Strata Management

Special Levy or Strata Finance? the answer is not always straight forward
Property
"Cash is King" is an expression I have often thrown around in relation to property matters. No doubt I picked it up from an early mentor of mine who also fancied the mantra. However catchy a line it may be, the principal behind it is by no means universal. When it comes to funding major works within a strata building,...
Meaningful meetings
Expert Advice
Author Amit Kalantri once mused, "An assembly is extra slow in taking actions". As a career strata manager myself, I have to confess that I don't entirely disagree. Of course, meetings are necessary for the successful management of an Owners Corporation. There just isn't any way of getting around it. However, it is important to ensure that the juice is...
Where to turn for advice on strata matters
Expert Advice
Many readers of this column may be aware that for the last few years I have held the position of President of Strata Community Australia in the ACT. Towards the end of November just past I made the decision to step aside in order to concentrate on other priorities. Reflecting on my years as president over the past couple of...
The fine line between “funny” and “frightening”
Expert Advice
If you are anything like me, you appreciate a good yarn about funny / interesting work place incidents. Some industries bear more fruit when it comes to tall tales than others. Strata management is fertile ground in this department. A colleague of mine from Victoria, Stephen Raff (CEO of Ace Body Corporate Management) has recently published a book on this...
The age of the career strata manager
Expert Advice
On Friday the 7th of October 2016 Strata Community Australia (ACT) held its third annual awards night at the National Museum of Australia. As President I had the honour of addressing the crowd with a few thoughts on the preceding year. Reflecting on the past twelve months was a timely exercise for me personally following a hectic period at the...
The great divide
Expert Advice
Over the past couple of years I have delivered a series of education courses through Wisdom Learning on the subject of Strata Management. In addition to a Certificate II course which is delivered over an extended period of many months, we have also provided full day "CPD" courses aimed at real estate professionals who are not directly working in Strata,...
Survive the winter blues (and Mould!)
Expert Advice
As the nation's capital lurches its way towards the end of another cold winter, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief that the sun will soon reappear. As a self-confessed sun seeker, I find it difficult to find anything much positive to say about the chilly weather. One exception, however, is the pleasure of escaping from the cold...
Unlocking the value in Owners Corporation assets
Expert Advice
It is sometimes said that the law is an ass. In the case of strata legislation the most pervasive issue is usually lack of rigor and prescription around how an Owners Corporation should go about its affairs. Pleasingly in the ACT we have seen great improvement on that front since our jurisdiction upgraded its strata laws in recent years. Although...
Strata title is the way of the future
Expert Advice
Six months ago I began writing this column on strata management in B2B Magazine. I had just commenced as Managing Director of Vantage Strata and was six months into my role as President of Strata Community Australia (ACT). I said that my mission was to 'do nothing short of rewriting the book on strata and building management in Canberra'. We...
Strata – more than just a temporary job
Expert Advice
I have said in the past that strata is often considered the ugly second cousin of the property services industry. In the past a strata manager has not commanded the same degree of authority as perhaps a facilities manager or a real estate salesperson. Pigeonholed as being a "necessary evil" many people who have worked in the strata industry for...
What if we train our staff and they leave?
Expert Advice
A number of years ago, while completing my Diploma of Property Services, the class that I was attending had a brilliant mantra on the whiteboard which has always stuck with me. The saying was written in the form of a question and answer as follows; Question: What if we train our staff and they leave? Answer: What if we don't,...
Unlocking value in the air
Expert Advice
If you have been paying close attention to the strata title property market in recent years, you may have heard the term "volumetric subdivision". If you haven't heard of it you soon will. As far as Canberra is concerned, property can come in two simple forms; either a single title piece of land or a unit in a strata titled...
Seek advice when investing ‘sinking funds’
Expert Advice
'When it comes to money, I rely heavily on the advice of my accountants and financial advisers, even though I consider myself better than average in my understanding of money, finance and investment. I am, however, smart enough to acknowledge this is a complex environment, and hubris is not my ally when it comes to making sound decisions for my...
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