It is time for strata managers to get more creative, brave, even, about how owners fund the steep special levies coming their way. Two quotes, a hope, and a prayer is not a profession. It is perfunctory. Owners deserve better.

What is the problem we keep ignoring?

The problem we keep ignoring is the size of the funding gap. Strata schemes across Australia, and indeed across the world, are sitting on a shortfall. Capital works funds are nowhere near what is needed to remediate defectively built buildings, retrofit ageing ones, and bring sustainability infrastructure into the next two decades. We’ve kicked this can so far down the road we can’t even see where it’s landed. The bill, when it comes, is not for a coat of paint. It is for waterproofing membranes, cladding replacement, structural rectification, and the kind of work that runs into millions, not thousands.

Read: Foundations That Last: Why Strata Needs More Than Quick Fixes

Why should owners care?

Owners should care because defective buildings are not just inconvenient; they are dangerous. Unremedied structural defects cause buildings to collapse, already evidenced by Surfside, Opal Tower, and Mascot Towers. Water penetration breeds mould and creates sick buildings. Grenfell and Wang Fuk are not abstract case studies; they are a tragic reminder that combustible cladding kills. Even if you tell yourself nothing that catastrophic could happen in your scheme, defective buildings are unpleasant to live in and will never reach their true value at sale. Doing nothing has a price too. It is usually paid by whoever owns the lot last.

Read: The Band-Aid Approach: Australia’s Strata Maintenance Crisis

What does today’s strata service actually look like?

Today’s strata service looks like this. Get a couple of quotes. Present them at an AGM without much explanation of how or why we got here. Cross your fingers that members do their statutory duty, vote for the work, and pay the levies. That is not professional, that is a hospital pass.

What does a professional strata manager actually do?

A professional strata manager gets ahead of the game. Years ahead. They flag big-ticket items long before the levy notice arrives, explain what must be done and why, and take the guesswork out. They talk straight. They are forthright.

They identify the owners who will struggle to pay and engage one-on-one. They deploy empathy, financial counselling contacts, and firmness about unavoidable realities. They present options, not ultimatums: staged annual increases to the capital works fund, special levies spread across several quarters, strata loans, individual refinancing for owners with equity and capacity, reverse mortgages for older owners, and in the most serious cases, an honest conversation about whether selling up is the right move. They recommend investor owners seek advice about the after-tax impact. They introduce finance brokers who actually understand strata. And they do this before a vote is needed, not after.

Read: From Despair to Action: How Strata’s Hidden Billions Could Fund Real Solutions

Why does this matter for the profession?

This matters for the profession because it is hard work. It is important work. It is what professionals do. Professionals know how to deliver bad news well, and that is the very thing that sets us apart from the rest. If strata management wants to call itself a profession, this is the moment to prove it. The owners staring down a six-figure special levy notice are watching. They will remember who helped them work it through, and who handed them an invoice and walked away.

‍