PODCAST · society
FLAT CHAT WRAP
by Jimmy Thomson & Sue Williams
All about living in apartments (condos), from dealing with your committee to getting on with neighbours and – a dose of healthy skepticism about dubious developers. Please subscribe by clicking on one of the icons below, to take you to your favourite podcaster.
Episodes
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Fake hosts - our scariest podcast ever
We’re back. Or at least, one of us is for real, but the other one is fake, thanks to an Artificial Intelligence app. This week I fed two articles from the Flat Chat website into an AI app called Jellypod. I chose the one about NSW Premier Chris Minns’ visit to the Netstrata offices and the other...
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Too slow for easy low-cost housing fix
It’s a problem with any bureaucracy, anywhere in the world – and it’s also the reason strong figures in politics prevail – doing the right thing the “right way” takes a lot longer than just getting stuff done when it’s most needed. The principle of “it’s easier to apologise than it is to get...
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Simple but significant rewards for our key workers
Don’t be put off by a tinkle or two of classical music at the start of this week’s podcast. It’s just a small acknowledgement of the fact that we are in Warsaw, where Polish-born piano master composer Frederic Chopin was raised. What do Warsaw and Gdansk have to do with apartments? Heaps as it...
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Going Dutch on rent controls
This week we’ve taken the podcast overseas as we’re recording on a cruise ship off the coast of Norway. But it gives us an opportunity to look at one of the vexed questions of living in strata in Australia. You may not know this but there is already one city in Australia that has rent controls.…
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Is this the end of balcony laundry bans?
Last week Sue dropped a bomb into a discussion about new strata laws in NSW, one of which will invalidate by-laws that block sustainability changes because they would alter the look of the building. Does this mean the end of by-laws that forbid drying laundry on balconies? Surely not using a…
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New strata laws tested - the best and the rest
If you've been hiding under your bed - and who isn't tempted these days? - you may not have heard that NSW is about to see a second tranche of strata law reforms become a reality on July 1. What are the new laws and what do they mean? We invited Robert Anderson, President of SCA-NSW, the state's...
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It's real! Building faster, cheaper, better apartments
Imagine if you could build apartments in half the time at 15 per cent less cost and a guarantee of no waterproofing, fire safety or structural defects. ‘Tell ’im he must be dreamin’,” say strata’s Darryl Kerrigans. Apartment blocks take longer to build than ever, cost more, and fire and...
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On ABC radio Afternoons with James Valentine
As many of you may already know, every second Tuesday, JimmyT goes on ABC Radio with James Valentine on his Afternoon show to chat about apartments. Last week, Jimmy and James took calls from listeners about what you can and can't put on balconies, compulsory training for strata committees…
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Hot seat part 2 - Vexatious litigants and embedded networks
In this second part of Lawyer in the Hot Seat, recorded last week, strata legal eagle David Bannerman fields questions from Flat Chat's Jimmy Thomson about a range of issues, starting with what is vexatious litigant and how do you deal with them? Then there's the matter of disputes between...
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Lawyer in the Hot Seat 2025 - Part 1
In what has become an annual event here on Flat Chat, this week we were invited on to a webinar run by leading strata lawyer (and Flat Chat sponsor) David Bannerman for the Q&A session that we call Lawyer in the Hot Seat. In it we discuss such diverse issues as Lithium battery safety, a Vegepod...
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Training wheels and strata manager myths
The week’s podcast covers a wide array of topics, from your thoughts on strata committee training, and the ups and downs of the property market to common myths about strata managers. And we’ll throw in a reference to photography as well. We have a look at Amanda Farmer’s survey into strata…
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Why green flats are good buys
The Wrap is back with a look at sustainable apartments and the reality of spending a bit more to make a unit cheaper to live in. The latest message is that even if the average ‘green’ unit costs $11k more, it will save you heaps of money… and salve your conscience too. We also uncover two…
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All the strata stats that matter
Did you know that getting on for 4.5 million Australians live in strata? And who do you think comprises the single largest demographic group, from singles and couples through to one-parent families? Can you even take a wild guess at the total value of strata properties in Oz, or what percentage…
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Defects, solar snub and commissions
There's a lot going on in the strata sphere this week, starting with the Sydney Morning Herald's big expose on building defects. It's well worth reading but it's funny how every time a new reporter writes about this stuff, it's treated as if it's just been discovered. Speaking as people who have...
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Election fever, defects call and rents on the rise
We’d love to ignore the election but we can’t, so this week we look at what our nation’s political parties are offering apartment buyers and renters as we hurtle towards polling day. Everybody agrees we need more housing – and that means more apartments – but the policies differ, including one…
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Tenants' pets unleashed and flat-finding for a friend
We are getting into two of the topics that cause most angst in apartment living, this week: pets and buying property. Firstly, we take a spin around the question of landlords in NSW no longer being able to ban renters’ pets for no good reason – and how that will affect the more than 50 per cent…
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Strata managers 'not in disarray' says prez
Last week we said that Strata Community Association NSW - the states' strata managers' professional body - was in disarray. Objecting to that negative characterisation, NSW President Robert Anderson agreed to come on to the podcast and answer a few questions. We had no shortage of those. For...
