STRATA MANAGERS FOR EFFECTIVE OWNERS CORPORATIONS

TRUSTED BY STRATA COMMITTEES IN SYDNEY FOR CONTEXT, ADVICE, PROFESSIONALISM AND FOLLOW-THROUGH

Strata committee members volunteer to manage multi-million dollar assets. They assume statutory duties to keep strict records, manage shared funds and fairly enforce complex by-laws against their neighbours.At any time, they could be challenged in a tribunal.

It’s a serious commitment, and our job is to make it as effortless as possible for strata committees to be effective. To do that, we provide strata committees with:

The expert context and advice they need to make informed decisions confidently
Administrative support to run the scheme efficiently and compliantly with the law.

With our support, you can be confident you’re protecting the value of your strata scheme, keeping the right records, making sound decisions, and minimising the potential for conflict.

THE STRATA CENTRAL EXPERIENCE

Volunteering for strata committee membership shouldn’t become a second job. As experienced strata managers, we make it possible for strata committees to function as a strategic board, not as resident firefighters.

We know that strata committees are most effective and run smoothest when:

The committee is well-briefed in advance of meetings that are run efficiently
The right suppliers are appointed
Projects and changes are planned, costed properly and delivered as expected
Lot owners have confidence in them because the committee’s responses are prompt, communication is clear, and reasoning is sound
The strata manager:
– Understands the multiple laws that govern strata schemes and their management

– Has the systems knowledge and professionalism to follow through

– Follows procedures for every aspect of strata management, so nothing is missed

– Works quickly, effectively and without micromanagement because they’ve clearly established the boundaries of their delegated authority

WE ADVISE YOU DECIDE

To make their decisions, strata committees need first to draw on expert context and advice. Who should quote? How do these quotes compare to each other? Would a decision be permissible under the Act? Are our records compliant? What’s the right approach to adjudicating this complaint under the by-laws?

We provide strata committees with the context, advice and insights they need to make informed decisions with confidence. For that, we draw on our decades of experience and commitment to strata management as a profession.

Knowledge applied well

Experience creates knowledge. Turning that knowledge into advice at the right time is where a strata manager generates exceptional value. The laws governing strata are increasingly complex. Even just guiding owners corporations on which insurance broker to engage can save enormous sums.

Managing specialists

Strata schemes need specialists from time to time — engineers, electricians, plumbers, lawyers and others. Bringing in the right specialists and interpreting their recommendations correctly is essential to achieving the desired result. Here, our experience in providing context can be invaluable.

LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS LONG-TERM TEAMS

Our clients are serviced by a team with a low staff turnover. Our clients each have a lead manager and a co-manager, who are equally familiar with their building. This way, strata committees receive knowledgeable service without interruption.

“We were looking for someone with competence, who understood the need for service. Someone who could answer questions. Like, what they would do when someone doesn’t pay their levies? What happens if the building manager is out of contact and there’s a disaster? We wanted to know their processes because good strata managers, like Strata Central, have good answers to questions like that.” — Gordon Streight, Chair of the Owners Corporation

effortless Dealings

Handovers from existing strata managers

Most of our clients are referred to us because they want to upgrade their strata management. As a result, we have established processes to handle every detail of the handover and implement Strata Central standards quickly.

Sophisticated systems and procedures

Rapid access to the right information enables fast, decisive action, which is why we use a web-based workflow management tool for our tasks and procedures. This way of working means that:

The whole team can see what tasks need to be done
Tasks are followed through
Issues don’t become emergencies by falling through the cracks

Ongoing training

Strata managers must be licensed, but we maintain even higher standards. We’ve developed our own training program because what we do matters to the people who live in and invest in the strata schemes that we support.

WHAT OUR SYDNEY-BASED STRATA MANAGERS DO

1. Establish delegated authority

At the strata committee’s first meeting, we agree with the committee the scope of our delegated authority including things like which invoices can be paid without approval.

2. Service contracts and agreements

We negotiate new service agreements, where you need them. And we review existing agreements to make sure you get the services you need, you expect and you pay for.

3. Budgets and financial statements

Every year, we work with strata treasurers (and building managers where a scheme has an appointed manager) to present budgets to strata committees that are easy to put to an AGM because they are:

Clear — we show where the figures come from through historical comparisons and detailed explanations
Compliant — because the law treats strata scheme

finances differently from business accounts Every month, we provide financial statements and reports, including:

Income and expenditure statement (profit & loss)
Balance sheet
Aged levy arrears (aged debtors)
General ledger

4. Strata meetings

Owners corporations deal with lot owners’ homes and most important investments. The issues discussed at strata meetings are serious, sometimes contentious and always governed by law. We have the experience to ensure meetings are successful. Everyone is heard but no voice is over-represented, even when the topics are difficult.

5. Compliance

We manage all your legislative requirements, including:

Managing trust money and trust accounts
Insurance renewal and insurance claims, including valuations
Annual fire safety statement16 compliance
Work health and safety (WHS),17 including making sure contractors are appropriately licensed and insured
Records management and data storage

6. Dispute resolution

Disputes are bound to occur in strata schemes. We’re experienced negotiators who come with a firm grasp of the issues. Also, we understand that negotiation and compromise give a strata committee more control than they’ll have before a tribunal. If avoiding a tribunal is impossible, we’re experienced in assisting strata committees and their lawyers with complex mediations and matters before courts and tribunals.

7. Defect claim management

We’re experts in managing multi-million-dollar claims for defects in existing and newly constructed buildings, as well as dealing with insurance claims and claims arising from the Home Building Act 1989.18

8. Consulting

We provide one-off consultations or ongoing consultancy. This can be useful if you’d like a second opinion or you need someone to attend strata meetings as your proxy.

9. Compulsory appointments

We accept compulsory appointments in accordance with Section 237 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015.

ARE WE THE RIGHT FIT?

We’re strata managers for owners corporations in Sydney that value smooth operations, trustworthy advice and confident decision. If you’re looking for an efficient, effective and expert strata manager whose advice you can rely on, we’d like to ask you a few questions about your situation and your expectations. Then we can advise if we look like the right fit for your strata committee.

REQUEST A PROPOSAL