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.
Unlock success in your strata management transition with a well-crafted first 100-day plan that showcases your expertise, builds client trust, and highlights the proven steps for setting up a thriving new partnership.
The Future of Vertical Integration in Strata Management Agencies
‘That’s one giant step for SCA (NSW), one small step for strata’
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.
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?
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.
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A situational analysis is used to take stock of the internal and external factors affecting your business. Using this template will help you define what you have at hand to work with and anticipate what might be coming at you. It’s the first thing you should do when thinking about growth and the future of your business. This template uses the SWOT method with a strata management twist.
