Why would you want to look after your own management, whether it is a single property or the the strata management of a block. In today’s show\u00a0Michael Teys<\/strong> from Block Strata tries to answer that for me in in the process you\u2019ll see, I think, why you would have to be crazy.<\/p>\n Kevin:<\/b>\u00a0 There\u2019s an old saying that people who are really good at their job make the job look easy. That\u2019s probably why some people believe they can do the job even better. But when it comes to managing a strata unit, I think you have to be really careful. Why would you want to look after your own management, whether it is a single property or the the strata management of a block. In today’s show\u00a0Michael Teys from Block Strata tries to answer that for me in in the process you\u2019ll see, I think,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176692471,"featured_media":6162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,13,25],"tags":[101],"class_list":["post-6161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kevin-turner-sponsored-channels","category-latest-story","category-sponsored-channels","tag-podcast"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/h4>\n
Transcript:<\/h4>\n
\nMichael Teys joins me. Michael, of course, is from Block Strata.
\nGood day, Michael.
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Hi, Kevin. It\u2019s nice to be with you again.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 Thank you for your time. Michael, you\u2019d have to be foolhardy to do this, wouldn\u2019t you? Why would you want to do it?
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Yes, absolutely you\u2019d have to be foolhardy, but I think a lot of people get into a habit. Some people took this on, perhaps, because they were semi-retired. But it\u2019s a rare beast indeed that can withstand the complexities of the current strata laws, wherever you\u2019re based in Australia. There are safety issues, there are privacy issues, there are discrimination issues, well beyond the basic strata law issues.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 We\u2019ll have a look at a few of those in a moment, but I think in some cases, it\u2019s a matter of last man standing. I know that on a number of occasions, people I\u2019ve spoken to have said, \u201cWell, no-one else will do it. I might as well do it,\u201d or \u201cI have to do it.\u201d
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Yes, I hear that view from time to time, but I think as the various state governments undertake review \u2013 there are strata law reviews going on up and down the east coast of Australia at the moment \u2013 I think these days, they pretty quickly come to the view that it\u2019s time to get a professional in.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 Let\u2019s have a look at a couple of the reasons why you should get a professional in. Where do you see some of the really big mistakes being made, Michael?
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Look, the biggest mistake is in failing to undertake the repairs and maintenance that a strata entity has to undertake in a timely way. There are cases bouncing around where mold has started because repair and maintenance cracks haven\u2019t been fixed quickly. That leads to tenants leaving and damages cases.
\nSafety \u2013 fire safety \u2013 is a big issue. People have died recently in strata title buildings, although admittedly newer buildings that are unlikely to be privately managed. Nevertheless, these are very real risks.
\nOne of the real risks of any apartment building at the moment is the incidence of a meth lab \u2013 believe it or not \u2013 because that can be done in a domestic kitchen.
\nThese things are rare, but they do happen, and you don\u2019t want that on your watch as an individual who is doing this. It\u2019s a very thankless task. You don\u2019t make a lot of friends by undertaking strata management.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 You probably bring on more enemies than anything else. What about liability if you were to take it on? How liable are you?
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 The laws are different in each state, but the general consensus is that so long as you\u2019re not reckless, then you\u2019ll be okay. The problem is I see cases of recklessness. When you refuse to get a fire certificate, that\u2019s recklessness. When you refuse to do a safety report, that\u2019s recklessness. It\u2019s going to be the extreme case of a death on the common property that is going to lead to some sort of prosecution and bring these chickens home to roost.
\nI think more than anything \u2013 more than liability \u2013 is a sense that this is just too hard, and why should I, as the willing worker, take the burden for the building that is getting a free carry?
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 In a lot of the cases, too, the most urgent matter is the one that\u2019s going to be attended to, as opposed to having some kind of a management plan in place.
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Correct. The other thing that I think is common with self-managed schemes is that they\u2019re presently being done by older people. They might have been 60 and semi-retired when they moved into the apartment, but they\u2019re now approaching their 80s, and things like the complexities of laws and the demands of people become just a little bit harder to bear as we get older.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 As legislation comes on, does it become harder to manage these on your own than it would have been, say, a decade ago?
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Absolutely. Once upon a time, you would have had a meeting in someone\u2019s lounge room, someone would have belted out a set of minutes, there\u2019d be a very simple bank account, and you\u2019d pay the bills when they come in.
\nThese days, you need to have certificates issued so that when people are buying in and out, they get a certificate from the strata about what rates and taxes and other things are due on the apartment. There are liability issues that are carried with that. There are fire safety issues, there are workplace health and safety issues. Privacy laws are being used in strata at the moment as a new weapon of warfare.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 In what way, Michael?
\nMichael:\u00a0 <\/b>I\u2019m acting for a couple of managers who have been caught where they\u2019ve disclosed details about a particular unit owner to other people. In one case I\u2019m in at the moment \u2013 and I\u2019m actually acting for the owner \u2013the strata manager alleged that this person was bipolar and did so in an e-mail. There\u2019s an action there with the Human Rights Commission, and there\u2019ll be a substantial fine imposed.
\nThat strata manager is acting as the agent of the owners corporation. I guess that\u2019s a case in point where you can get into trouble even when you are professionally managed, let alone when you\u2019re not.
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 If you\u2019d like to know a little bit more, and maybe you need a management plan in place, I\u2019d suggest you make contact with Michael and his team at Block Strata.
\nMichael, what\u2019s the web address to get in touch?
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 BlockStrata.com.au
\nKevin:<\/b>\u00a0 Or you can call 02 9562 6500.
\nMichael Teys, thank you so much for your time.
\nMichael:<\/b>\u00a0 Thank you, Kevin.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"