For forty years, the strata industry's answer to dysfunctional committees has been the same: education. This October, NSW mandates compulsory training for committee members. Other states are thinking of doing the same. I think it will backfire, and there's solid psychological science to explain why.
A recruiter posts a senior strata job with 'Schedule B's' as a perk. A LinkedIn storm erupts. And when called out, the response is chilling: 'it's just industry practice.' Sound familiar? It should — banking said the same thing before the Hayne Royal Commission tore it apart.
You pay the excess. You file the claim. Job done — right? Wrong. Every strata insurance claim triggers a tax cascade that multiplies the real cost three to four times over. The financially savvy committees have figured out when not to claim. Find out what they know that yours may not.
Strata has gone from political afterthought to political goldmine — but not for the reasons you'd hope. Disasters, deaths and displacement forced politicians to notice. Now they're embracing strata as the answer to the housing crisis while passing laws that make it harder to afford. Something doesn't add up.
Cities are under increasing pressure from climate shocks and social strains. So, resilience is now essential. Discover how Sydney’s Resilient Cities Strategy is reshaping the way strata communities adapt, thrive, and prepare for the unexpected. Learn how urban resilience begins at your apartment door. Find out what you can do to prepare for disruptions, no matter where your strata is in Australia.
Three high-rise disasters. Three countries. Three completely different reform responses. While Florida hammered condo owners with structural inspections and reserve studies, and England went after developers with billion-dollar cladding bills, NSW took the most holistic approach - touching every stage of your building's lifecycle. Here's what comparative research reveals about building safety reform.
A deadly pattern is emerging in the world’s high rise disasters. From Wang Fuk to Grenfell to Champlain Towers, residents warned, experts hesitated and regulators failed to act. Australia has escaped mass casualties so far—but is that design, response, or luck? This blog asks the hard questions about what must change.
Australian strata schemes face defects, governance failures, and underfunded repairs—but they're not alone. This month, international experts gather at IFMOP 2026 to share solutions from New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, and India. Their research on legal reform, liability, aging buildings, and redevelopment offers lessons Australia urgently needs.
NSW owners corporations have mastered the art of deferring repairs and underfunding capital works - but the road ends here. NSW Fair Trading's new enforcement powers mean schemes can no longer kick the can. Ignore your maintenance obligations at your peril. The regulator is watching, and they're ready to act. Regulators in other states are watching too.
The strata industry faces a defining choice: embrace transparent fee-for-service or cling to hidden insurance commissions. As regulatory pressure mounts and trust erodes, the old business model is dying. Smart managers will lead the change - those who resist will be left behind. Your move.
NSW Fair Trading isn't watching from the sidelines anymore. New powers let them demand documents, inspect buildings, issue compliance notices, and force professional management on dysfunctional schemes. For strata owners and committees, this isn't just regulatory theatre—it's a fundamental shift from passive oversight to active enforcement that changes everything.
Is your building one of the 50% with serious defects? NSW's construction crisis has turned the dream of apartment ownership into a nightmare for thousands. But sweeping new reforms are finally shifting responsibility back where it belongs. Discover how the Building Commissioner's new powers and industry changes could protect your building—or help fix it. Read more in this week's The Strata Professional.
Think Australian strata is tough? Try England's leasehold system. You buy your flat but never own it, pay ground rent forever, and have zero say in repairs - while footing the bill. Howard Stewart, my late, great patron, would be thrilled I'm speaking at Kings College London next week about why our "perfectly imperfect" strata system beats serving medieval lords.
Is strata income about to change? A Productivity and Equality Commission review could reshape how managers earn and owners pay. The verdict? "No free lunch for strata owners" - insurance commissions may vanish, but management fees will rise. What does this mean for your business or building?
As strata professionals are being pilloried for their charging models, ironically, there’s one element of the conventional cocktail of strata management fees that is becoming fashionable in the wider world of professional services: base management fees. At roughly 50% of the total revenue typically charged for strata management services, base management fees have been a constant in strata management since the early 1970’s. Base management fees are an early incarnation of what the world’s leading management consultants now call ‘value-based pricing’. The primary appeal of them is the certainty they deliver to clients. For a well-defined bundle of services that are relatively predictable, this method produces a fair price. Hourly rates, on the other hand, are less transparent and reward slow work. This method too features in strata management. A plethora of hourly rates are listed in most strata management agreements, but how well they are used varies. Some managers are poor at recording their time. Often, staff feel confused about which tasks are included in the base management fee. They are unsure which tasks are out of scope and should incur additional time-based charges. It’s a bit of a mishmash really. Without clarity, and managing client expectations, time costing can lead to dissatisfaction, and distrust. AI is pushing clients and providers from hourly/time-based costs to fixed or value based fees. AI breaks the old link between “time spent” and “value delivered”. Now, everyone wants fairness and predictability. As AI speeds up and standardises work, time-based billing looks misaligned with both client expectations and providers’ economics. Value-based pricing is being promoted by KPMG and the like as a better alternative to hourly rates for professional services. Attitudes are changing fast, even among seasoned lawyers who have been hardwired to record their entire life in 6-minute chargeable units. A recent study of the attitudes of lawyers in private practice makes the point. In the 9 months from January 2024 to September 2024, the pendulum swung from 18% to 34% of lawyers intending to move away from hourly rates to fixed fees (Fast Law: Why speed is a priority for lawyers using AI, LexisNexis, 2023). So, at a time of severe (and justified) criticism of commission and related party-based income, it seems strata managers have it at least half right. In a post-AI world, base management fees are in vogue. We, like many other professions, must now learn to carefully scope and price all of what we do. That way, we can be rewarded for outcomes, not just outputs.
