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.
Striking the Balance Between Compassion and Collection. Debt collection for strata managers is a tightrope walk. Balancing financial responsibility with resident hardship is key. Discover effective strategies like SMS reminders (avoiding late fees) and explore collection tools like Mailchimp.
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?
Watch or listen as we challenge the assertion that cladding with anything under 30% Polyethylene (PE) content is okay so you can determine for yourself - Are things that burn a little bit ok?
This final episode draws parallels to similar situations like New Zealand’s leaky building syndrome of the 1990s to discuss how Australia can best move forward on the pathway to rectification.
50 Years of Strata Wisdom Just Got Shattered - Here’s Your Survival Guide
This article critically examines the Strata Community Association Australasia (SCA) in the wake of the Steadfast insurance brokerage scandal. It highlights the organisation's lack of leadership, the discredited Professional Standards Scheme, and the identity crisis it faces.
Explore the rising tensions in strata management post-pandemic, the impact on staff morale, and strategies to reduce workplace aggression and improve communication in the industry.
Apartment owners with building defects can waste a lot of time and money not knowing what to do when they find out they have significant building defects. Usually, this period of confusion sets in just after the owners receive a building defects inspection report.
