The Strata Manager
It is not compulsory to have a strata managing agent but a good strata manager will take all of the pain out of the administrative processes of running a strata scheme. Good strata managers are worth their weight in gold!
A good strata managing agent will perform all of the duties of Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. They will regularly inspect the building, manage the sites and any tradespeople, manage all finances, issue notice of meetings and take minutes. Additionally they will provide good advice and make a great contribution to the peace and harmony of the strata scheme. The result is a scheme that is well maintained, the finances are well managed, and there is a well considered plan to maintain and improve the building for the benefit of all owners.
There is nothing worse than a poor strata manager, if you believe that some of the following apply to you then you have a problem and you should first complain, if nothing changes then consider looking around for a new strata manager:
- Repairs and maintenance: The building is not well maintained, common property lights are not repaired, carpet is torn, windows are broken, intercom does not work, the building has not been maintained etc.
- Minute books, notice of meetings and agenda: The notice and agenda of meetings cannot be sighted, the notice board is a mess, the strata manager cannot provide minutes of meetings or does not know what by-laws apply to the building, minutes are not provided for meetings and are not placed on the notice board following meetings.
- Financial management: The building finances are not well managed, accounts and statements are not issued or issued late, levies are not being paid and some owners are long overdue, the strata manager is not taking action to collect outstanding levies and chasing late-payers, finds are not available for repairs and maintenance.
- BAS Statements: If your scheme is a large scheme and is required to lodge BAS statements, if they have not been lodged or are lodged late etc.
- Lack of transparency, favouritism or secret meetings: This is unfortunately far too common. Many schemes have secret meetings, decisions are made with no knowledge of one or more members of the executive committee, the strata manager displays inconsistent decision making, favouring some owners at the expense of others.
- Poor compliance: The building compliance regime is poor. This includes poor maintenance including a failure to perform fire inspections, remove asbestos, repair hazards and perform regular maintenance on lifts or emergency lights etc.
- X: x.
A good strata manager is a wonderful asset for any building. No-one wants to see their asset lose value and fall into disrepair. The strata manager is the main person who can provide advice and guidance to the owners corporation.
However it is important to note that unless a strata manager is directly delegated the authority to make decisions they are only implementing the decisions of others. The fault will often lie elsewhere, for example an executive committee reluctant to spend money on repairs and maintenance etc. Strata managers will often complain that their ‘hands are tied’ because they have not been delegated the power to make decisions and they are waiting on the executive committee to make a decision. The executive committee does have a responsibility to make decisions in a reasonable time. If there is a problem it is often not the fault of the strata manager.
If you have a problem, there are literally hundreds of strata management companies in NSW. The sums of money are large and the industry is lightly regulated. There is no reason to put up with a poor strata manager.
