Benefits For Professional Strata Community

By Author: Chris Whelan
Total Articles: 74
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Every strata titled property can benefit from a good strata manager. Strata titled property is mainly commercial, industrial or residential but can also be marinas, parking spaces and storage units (amongst others). A good strata manager assists in providing a harmonious and workable environment for owners and occupants of strata titled properties. Strata Mangers advise on legislative guidelines and responsibilities for schemes in accordance with the following legislation:

- Strata Schemes Management Act 1996
- Strata Schemes (Freehold Development) Act 1973
- Strata Schemes (Leasehold Development) Act 1986
- Community Land Development Act 1989
- Community Land Management Act 1989
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
- Occupational Health and Safety Laws

Every strata titled property will face difficulties based on the differences of opinion and personalities within a scheme. To help deal with these difficulties strata management has emerged and developed into the profession that it is today. A good strata manager will assist ...
... in:

- Controlling finances for your strata scheme – working with the Treasurer/Committee of the scheme to achieve the greatest return on your levies (expenditure on remedial and capital works carefully planned for with levy collection and sound investment advice).

- Planning for capital expenditure at your strata scheme – referral of experts to assist in planning for the timing of and prioritising the expenditure and then experts who will assist in carrying out the works.

- Ensuring schemes obligations with Section 62 (Repair and Maintain Common property) are met and assisting with proactive maintenance procedures.

Contract management – ensuring that your scheme is on the best ‘value for money’ contract, whether that be for cleaning, electricity, elevators, gardening, etc.

- Helping to ensure that Owners Corporations Occupational Health and Safety Obligations are met through performance of Occupational Health and Safety Reports and acting on the recommendations made.

- Ensuring compliance with the ‘Strata Schemes Management Act 1996’ and/or ‘Community Land Management Act 1989’.
- By-law management and advice.

- Facilitating advancements of technology for each Owners Corporation – i.e. Giving schemes a website and access to Owners Corporation documents online.

- Updating Owners Corporations with any relevant changes in legislation affecting their scheme.

- Defect management (referral to experts, etc.)
- File and record management of the Owners Corporation. Strata Managers should be looking having a paperless office like Whelan Property Group due to the savings in archiving and printing generated for the Owners Corporation and the lessened impact on the environment.

- Controlling meetings of the Owners Corporation/Executive Committee and taking effective minutes of the outcome of the meeting

- Arranging inspections of the common property

- Advise on ‘greening’ / environmentally friendly measures for the scheme.

The above is not a complete list of services that a good strata manager will provide and the list keeps being added to due to the rapid changes in legislation, strata management and property development.

Every strata management company is different, but we suggest that if you are not currently receiving fantastic service in all the above areas, that you consider contacting Whelan Property Group for an obligation free quote for the management of your scheme.