Michael Teys is the Founder and Chairman of The Strata Professionals Australia. He brings together more than 30 years of specialist strata law practice, a decade of strata business ownership, and an active programme of academic research into multi-owned property governance.
Michael practised as a specialist strata lawyer from 1994 to 2018, advising committees, developers, and owners on the full spectrum of strata disputes, compliance, and governance. He served as a Fellow of the Australian College of Strata Law from 2006 to 2018. From 2004 to 2014 he was the CEO and major shareholder of strata management companies operating across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, with a combined portfolio of 28,000 apartments. Running those businesses gave him direct exposure to the operational pressures strata managers face and revealed the structural weaknesses that became the catalyst for founding The Strata Professionals Australia.
Michael holds a Master of Philosophy (Built Environment) from UNSW, where his thesis examined how mixed-use strata developments create anti-commons risks that impede urban renewal. He has held research positions at the City Futures Research Centre (UNSW) and Deakin University, contributing to published work on building defects, passive fire protection, and pathways to professionalism for strata managers. He presents regularly at international research forums and policy discussions, including the International Research Forum on Multi-Owned Properties, the House of Commons, and the International Institute for the Sociology of Law. His current research undertakes a comparative socio-legal analysis of catastrophic governance failures in high-rise, multi-owned residential buildings.
This combination of legal practice, business ownership, and academic research gives Michael a perspective few in the Australian strata industry can match. Every element of the firm’s operating model, from the no-commission pricing structure to the Balanced Strata Method™ governance framework, is grounded in something tested rather than assumed. Committees that engage The Strata Professionals Australia are engaging a firm led by someone who understands their legal obligations, has run the operations they rely on, and is actively shaping the future of strata governance through published research and policy engagement.
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.
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The fallout from the ABC's investigative story continues, with discussions underway to ban strata insurance commissions. This article explores the factors influencing the potential ban, including the ACCC's involvement, national crises, and the impact on the Strata Communities Association Australasia.
Ten years ago, Michael Teys swam the English Channel, a gruelling 44km journey. The lessons I learned from that experience—achieving hard things incrementally, daily practice for high performance, never making decisions when distressed, visualising success, and having a supportive crew—apply to both business and life. These lessons are particularly relevant for strata managers, who face challenging tasks ahead. Professionalism will be achieved gradually through consistent daily actions to improve public perception.
Strata managers under fire for aggressive debt collection tactics. We review ineffective template reminders and provide tips for improvement. Plus, take our poll on the effectiveness of repayment plans.
