A strata manager, also known as a property manager or body corporate manager, is a professional who is responsible for managing and overseeing the operations of a strata scheme or community title development. Here are some of the benefits of having a strata manager:
Expertise and Experience: Strata managers are experts in their field, and they have extensive knowledge of strata schemes, community titles, and other related laws and regulations. They have experience in managing common property, dealing with maintenance and repairs, and handling disputes and conflicts that may arise within the community.
Time-Saving: By hiring a strata manager, property owners can save time and effort in managing the property. Strata managers take care of all the administrative tasks related to the property, such as collecting fees, paying bills, and maintaining records. This allows property owners to focus on their other priorities.
Financial Management: Strata managers are responsible for managing the finances of the property. They create and manage budgets, collect fees and contributions, and ensure that all expenses are paid on time. They also keep accurate financial records and provide regular reports to the property owners.
Maintenance and Repairs: Strata managers oversee the maintenance and repairs of the common property. They ensure that all repairs are carried out promptly and efficiently, and they supervise any contractors that are hired to do the work.
Dispute Resolution: Strata managers are trained in conflict resolution and are experienced in dealing with disputes that may arise within the community. They can mediate between parties and help to find a mutually agreeable solution to any conflicts that arise.
Overall, a strata manager can provide valuable expertise, time-saving services, and effective management of the property’s finances, maintenance, and disputes.
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What concerns should we have in relation to EV charging for strata buildings?
Here are some of the key concerns to consider when installing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in strata buildings:
- Cost: Installing charging infrastructure in strata buildings can be expensive, and the cost is often shared among residents. It is important to ensure that the cost is divided fairly among residents and that the installation is cost-effective.
- Space: Strata buildings often have limited parking spaces, and it is important to ensure that there is enough space for the installation of charging stations without impeding access to parking spots.
- Power availability: Strata buildings may not have the necessary electrical infrastructure to support the installation of charging stations, and it may be necessary to upgrade electrical systems to accommodate the additional load.
- Legal and regulatory requirements: The installation of charging stations in strata buildings is subject to local regulations and building codes, and it is important to ensure that the installation complies with all relevant requirements.
- Maintenance: Charging stations require regular maintenance, and it is important to ensure that maintenance responsibilities are clearly defined and that a maintenance schedule is in place.
- User agreements: It is important to establish clear guidelines for the use of charging stations, including usage fees, scheduling, and etiquette.
- Safety: Charging stations pose electrical safety risks, and it is important to ensure that charging stations are installed and maintained to meet industry safety standards.
In summary, when installing EV charging infrastructure in strata buildings, it is important to consider cost, space, power availability, legal and regulatory requirements, maintenance, user agreements, and safety.
What’s the benefit of a building manager?
A building manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of a building or complex. The benefits of having a building manager include:
- Increased efficiency: A building manager can ensure that building systems and facilities are operating optimally, reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
- Improved safety: A building manager is responsible for ensuring that safety and security measures are in place and properly enforced, helping to reduce the risk of accidents and incidents.
- Enhanced aesthetics: A building manager can coordinate maintenance and improvements to the building’s exterior and common areas, helping to maintain or improve the appearance and value of the property.
- Better communication: A building manager serves as a liaison between building residents and managers (owners corporation/strata manager), helping to ensure that concerns and requests are addressed in a timely and effective manner.
- Reduced stress: A building manager can handle many of the day-to-day responsibilities of building management, freeing up time and reducing stress for building residents and owners.
Overall, the role of a building manager is to maintain the property, assisst in the management of its finances, and ensure the comfort and satisfaction of residents.
Managing Condensation in Apartments Fact Sheet
What is Condensation?
Condensation is commonly experienced in apartments buildings particularly in colder months of the year. It can occur in any type of building including precast cladding systems. It is caused when humidified air comes into contact with cold surfaces such as windows, doors, walls and ceilings and the air chills and water vapour is extracted from the humidified air and remains as condensation on the cold surface.
Condensation will not occur if the humidified air is removed and replaced with dry air. Typical causes that can increase the likelihood of humidified air include space heaters, steam cooking, dish washing, clothes dryers, showers, and damp clothes left indoors.
Signs of High Humidity Levels / Condensation
Fogging and water droplets (condensation) appear on windows.
