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 balcony plant system that's been banned becasue it's not in keeping with the look of the building, the surprisingly widespread problem of mould and explore the vexed question of underperforming committee members.

This is a long session so we have split it and will run the other half next week. There's a lot in it because, as is the nature of strata, one answer leads to a Jenga stack of other questions.

You can check out the Bannerman's website for a stack of strata-related information

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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 out more about Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson on their websites.

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 owners’ thought on training for strata committee members. We won’t do too many spoilers but it’s worth hearing what you, the owners and tenants really want.

Then we look at how volatile the building industry has become, with record number of small builders going out of business while the government’s housing targets seem to be as out of reach as ever.

Then we have a chat about some of the main myths about strata managers, as highlighted by Bobby Lehane, CEO of the Pica Group.

And we give a nod to a photograph that accompanied one of Sue’s stories about boarding house residents being evicted to make way for luxury houses in Sydney’s Paddington.

All in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap.

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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 out more about Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson on their websites.

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 worrying trends in one of our states where developers are loading up strata committees with their employees – ignoring any allegations of obvious conflicts of interest.

Meanwhile, apartment owners seem blissfully unaware that there may be any potential problems. “They say they’re going to take care of defects and it’s in their best interests to do so, isn’t it?”

Well, is it? Or are there some developers who are more concerned with profits than their reputations – since they can change their names any time they like?

And finally we look at the conundrum of increased immigration putting pressure on the housing stock versus the need for skilled migrants to build more apartment blocks.

Is temporary accommodation in migrant camps the answer? Make them attractive places to stay – they don’t have to be like prisons. And would it be any worse than migrants having to share a two-bed flat with a dozen other renters?

That’s all in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap.

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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 out more about Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson on their websites.