Think your strata management is modern? Think again. The good news? Simple, existing technology could revolutionise owner satisfaction and set your firm apart—no AI required. Discover the five customer-focused essentials you're probably missing.
When banks introduced ATMs, they slashed transaction costs by 75% and improved customer satisfaction—yet employment actually increased. Fifty years later, strata management faces the same opportunity. Technology can reduce operating costs, boost margins, and eliminate email overload, all without cutting staff. The ASM revolution is here.
In December, I'll be presenting with Free Leaseholder in London, to talk about how Australia's strata management system compares to the leaseholder system in the UK.
Why does everyone in strata management seem to hate their software? From dinosaur desktop platforms to the fear of change that keeps us clinging to outdated systems, this industry has a technology problem. Discover why modern alternatives exist but remain hidden, and what better software could mean for your bottom line and sanity.
Our WA Strata Sundowner is sold out!
SCA (NSW) faces critical challenges in advancing strata professionalisation. Recent initiatives on standard agreements, ethics codes, and insurance commissions show promise but reveal implementation gaps. As the industry seeks stronger national leadership and clearer standards, questions emerge about the path forward for building trust between managers and owners.
A recent adjudication in the Queensland Body Corporate and Community Management Commission is an excellent reminder for all of us about living in communal properties.
Listen to the answers to the questions we didn't get to during a recent webinar with LookUpStrata on the new business environment for strata managers.
'Standard' strata management contracts across Australia's east coast are exposing professionals to serious liability. With new reforms tightening compliance, these agreements give you all the responsibility but none of the protection—leaving you vulnerable when things go wrong.
Johnny Bell of the Wingman Group with guest speaker Dr Sarah Bell, provide useful ideas for working with AI which are practical and human.
Explore Nicole Johnston’s explosive new report that exposes the hidden conflicts and ethical pitfalls at the heart of Australian strata management. Discover why voluntary reform isn’t enough, and what real change must look like. Don’t miss the inside story.
Strata Sundowners with Michael Teys, Perth WA, 18 November 2025
Revolutionary AI robot approves pets in 45 seconds—no human intervention needed. This isn't just automation; it's true decision-making AI that handles strata tasks independently. While competitors offer chatbots, we've built autonomous robots tackling real procedures. Pet approvals are just the beginning—64 more procedures await. Finally, a path to scaling strata management beyond the industry's stubborn 380 lots-per-FTE ceiling.
I've been honoured to be selected to present a paper at the 8th International Research Forum on Multi-Owned Properties in January 2026. Here's an abstract for my paper.
Is your strata manager's fee structure crystal clear — or confusing? When a strata chair can't decipher their own accounts, something's broken. This article exposes how obfuscated billing erodes trust and reveals why genuine transparency — both with clients and employees — is one antidote to strata's alarming 33% staff turnover crisis.
Announcing a new training session for real estate property managers
Private equity is pouring millions into strata management, betting big on AI to revolutionise the industry. But will the technology deliver on its promises? And what does this mean for existing strata managers? The rules of the game are changing – find out if you'll survive the disruption.
Discover what really happens behind the scenes when strata managers face a broken business model, disruptive market forces, and vocal critics. Explore how progressives and new entrants are reshaping the industry – while others risk extinction in a changing environment. Read this Saturdays newsletter, ‘The Strata Professional’ for insights and survival strategies for both managers and owners.
From NSW to the ACT: Will the Push to Ban Insurance Commissions Go National?
