Wrap podcast, which is turning out to be a lot more fun than we thought it would be. Basically someone looks at the latest stuff on the website and chats to JimmyT about it – for the past two weeks it’s been author, journalist, travel and property writer and Owners Corporation Network founder Sue Williams. Is it as much fun for you as i...

We're back with another Flat Chat Wrap.  Sue Williams joins Jimmy Thomson for a chat about noise, electric cars, shoestring tourism (and its affect on communities) and how to get rid of a nuisance committee member. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website....

We're back in the ABC studios to discuss 'no-pet' by-laws, among other things, and to take your calls. You can listen to the episode HERE. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to a...

Jimmy joins James Valentine for a chat about Tribunal decisions to rescind by-laws that ban pets ... and take your calls ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to ask and answer questions about apa...

The best of this week's Flat Chat is now available as a Podcast. Join JimmyT and journalist Sue Williams as they dissect the week's posts, questions, advice and answers. is a serious - if light-hearted look at the latest posts, questions, answers , advice and comments on Flat Chat. Forget the crazy tales from Dardanelle Towers, the funny voices (please!) and the jolly music.  This is the...

A chat about all the most interesting, strangest and most controversial items on on Flat Chat this week.  In Episode 1, Jimmy discusses pet bans, undoing bad by-laws, crazy neighbours and Airbnb laws with author and journalist Sue Williams. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and th...

The global trade war hits Dardanelle Towers, and the committee members are looking for somewhere to hide. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to ask and answer questions about apartment living a...

We recently discovered what seem to be reports from an apartment block with more than its fair share of idiosyncratic characters. Is this place real, or a figment of someone's imagination? Perhaps you know these people. Maybe it's your building.  Maybe it’s you …Part 1:  The Naked TruthPublic nudity was on the agenda at the Dardanelle Towers Executive Committee meeting last week. It star...

JimmyT goes on Channel 10's morning show to talk strata noise, parking, by-laws and Airbnb. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to ask and answer questions about apartment living anonymousl...

In JimmyT's (almost) regular spot on James Valentine's Afternoons on ABC 702, they field questions from listeners  ... and have a quick chat about Jimmy's new book. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flat...

My brief stint on Studio Ten was all about the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam, with occasional flashes of my new novel's cover. But the good news is that I hope to be back with them in a few weeks talking about apartments.  Fingers crossed. If you want to more about the novel, Tunnel Vision, go to the Accidental Guru website. It's a comedy thriller so if you like crime fiction laced with humo...

Jimmy treats James to his (unimpressive) Sean Connery impressions before the switchboard lights up with your calls ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to ask and answer questions about apartment...

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 give every pensioner $100 the first time they let a room to a visitor on the global internet platform. This prompted a call from ABC radio and Josh Szeps (filling in for James Valentine). Let me know when they st...

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 the latest Flat Chat spot on James Valentine's Afternoons on ABC radio. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia....

Property investors - especially in strata buildings – should switch to holiday rentals instead of long-term tenancies if they want to maximise their profits, says the founder of a company that manages Airbnb-style properties on behalf of landlords. According to MadeComfy co-founder Sabrina Bethunin, a report her company commissioned shows says that short term holiday letting rates are now on a par...

With the first section of my crime novel Perfect Criminals set in Kings Cross, Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck asked me if the Cross was changing and if it was for the better or worse ... with at least one Potts Pointer pitching in on the phone. ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and...

____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to ask and answer questions about apartment living anonymously on the website . Recorded by Jimmy Thomson & Sue Williams; Transcribed by Otter.ai. Find ou...

Finally, the mainstream media is not buying the Airbnb BS.  Have a listen to the the $30 billion global letting agency's talking head Brent Thomas squirm as ABC Melbourne's Jon Faine nails them on their failure to pay tax in Australia."If I was the Premier, I would refuse to meet you," has to be the quote of the year. LISTEN TO IT HEREMeanwhile, in the Flat Chat column currentl...

Does Jimmy really hate Airbnb.  No, he says - in fact, he has a confession to make about his trip to Vietnam. And you can read about plans for his next trip next year, right HERE ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatc...

We chat about the heated exchanges on the Flat Chat Forum regarding whether or not your committee should discuss anything except what's going on in the building - and we find another listener whose neighbour has dug a cellar under her unit.  Honest!  ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and...

The government releases its discussion document on short-term holiday letting.  JimmyT and James V discuss ____________________________________________________ Flat Chat is all about apartment living, especially in Australia. Find us on Facebook   and Twitter and the Flat Chat website. Send comments and questions to mail@flatchat.com.au. Register to ask and answer questions about apartment living...