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Five years on, strata pets are here to stay
This week we look back at what has been described by some lawyers as one of the most significant legal decisions of the 21st Century – right up there with Donald Trump’s court losses. We are talking about the “Jo Cooper” decision five years ago which said strata schemes couldn’t impose blanket…
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Netstrata: The facts and the frictions
The long-awaited report into what has become known as the Netstrata Scandal came out last week – too late for the podcast – so we bring it to you in all its glory this week. Fair Trading NSW have, unusually for them, hopped in with a fairly strident comment and Netstrata has responded with…
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Fast track flats and Airbnb tax
This week’s podcast looks at the renewed concern about the effect of short-term holiday lets on affordable housing, following City of Sydney’s request to the state government to change the laws to curb Airbnb and its ilk. Last week CoS said about 1000 homes would come back into the residential...
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New laws put strata cops on the beat
The podcast this week is almost entirely taken up with the new laws that passed the other day in the NSW parliament. We won’t see most of them kick in until later in the year, but the effects could be immediate. Dodgy contracts that could see off-the-plan sales rescinded might be being rewritten…
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Secretive strata managers face $110k fines
In this week’s podcast we wonder whether the announcement of fines for strata managers who don’t reveal the various deals and relationships they have with developers and service providers signals a sea change in how NSW Fair Trading regards strata professionals who play fast and loose with the...
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Contract killers - the strata law that's simply ignored
In this week’s podcast we ask why it is that, while the so-called Arrow decision has established that pre-sale strata contracts are invalid, some developers can get away with signing them. As raised by our friend Francesco Andreone at GoStrata, what needs to be done to the laws to stop this...
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Strata pantomime villain takes centre stage
It seems strata may have a new pantomime villain (like we need one). This week we look at multi-millionaire developer of fancy pants apartment blocks Tim Gurner. He once shocked an economic conference by saying the country needs 40-50 per cent unemployment. If that wasn’t bad enough it’s alleged…
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Economic hogwash, strata dog wash
With half of Australia still in holiday or hangover mode, and half of Sydney stuck on a railway platform somewhere, this is a short and (we hope) sweet Flat Chat Wrap podcast this week. First, we look at a new trend in affordable and comfortable co-living, which already exists in two completed...
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Fast-track for flats puts Nimbys on notice
We are back in the saddle for the new year with the news that the NSW government has come up with a new way of tackling the bureaucracy and red tape that’s holding back housing construction – by adding what looks like another level of bureaucracy and red tape. To be fair, the intentions are good....
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Plusses and perils of strata in 2025
Looking forward to 2025 involves a certain amount of looking back. So we wonder this week what will happen, if anything, as a result of the long-delayed outcomes of investigations into Netstrata in particular or strata management in general. And we look at the proposed new strata laws for NSW....
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Strata's naughty and nice in 2024
From the scandals around Netstrata - and the harsh scrutiny all strata managers have faced as a consequence - to the departure of Building Commissioner David Chandler, 2024 was a huge year in strata. We look at those events as well as the roller-coaster rides for apartment owner clients of two…
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Sins of commission - why Minns has quit
This week we say farewell to former Strata Commissioner John Minns who has decided to quit, despite a months-long inquiry into allegations of conflict of interest finding nothing untoward. Jimmy had a long chat with him (off air) which he relates in the podcast, covering his frustrations during…
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Strata law changes, sliced and diced
Our deadlines meant we missed the chance to talk about the new strata laws proposed for NSW in last week’s podcast but that has given us time to think about the proposals and what they mean. For instance, is compulsory training of strata committee members a good or bad thing? Will fear of having...
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Triple threat: Guide gaps, dodgy contracts and rotting blocks
Three big stories get most of our attention in this week’s podcast. Firstly there’s the publication of the new Guide to Strata Living, which earns some praise, but a few brickbats from JimmyT. You can judge for yourself HERE, where there are also links to the actual guide for you to download.…
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Noise annoys as city wakes up to 24-hour bars and gyms
We’ve been catching up with all the strata stories that emerged while we were away – and there’s a lot of them, covering just about every aspect of apartment living. The plan to boost Sydney’s night time economy with 24/7 bar openings has alarmed well-heeled resident so Circular Quay (according…
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Talk about unaffordable - the $30k-a-night apartment
Can you imagine paying $30,000 a night for a pad in London? Yes, that’s thirty thousand dollars, in case you thought it was a misprint. And this is in a city that has its share of homelessness and has had to introduce a 90-night limit on short-term holiday lets to combat the drain on residential...
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London calling with renters' advice, unit prices and a high-rise tragedy
Your intrepid Flat Chat team’s travels take them to London this week but that doesn’t mean they have lost touch with what’s happening in Australia. For a start a boost to funding for tenants’ supports agencies has been announced by the NSW state government. That will no doubt be very useful when...
