When it comes to managing the administrative and financial side of owners corporations it can sometimes become overwhelming with owners becoming lost in all the jargon, legal requirements, by-laws and regulations.
While it is not a legal requirement for owners corporations to employ a professional strata manager to assist with the management of the scheme, it is certainly a worthwhile option to consider if you want help to cut through the confusing terminology and keep your owners corporation running smoothly.
Read on to find out more about how a strata manager can benefit your residential or commercial strata in Sydney.
What is a Strata Manager?
A strata manager is a paid professional that has the knowledge, experience and understanding of the nuances of strata schemes.
The owners corporation is responsible for appointing a strata manager who is then responsible for managing a variety of areas and issues that may arise.
For more information on the various roles that a strata manager has within your owners corporation check out our last blog: The Different Roles of a Strata Manager.
The Top Four Benefits
Strata managers, like the team at Fresh Strata, can be highly beneficial to your owners corporation in four particular areas: Technical Knowledge, Objective Advice, Centralised Communication and Risk Mitigation.
Technical Knowledge
How much do you know about aggregate unit entitlements? What about the ins and outs of the Strata Schemes Management Act (2015)?
A strata manager is qualified and experienced in all things to do with strata management, including the complex legislative side, which takes the stress off the owners to be across every facet of strata living.
This means that the owners can spend less time dissecting the information in by-laws, regulations and other documentation and more time enjoying their strata property.
At Fresh Strata, our strata managers have a minimum of four years of experience in strata management, giving them a solid foundation of knowledge to tackle the curly questions and provide any clarification you need.
Objective Advice
When purchasing a property, a significant financial (and often emotional) commitment is involved in the process.
Unfortunately, tying emotion to this kind of financial investment can result in disagreements arising between property owners within your owners corporation – especially if someone is feeling unheard, hard done by, or ignored completely by others within the strata.
Rather than the owners arguing without resolution, a strata manager can step in if there is a dispute, argument or disagreement, to provide impartial objective advice and information.
A strata manager can set the record straight with the facts and technical knowledge and also mediate the various points of view within your owners corporation.
This ensures the best outcome for all involved, gives everyone a say whilst making decisions appropriate to regulations and works to keep relationships among all parties in-tact.
Centralised Communication
Having a strata manager means that the owners corporation and strata committee can outsource important communications to one trusted source.
This helps to minimise the likelihood that mixed messages and misunderstandings may arise from hastily written emails or text messages from the strata committee and ensures everyone is on the same page with what is expected of them.
A strata manager also has the foresight and deep knowledge of strata rules and regulations to ensure the communications being sent out are aligned to what is documented in the owners corporation’s by-laws as well as the legislative requirements.
Risk Mitigation
Prior experience in dealing with strata properties means that strata managers at Fresh Strata have experienced and dealt with some of the common issues that may occur in the running of your owners corporation.
This knowledge is invaluable in helping the owners and strata committee to mitigate risks and minimise the fallout from any issues that do arise.
The Risks of Not Hiring a Strata Manager
You’ve probably heard the saying “too many cooks in the kitchen” – when you have too many people working on a project who want to be in charge, or have their voice heard.
This expression applies to strata properties and their committees too – if too many people have an opinion on how things should be done and can’t come to a resolution, the strata committee or owners corporation may fail to carry out its obligations resulting in legislative breaches, failure to comply with the law and exposure to legal liability to name a few. In some cases where an owners corporation is deemed to be dysfunctional as a result of not complying with the legislation, the appointment of a compulsory strata manager to undertake all of the functions of the owners corporation can occur.
Having a professional, knowledgeable strata manager can help to avoid the “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario and ensure the consistent, smooth running of your owners corporation.
Can We Change Strata Manager?
If you do appoint a strata manager for your owners corporation and you have concerns or are unhappy with their performance in managing your strata property, it is best to try to work through the problems with the manager first.
After documenting the concerns of the owners corporation and strata committee and addressing them with the strata manager, there is a chance things may still not work out. If this is the case, talk to your strata management agency about being assigned another strata manager from their team or review the process for switching agencies.
Strata Community Association of NSW has a great fact sheet on their website that you can reference.
Get a Fresh Approach to Strata Management with Fresh Strata
Appointing a strata manager shouldn’t be something to be afraid of – your strata manager is there to make the life of the owners and strata committee easier.
At Fresh Strata, we are committed to delivering an excellent approach to strata management, with a high quality of customer service, complete transparency with our clients and a core focus on managing strata properties in a friendly and efficient manner.
With over 20 years in the industry as an Australian family owned company, Fresh Strata is your go-to strata management company on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
For a fresh approach to residential and commercial strata in Sydney, contact Fresh Strata today on 02 9939 8061.