Moisture and mould appear on cold surfaces such as windows, doors, walls, and ceilings.
There is an increased instance of static electricity within your apartment
Tips to Prevent Condensation
Reduce indoor humidity by providing sufficient ventilation.
Windows should be opened during the day whenever possible, and it is highly
recommended to open windows and doors whenever possible.
If condensation does appear, wipe the surface dry immediately.
Dry damp clothes thoroughly before storing.
Allow sunlight to filter into your home whenever possible.
Operate exhaust fans for 5 minutes after using showers or clothes dryers. Even when
steam may appear to be removed, moisture is still likely to remain and humidify the air.
Operate kitchen rangehoods while oven, cooktop, dishwashers and microwave ovens are
in operation.
Some condensation may also be controlled by using air conditioning units refer to air
conditioning user manuals contained within your handover documentation
Use of a window vacuum (purchase from Kmart, Bunnings etc)
Is it time to consider a flatline management structure for your committee?
As of 2018, there was 316k strata and community schemes in Australia – that means at least 316k people sitting on strata committees (granted some may sit on many, however, some buildings have up to 9 members).
Conservatively, let’s say that there are 500k people sitting on voluntary strata and executive committees across Australia – dare I say, this would have to be the quickest growing membership of any type of voluntary committee, Australia-wide.
In my time as a strata manager, I have worked with high performing committees and low performing committees. There’s no formula to what creates a good committee for a scheme and often a scheme will need to go through pain for good people to come out of the woodwork and jump on a committee.
A committee should:
- spend money, not penny-pinch;
- try and be as efficient as possible and respect peoples time;
- defer to experts as required;
- have a basic knowledge of the Act/s under which they operate;
- make sure they have liability insurance;
- communicate openly with owners and occupants; and
- meet relatively often and deal with decisions at properly convened meetings
These hundreds of thousands of strata and executive committee members:
- are unpaid (generally);
- don’t know each other well;
- often have disparate interests;
- share little in common other than ownership of a strata or community title lot;
- may have a lot of time on their hands or little time;
- may have experience in being on professional committees or it may be their first experience; or
- might want the best for their community or might be there for only personal interests or a vendetta
There’s no easy way to address the above issues – I believe that committees are getting better as they now have more experience and better access to information. However, I believe that all committees would benefit from considering a flatline management structure (which works incredibly well in business and high-performance voluntary organisations like sporting clubs).
We have prepared a brief overview of a flatline management structure for schemes we manage to consider, which could work for your own. Committees should be the realm of those interested, with the requisite skills to push issues in the right direction, who defer to experts rather than ignoring them and who sponsor each member’s interests, skills and passion rather than operate by the ‘many chefs in the kitchen’ mentality.
Does a BC/OC/CA/neighbourhood have WHS obligations?
We are often asked whether a scheme (falling under the definition of bodies corporate – meaning it could be strata scheme, body corporate, community, neighbourhood, etc), has Work, Health and Safety Obligations.
In essence – no, not unless it is a commercial scheme or employing people directly (and thus falling under the definition of Person Conducting Business or Undertaking).
This is the section of the WHS Act with reference to bodies corporate being an exception (provided they don’t have employees).
https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/legal-obligations/strata-title-and-body-corporate
Meaning of “person conducting a business or undertaking”—persons excluded
(1) For the purposes of section 5 (6) of the Act, a strata title body corporate that is responsible for any common areas used only for residential purposes may be taken not to be a person conducting a business or undertaking in relation to those premises.
(2) Subclause (1) does not apply if the strata title body corporate engages any worker as an employee.
(3) For the purposes of section 5 (6) of the Act, an incorporated association may be taken not to be a person conducting a business or undertaking if the incorporated association consists of a group of volunteers working together for 1 or more community purposes where:
(a) the incorporated association, either alone or jointly with any other similar incorporated association, does not employ any person to carry out work for the incorporated association, and
(b) none of the volunteers, whether alone or jointly with any other volunteers, employs any person to carry out work for the incorporated association.
(4) In this clause, strata title body corporate means an owners corporation constituted under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015.
Relevant articles are below on safety/WHS
https://www.makdap.com.au/publications/do-new-whs-laws-affect-your-strata