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New commissioner named, Netstrata dodge exposed
This week’s podcast comes to you from less-than-sunny Glasgow, which may explain the slightly different sound quality. But the chat is up to its usual standards as we speculate on what new Building Commissioner James Sherrard will bring to the job as he fills the substantial shoes recently…
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Pumping irony - Airbnb on defensive, pro gym offensive
There are so many issues it strata that are “he said, she said” - or “they said, they said”, to put it in a more contemporary context – that the temptation to not take sides is sometimes overwhelming. But consider the plight of an owner on the first floor of a block who has a noisy commercial gym...
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Buyers locked out of flawed strata gem
There’s a lot of anger and frustration behind this week’s edition of the Flat Chat Wrap. The fury on display on a recent episode of A Current Affair on Nine is both clear and understandable. Prospective owners in the Sapphire apartments in Gosford on the Central Coast of NSW had been told to be...
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Scary smart: Could AI kill Flat Chat?
When it comes to getting your attention, there’s nothing quite like being warned that the latest innovation could put you out of business. Okay, we’ve heard it all before, but imagine if a friend was able to access a reliable response to a strata question instantly, wherever you happen to be. And...
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Conflabs not conflict the answer says top SM
It’s been a tough few months for strata managers, especially the good ones – and there are many of them – who have been trying to do the best they can for their customers while the industry as a whole has been exposed to strident and mostly valid criticism. The irony for the honest and decent...
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Another strata trap sprung - dealing with defects
We start this week’s podcast by looking back at the previous episode which has broken all our records for regular downloads. It’s not surprising really, given that it was a chat with ABC TV Four Corners investigative reporter Linton Besser about how and why he pulled together the Strata Trap...
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Behind the scenes with the Strata Trap reporter
We’re rolling the Wrap out a little early this week because it’s connected to the hottest topic in strata right now. Linton Besser, the reporter who brought you the Four Corners report The Strata Trap on Monday, has come on to the podcast to answer our questions about what he’s found in the…
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Are your appliances giving your kids asthma?
Are your cooking and heating appliances giving your kids asthma? This week in the Flat Chat Wrap, Sue talks about a story she’s been chasing where families have found that switching from gas to electricity for their heating and cooking appliances has seen their kids’ asthma disappear. As we head...
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Sins of commissioner - or just bad timing?
There’s been considerable speculation about NSW Strata Commissioner John Minns this week after the revelation on an ABC news report that he has retained a significant holding in a property management company, albeit through a family trust. Is it a serious problem for the man tasked with…
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Company title chaos and strata commish game-changer
In this week’s podcast, we look at why a problem in a company title block .would have been much easier to resolve had the apartment been in a strata building. The story in the Sydney Morning Herald is about a 71-year-old woman who has had to move out of her home because of damp caused by faulty...
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Sound and fury at soft response to strata scandal
So the NSW Fair Trading Minister has revealed his law changes in the wake of the Netstrata scandal and they are, as one strata insider put it, like being slapped on the wrist with limp spaghetti. With the news hot off the printer, Jimmy jumped in with both feet to claim this is a pretty poor...
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Future looks bright but present is tense
Having been to more conferences that they’ve had Ubereats deliveries – and with drawers full of lanyards to prove it – Jimmy and Sue headed off to the Gold Coast last week to the Strata Impact conference full of hope that this wouldn’t either be another whinge-fest (not least because JT was MC).…
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Renters boost and $235k safety alarm
Three serious stories straight off the website have caught our attention this week – but there’s a bit of fun too. The first two reports are changes planned in NSW laws to make life more secure and a bit easier for renters. Premier Chris Minns announced last weekend that the government is going…
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Struck off and probed in the naughty corner
Oh, dear. Not another swipe at strata managers, please! Yes, OK, it’s a well-trodden path but, to be fair, the baddies have made themselves easy targets for the past few months. As for the goodies, we’d say, as we often do, that they are in the majority. And how frustrating must it be to try to...
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Chandler's challenge, crowd-funding property buys and forum funnies
In this week’s podcast we look at NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler and how he’s ramping up his efforts to get his message across before he retires next month. And that message is, basically, if you are buying off the plan right now and you don’t go with a developer who has an iCirt gold...
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SM crackdown and luxury 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 planning to tighten regulations on strata managers in the state – a move that was announced a couple of weeks ago when Sue was off air. What will this...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
All about living in apartments (condos), from dealing with your committee to getting on with neighbours and – a dose of healthy skepticism about dubious developers. Please subscribe by clicking on one of the icons below, to take you to your favourite podcaster.
HOSTED BY
Jimmy Thomson & Sue Williams
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does FLAT CHAT WRAP have?
FLAT CHAT WRAP currently has 406 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is FLAT CHAT WRAP about?
All about living in apartments (condos), from dealing with your committee to getting on with neighbours and – a dose of healthy skepticism about dubious developers. Please subscribe by clicking on one of the icons below, to take you to your favourite podcaster.
How often does FLAT CHAT WRAP release new episodes?
FLAT CHAT WRAP publishes regularly with 406 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to FLAT CHAT WRAP on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts FLAT CHAT WRAP?
FLAT CHAT WRAP is created and hosted by Jimmy Thomson & Sue Williams.
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