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.
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 Should outdated by-laws be scrapped in favor of a simple, law-prescribed notification system, or is the status quo here to stay?
Short-term strata management agreements with termination options are gaining unexpected support. We're exploring the pros and cons of this approach.
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Something is wrong in the state of New South Wales
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.
This article argues for a major overhaul of strata management agreements, emphasising transparency, fairness, and flexibility for both owners and managers. It criticises the current standard agreement as unfair and complex, proposing a simpler, more transparent approach.
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.
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.
Reimagining Client Experience: The True Path to Profitability
