Let’s Improve Things in Strata Now

Or, why are we waiting for someone else to clean up our messes …

Regardless of their roles, all strata stakeholders have a list of complaints and things they’d like to see done differently.  Whether that’s from the perspective of a strata owner or resident, a strata or building manager, a service provider, or anyone else.  But, we’re all waiting for someone else to do it or tell us how to do it.  Since that takes a long time, let’s just get on with it ourselves.

[2:00 minutes estimated reading time, 495 words]

Introduction

I feel that for most of the decades that I’ve worked in the strata sector, I’ve been waiting for things to happen.  And, usually, they’re things that I knew were necessary, appropriate and uncontroversial.

The best examples are strata law reforms which always take forever and, often, so long that by the time they happen the problems, needs, and objectives identified at the beginning of the reform process have changed such that the strata law reforms miss their mark and/or are already out of date. 

For example, the latest NSW strata law reforms started in December 2020, a 112-page report on the review and submission process was issued in November 2021 and we’re still waiting on something to happen in February 2023.

I’ve lamented about this a few times in articles like NSW Strata Law Reform Deja Vu, NSW Strata Law Reforms [Non] Update, and The tumbling tumbleweeds of NSW Strata Law Reform and was about to do so again. 

But, then I realised it was pointless, demoralising, and way too helpless for my personality and tastes.  Plus, I know I’ll be disappointed by the NSW strata law reforms when they come [especially since the November 2021 issues paper was already disappointing].

So, instead, I’ve decided to just get on with designing improvements to strata now.  After all, why wait for someone else’s solution when you can design, create and implement your own [and they’re likely to be better]?

Plus, strata laws are the operational minimums for strata stakeholders, not the limits of what can be done, and certainly not the best practices for the successful and excellent management of a strata building.

I have hundreds of ideas for improvements to strata title experiences and outcomes and can claim some credibility due to my experience in the strata sector, due to my involvement in strata law reforms, leading strata cases and strata management practices, and due to my history of innovation and change.

So, I am writing a series of articles over 2023 about my ideas to improve strata title.

Some will be good, some will be great, some will be just ‘meh’, and some will be terrible.   I just hope they give strata stakeholders ideas, incentives, and the motivation to get on with improving the things they don’t like and/or want to do differently in strata.

The first article drops tomorrow.

March 06, 2023

Francesco …