Introduction

 

Author and webmaster: Mary R.

Welcome. This site is written for people who own an apartment, in particular the lot owners and owner-occupiers who make up strata committees and the neighbours they serve. It exists to make the case that a well-run strata building can be a good place to live, and that the people best placed to make it that way are the owners themselves.

There is no brand name behind this site and no product to sell. Just a straightforward point of view, offered to anyone who finds it useful.

Much of what’s written about apartments is framed around investment: In that frame, apartments often come off badly. But that’s not the whole picture, and for owner-occupiers it’s not even the main one. An apartment is a home. Its quality of life and its long-term health depend on how well it’s run and maintained, and that is something owners and their committees genuinely control.

This site is here to support that work, and to remind those doing it that they are not alone in caring about the place they live.

Living in apartments does affect the day-to-day finances and peace of mind of millions of Australians, yet many owners and tenants only learn how it works when something goes wrong. I’ve spent two decades learning it the hard way: as a tenant relying on common-property maintenance, as an owner-occupier living within a shared community, and as an occasional volunteer strata committee member, helping to oversee the governance of a multi-million-dollar building.

My journey hasn’t been mistake-free. I’ve made my share of missteps along the way, including decisions I’d handle differently today, and this site exists partly so that other “worker bees” of the strata world don’t have to learn their lessons the hard way.

Now that I have more time, hopefully I can add to the chorus of voices encouraging lot owners to join their strata committees. It is the only way you will know and understand what is really going on and assist in protecting your valuable asset.

My biggest mistake when I was briefly the only active committee member of a strata building, was to allow myself to be intimidated by the appointed strata management, believing that they oversaw the building and its maintenance. This was a misunderstanding of their role and mine, and I must take responsibility for that.

In terms of good overall governance, it is the strata committee that oversees the management and maintenance of the building, and the strata manager is there to follow the committee’s instructions, including its delegation of a specific range of duties. This delegation includes record keeping, the day-to-day handling of finances, responding to emails and phone calls, and the contracted or urgent handling of building maintenance and services.

There will be times when strata managers can justifiably say: “I didn’t do it because I didn’t get any instructions from the committee”. You could describe it as both sides waiting for actions to occur with the result that nothing gets done.

That is the lesson that all beginning committee members must understand immediately – they are the ones who must provide the good governance and overarching management. I will cover that in more detail in my following posts.

Nothing about being on a Strata Management Committee (SMC) is any more burdensome than the alternative of single-handedly looking after a stand-alone home. It, too, can be financially stressful and require careful attention to finances, bills, tradespeople, maintenance and, if you are a landlord, managing both short-term and longer-term tenants.

If anything, being on a committee is less burdensome because you can share the workload with other members and utilise the help of professional management services that may include accountants and lawyers.

My first goal with this site is to help demystify the role of a strata committee for new members. If you’ve already been a tenant or owner in a strata-title building, you probably have a very good idea already of how it works but perhaps not the complete picture.

My second goal is to assist with advocacy on behalf of all strata committees. I am happy to add my voice to those who are already doing such a great job of undertaking this task. When the lobbying and advocacy for a better deal for strata committees is coming from limited sources, it can convey the impression that the level of engagement is also limited.

My third goal is to let the website function from time to time as a newsletter, covering a diverse range of topics, including reviews and critiques of the various state regulations if necessary.

This site carries no advertising, sponsorships, or paid memberships. It isn’t affiliated with any strata management company, legal firm, or industry body.

 

Australian Strata Legislation (State by State)

Victoria
Primary Act:   Owners Corporation Act 2006
Note:   This includes the major structural amendments passed in recent years regarding manager registration and building tiers and the current mandated education requirements for OC managers.

New South Wales
Primary Act:   Strata Schemes Management Act 2015
Note:   Check the current version of the Act for the updates enacted or under review for insurance commissions and the introduced higher-education levels and requirements for OC managers. NSW is currently the “gold standard” in some ways.

Queensland
Primary Act:   Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997
Note:  Does not currently mandate education levels for OC managers.

Western Australia Primary Act:   Strata Titles Act 1985
Note:   This portal reflects the strict 18-unit full Certificate IV education requirements mandated for practicing managers.

South Australia
Primary Acts:   Strata Titles Act 1988   &   Community Titles Act 1996

Tasmania
Primary Act:   Strata Titles Act 1998

Australian Capital Territory 
Primary Act:   Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011
Note:   In the ACT, owners corporations are traditionally referred to as “Executive Committees,” and the managing agents operate under the   Agents Act 2003   for licensing.

Northern Territory
Primary Act:   Unit Title Schemes Act 2009

Grassroots Consumer Advocacy Groups

These organisations are independent. They do not manage properties, and they do not represent management firms. Their sole mandate is protecting lot owners and giving them the tools to fight back against corporate overreach.

Strata Owners Alliance (SOA)
Founded in Victoria by grassroots lot owners, the alliance operates on a philosophy of pure community empowerment. They share practical, unvarnished tips on how committees can wrest back control of their properties without paying massive agency fees. They also strongly advocate and lobby on behalf of all lot owners.
Website: Strata Owners Alliance Their focus makes them a very useful peer resource.

The Owners Corporation Network (OCN) Australia
The OCN was formed by lot owners who grew exhausted by corporate capture. They actively lobby governments to ban insurance kickbacks, mandate better building standards, and protect committee transparency. Their webinars and website are a useful source of independent, pro-owner analysis in Australia.
Website: Owners Corporation Network (OCN) Australia

Consumer Affairs & Watchdog

And the national body:

ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission)

The Investigative Media (Your Ultimate Idea Bank)

When looking for topics that are currently agitating the public, independent Australian journalism is your best friend. Major investigative pieces heavily expose hidden vertical integration, secret insurance broker commissions, and the conflicts between committees and other prominent stakeholders in the Strata universe.

Keep an eye on the current and archives of The Guardian Australia or The Age/The Sydney Morning Herald for articles of particular interest to Strata communities. For television, check the archives of the ABC’s Four Corners and also Channel Nine.

This site is copyright protected. Mary R. is the copyright holder.

This blog is fully independent and self-funded. It doesn’t offer legal or financial advice. When such advice is needed, always consult a professional in those disciplines. Use the links provided here as a starting point. The author resided in Victoria and is most familiar with Victoria’s strata legislation. Always check and use the current legislation governing your own state. State legislations vary and are state-specific. Links to each state’s own strata-title Act are provided on this “Introduction” page.