Upcoming webinar: How strata managers are adapting to a new business environment
‘That’s one giant step for SCA (NSW), one small step for strata’
New Queensland Laws Create Chaos While Ignoring Critical Building Defects
Foundations That Last: Why Strata Needs More Than Quick Fixes
50 Years of Strata Wisdom Just Got Shattered - Here’s Your Survival Guide
Beyond band-aid solutions: addressing the systemic failures in progressive repairs and maintenance of collectively owned properties worldwide.
the-band-aid-approach-australias-strata-maintenance-crisis
How Strata Managers Can Finally Gain Professional Respect (And Higher Profits)
Something is wrong in the state of New South Wales
Beyond NSW: The Nationwide Strata Management Transparency Crisis Exposed
From Ancient Athens to Modern Australia: The Case for Preserving Building Plans
How Radical Transparency Can Save Your Strata Management Reputation
Wasting Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars of Experts' Time
From Sydney's Toll Complaints to Istanbul's War Context: What Australian Strata Can Learn from Turkish Condos
The Future of Vertical Integration in Strata Management Agencies
Strata AI: Understanding Your Strata Management Agreement: A Plain English Guide for Committees
NSW Fair Trading Commissions Research Into Strata Management Agreements
Breaking the Silence: How Smart Managers Turn Contract Discussions into Competitive Advantage
We area nation that speaks 8 separate strata dialects, yet the basic strata concepts are the same across the nation. So are the issues that trouble us. As we seek to understand what unites us and what divides us, this week our focus is the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory has a small but distinctive strata presence with 25,427 lots across 2,960 schemes. Here are some other highlights of the latest research about the Northern Territory strata market: · 16% of the population live in strata (compared to 15% nationally) · 59% of Northern Territory strata schemes contain 5 lots or fewer · 49% of residents are aged between 20-39 What makes the Northern Territory's strata sector distinctive? 1. Balanced scheme size distribution with moderate concentration of larger developments: The Northern Territory shows a more balanced distribution of scheme sizes compared to other jurisdictions, with 59% of schemes containing five lots or fewer, being significantly lower than Tasmania (88%) or South Australia (74%). Large schemes (50+ lots) represent only 3% of total schemes but contain 23% of all lots, suggesting the presence of substantial developments that provide economies of scale for professional management. 2. Licensing and education requirements: The Northern Territory mandates licensing for all paid body corporate managers, in addition to professional indemnity and trust account obligations. The territory also requires that managers have completed the Diploma of Property (Agency Management), which covers compliance, financial management, and business operations across twelve units of competency. This approach ensures that body corporate managers possess both formal qualifications and practical competencies before entering the profession, setting a high standard for service delivery. 3. Diverse resident demographics reflecting transient population: The Northern Territory has a unique demographic profile with 48% of apartment residents born in Australia, reflecting the territory's role as a gateway for migration and temporary workers. With significant populations from Nepal, India, and other countries, the Northern Territory's strata communities are highly multicultural, requiring body corporates to navigate diverse cultural expectations around property management. The Northern Territory's strata sector reflects its unique position as Australia's most remote jurisdiction, with a transient population and ongoing development activity creating distinctive challenges and opportunities for strata management and community governance.
From Despair to Action: How Strata's Hidden Billions Could Fund Real Solutions
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 7
Crisis Point: Why Australia's $10 Billion Strata Sector Needs Emergency National Coordination
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 6
From Mascot Towers to Mandatory Compliance: The Game-Changing Reform That Could Save Strata Buildings
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 5
Missing the Marketing Moment: How Good Strata Managers Fail to Sell Themselves
What Happens When You Let AI Analyse Your Strata Accounts? A Queensland Owner's Eye-Opening Experiment
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 4
The Three Questions That Will Determine Your Firm's AI Survival
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 3
Reimagining Client Experience: The True Path to Profitability
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 2
Strata Management Revenue Model Faces Dual Threat
The United States of Strata Australia - Part 1
No Rehashed Ideas, No Vested Interests: The Strata Conference That Delivers Real Value
Through the Lens of a Strata Manager: The Practice Behind the Process
From Awesome to Difficult: The Simple Client Rating System Every Strata Manager Needs
From Commodity to Rocket Science: Restructuring Your Strata Management Business for Maximum Profitability
AI Tips for Strata Professionals: Testing AI Against Professional Strata Budget Expertise
AI Tips for Strata Professionals: Streamlined Strata Budget Preparation
83% of Your Market Overlooked: Why Small Strata Schemes Require a Different Business Model
Beyond the Lot Count: Why Relationships Matter More in Strata Management
AI Tips for Strata Professionals - Legally compliant strata committee minutes without the hassle - save two hours for each set of minutes
This satirical take on strata ownership flips the script at the Strata Futures Roundtable, humorously arguing that the entire concept was flawed from the start—selling "thin air" defined by squiggly lines and legal jargon. With sharp wit and a jab at the infamous "pub test," the piece challenges how we think about ownership, responsibility, and reason in strata living.
A nostalgic and sharp reflection on strata management pricing, this article revisits the bold approach of Howard Stewart, who valued confidence and outcome-based selling over spreadsheets. With wit and insight, it challenges today’s industry to rediscover value pricing and reclaim what’s been lost over four decades.
