Michael Teys is the founder of The Strata Professionals Group and the architect of the professional standard every office in the network operates to.
He brings more than 40 years in strata — including over 30 years as a specialist strata lawyer — 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, advising committees, developers, and owners across the full spectrum of strata disputes, compliance, and governance, and served as a Fellow of the Australian College of Strata Law. He went on to own and run strata management companies across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, managing a combined portfolio of tens of thousands of 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 network.
He 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, completed under an Australian Research Council scholarship. He has been accepted at the University of Oxford to undertake a Doctorate of Philosophy in Law. He has held research positions at the City Futures Research Centre (UNSW) and Deakin University, and presents regularly at international forums including Oxford, the House of Commons, and the International Research Forum on Multi-Owned Properties in Spain, Canada and Australia.
Michael writes The Strata Professional, a weekly newsletter on strata law, committee governance, and why true professionalism matters in this industry. You can learn more about him at michaelteys.com.
This combination of legal practice, business ownership, and research is the foundation of the franchise standard. Every element of how the network operates — from the no-commission pricing structure to the Balanced Strata Method™ — is grounded in something tested rather than assumed.
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.