The Strata Futures Roundtable brought together 50 industry professionals for an open, future-focused discussion on key challenges like ageing buildings, disaster resilience, and climate change—without a set agenda or preconceived outcomes. Hosted by Macquarie Bank and other major sponsors, the event sparked questions about the sector’s future, the role of research in reform, and whether this marks the beginning of a new national movement for strata in Australia.
Paper notifications for strata meetings create unnecessary delays, added costs, and inefficiencies, often due to outdated legal requirements or strata managers benefiting financially from paper-based processes. A simple amendment to strata laws—requiring owners who can't use electronic communication to appoint an agent—could eliminate these disruptions and modernize strata management.
As PICA faces a potential $31 million revenue hit from a proposed ban on strata insurance commissions, CEO Bobby Lehane is pushing for government-backed owner education—but is it a solution or a smokescreen? With industry challengers innovating beyond outdated models, the real question is: who will shape the future of strata management?
Strata pet approval processes remain complex, creating unnecessary disputes and administrative burdens. Should outdated by-laws be scrapped in favor of a simple, law-prescribed notification system, or is the status quo here to stay?
Strata management agencies must adopt stricter governance, transparency, and compliance measures, as recommended in the latest McGrathNicol report. Key actions include conflict of interest policies, fee transparency, risk management updates, and enhanced complaint handling
Winning a new client can feel exhilarating, but the hidden risks of a bad fit can outweigh the rewards. Before chasing every opportunity, ensure alignment—because not all wins are worth the cost.
Requiring by-laws for lot owner renovations affecting common property adds unnecessary complexity and costs. Standardized strata regulations and approval registers could offer a more efficient and transparent solution.
Netstrata's financial dealings, as revealed in the McGrathNicol report, highlight the ethical dilemma of choosing between what's technically right and what's truly right. This case serves as a defining moment for the strata management industry—will it take meaningful corrective action, or continue down the easier path?
Requiring two quotes for major strata expenditure prioritizes price over quality and hinders trusted decision-making. It’s time to scrap outdated rules and let strata managers and committees do their job—choosing the best contractor, not just the cheapest. Scrap it or save it?
Many professionals fall in love with their careers but find themselves trapped in the relentless demands of running a business, risking their health, relationships, and personal fulfillment. This article explores the moment of realizing “enough is enough” and the importance of reclaiming time through mindset shifts and smarter systems to achieve both business success and a balanced life.
This article challenges the necessity of NSW strata laws requiring summary financial statements, arguing that they duplicate existing work without adding value. Instead, it advocates for full financial statements at AGMs to promote transparency and trust while questioning whether outdated regulations should be scrapped or retained.
Should strata law be simplified? This week, we challenge conventional wisdom on disclosure laws and the three-quote rule for insurance renewal. Share your thoughts and explore our Strata Conflicts Disclosure Toolkit today!
Strata management doesn’t have to be reactive—introducing the Balanced Strata Method™, a structured approach to governance, compliance, maintenance, and finance. Be among the first to discover it at Amanda Farmer’s VIP Day on 27 March 2025!
Strata law reform has become an interstate sport to rival any national sporting league. Each state and territory compete, holding enquiries, roundtables, and issuing endless white papers and press releases. They proudly claim their ideas to be the latest and greatest. The rules of the game require them to largely ignore independent research, and critical evaluation of the lessons of each other’s previous attempts.
This toolkit has been prepared to help strata management agencies navigate regulation changes and comply with the laws and new standards.
A new statutory standard for conflict-of-interest disclosures in strata management has taken effect in NSW, requiring agencies to comply with 15 mandatory documents, including conflict of interest policies, staff training modules, pre-appointment disclosure statements, AGM disclosure motions, and insurance renewal disclosures. While positioned as ‘best practice,’ enforcement remains weak due to limited government funding, and major industry players (“Big Strata”) benefit from systemic conflicts of interest. With compliance becoming a bureaucratic burden rather than a safeguard for strata owners, the real issue is the need to eliminate conflicts altogether. Until meaningful reform happens, our Conflict of Interest Compliance Toolkit helps strata agencies navigate these complex new requirements. Download it today.
New conflict of interest disclosure standards are coming into effect for NSW strata management companies on February 3, 2025, impacting how they operate and interact with suppliers. This toolkit explores the 7 key areas managers must now disclose, going beyond insurance commissions to ensure transparency and ethical practices.
New conflict of interest disclosure standards are coming into effect for NSW strata management companies on February 3, 2025, impacting how they operate and interact with suppliers. This article explores the 7 key areas managers must now disclose, going beyond insurance commissions to ensure transparency and ethical practices.
