Your Strata Property With Amanda Farmer

In this week's podcast episode, I'm joined by Luke Woollard of PILOT Body Corporate, who's on a mission to shake up the strata industry. From ditching insurance commissions to rethinking the role of strata managers, Luke shares his bold vision for a better, fairer future for strata owners.

When an owner installs a DIY pipe down the side of a building and hacks through a locked tap with a power tool, what can the committee actually do? Reena Van Aalst and I discuss this one. Plus, an owner who fought for over a decade to get justice for his leaking, uninhabitable home is finally ready to relax.

This week, I sit down with Thom Richards, founder of Cohabit, a platform that scores and benchmarks strata buildings using real data. We're talking about how this tech is bringing much-needed clarity to owners, buyers, and managers alike.

Strata owners across the country are calling for better training, and in NSW, it's about to become mandatory for strata committee members. In this week's episode, I take a deep dive into my newly released Special Report: The Strata Committee Crisis - Why NSW Apartment Communities Need Smarter Support. I break down the key findings, what they mean for you, and where we go from here.

Strata managers have weathered a tough 12-months, with intense media scrutiny and major law reform. In this week's podcast, current SCA (NSW) President Robert Anderson joins me to explain the steps SCA is taking to restore trust, support members through the reform process, and tackle misconceptions. From overhauling complaints processes to rolling out mandatory audits and a new Code of Ethics, Robert shares what's happening behind the scenes — and what's next for the future of strata.

This week, I sit down with Reena Van Aalst, who explains how she's managing a $50K insurance excess on water ingress claims. I share a $700K insurance claim that turned from a denial into a payout, and we discuss whether or not committee members should be allowed to approve repairs at their own lots.

What if a balcony waterproofing job that used to cost $55k could soon cost over $200k? Helen Kowal and Deborah Lockart join me this week, unpacking the impact of proposed 2025 updates to the National Construction Code. They're sounding the alarm for strata owners and asking the government to take action before it's too late. This is a must-listen for strata owners, managers, and anyone planning building repairs.

One of the hottest discussion topics at our Mudgee CPD Event two weeks ago was strata manager gifts and benefits: is it now illegal for strata managers to accept free tickets to events? What if a strata friend wants to buy you lunch? And who came up with the $60 rule anyway? All this and more in today's episode.

Nick Hedges of ResolveHR joins me to explain how the new “right to disconnect” laws apply to strata managers, including why management companies should be revisiting their policies on after-hours communications now.

Tracy Longo of Homes for Homes joins me to reveal the tiny step property owners can take today to ensure more secure housing for vulnerable Australians.

Reena Van Aalst joins me this week, giving us an insight into the low morale and general sense of despair currently being experienced by our strata managers. We're also discussing best practice when significant funds need to be raised urgently, why "you aren't paying for perfection", and my prediction that the rise of payment plans simply means more business for strata loan providers.

New strata legislation has been made in NSW, expected to commence in mid-2025. This is the most significant strata reform since our 2015 Act. In this podcast episode, I'm highlighting 5 last-minute changes that were made to the Bill, which will have significant impacts on owners, committees, and managers. Make sure you didn't miss them.

Reena Van Aalst joins me to discuss: why strata managers should be charging for the work they do to keep committee members organised, whether insurers are entitled to request minutes of meetings, the role of WHS in residential buildings, and the insurance commission loophole in NSW's new strata manager disclosure laws. Links mentioned: Get the…

I'm sharing a few fun, fascinating, frightening (!) facts from my recent time spent at the U.S. Community Association Law Seminar in Texas.

Our audience didn't hold back during last Friday's LIVE session over on Facebook, sharing their views on exactly who they think is responsible when communication breaks down in strata. This week, we bring that chat to you here on the podcast.

Reena Van Aalst and I ask: what's being done to address the abysmal way some strata managers are treated by their clients? We also share a smart idea for more successfully managing buildings under a compulsory appointment, and celebrate a self-represented owner's Tribunal win.

Chris Miller joins me to explain how strata managers can tap into the "collective buying power" of strata buildings to help improve their own bottom lines - especially as they stare down the barrel of a future without insurance commissions. If this sounds a little like strata managers may not have learned from the mistakes of the past...that was my first thought too. Tune in and hear what Chris has to say.

In our first podcast episode for the year, I'm sharing the 5 most popular episodes of 2024 – in case you missed them, need a recap, or are looking for a great place to start if you're new to the podcast.

In our final episode for 2024, Reena Van Aalst is pulling back the curtain on poor building management practices and asking the question: why aren't building managers held to the same standard as strata managers? We also debate section 55 in the NSW strata legislation. What does it mean and is anyone complying with it?

More than seven years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, residential apartment buildings around the world are still investigating whether or not their combustible cladding needs to be removed. Fire engineer Ben Hughes-Brown joins me to explain some of the novel solutions buildings are implementing to retain their cladding while still meeting safety and compliance standards, reassuring local councils and insurers and saving significant costs for owners.

Paul Keating of Strata Community Insurance joins me, sharing: - why smart strata committees should "lock-in" their strata managers, - how the ABC's reporting has changed the way SCI is doing business, - why he'd love to see 3-year insurance contracts, and more.

I'm sharing the big ticket items from the Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment Bill 2024, and reminding you to join Friday's LIVE webinar, where we'll cover the need-to-know detail and your questions.

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New laws commencing in February 2025 expand the disclosure requirements of NSW strata managers. Said to "equip owners corporations with clear and timely information to inform decision-making and enable scrutiny of their strata manager's actions and interests", it's fast becoming clear that all these laws really do is make a strata manager's poor behaviour an owner's problem to sort out. In this episode, I explain why that's simply not good enough.

Reena Van Aalst joins me to cover: - when it might be 'unreasonable' for a building to lodge an insurance claim, - whether owners can remove the strata manager and broker from the insurance equation and if so, should they? - the importance of understanding your customer's language, and - how the Tribunal is dealing with urgent applications.

Owners decide how big or small their strata committees should be. This week, I'm asking the question: is there a perfect number?

I'm taking you inside my recent LIVE presentation delivered for a Sydney local council, at which I shared some best practice steps for dealing with illegal renovation works, and answered questions from the floor about double-glazed windows, motorised garage doors, and more.

Traditionally, this time of the year is the busiest for real estate transactions. With the help of guest Ailinh Ginh, I'm sharing my tips for strata property purchasers: what to be wary of, and how to find value amidst soaring property prices.

I'm joined by two special guests this week: Bruce McKenzie and Stephen Thornton. Together, Bruce and Stephen explain the exciting new technology that's helping strata buildings move from reactive to proactive when it comes to defects rectification and effective building maintenance.

Amanda is taking a close look at "The Strata Trap" - the recent reporting by the ABC's Four Corners on the alleged poor practices of strata managers, including the receipt of conflicted remuneration via undisclosed relationships with insurance brokers, and others. And don't forget to tune in to our "Trust from Transparency" webinar via: www.YourStrataProperty.com.au/Webinar

Reena Van Aalst joins me to discuss: - motions to approve the appointment of a strata manager: does the contract have to be attached to the meeting agenda? - why carpet inside lots seems to cause so much confusion, - how managers who refuse to accept cash payments can protect themselves, and - the small community that's successfully turning its back on strata.

Michael Teys joins me to unpack a series of recent workplace health and safety convictions involving a Sydney strata plan. He also shares precisely where he thinks strata managers are going wrong with their push for professionalism, leaving us with yet another maxim destined to enter our podcast hall of fame: “You don't demand respect. You earn it.”

Natalie Fitzgerald is a strata manager determined to improve the working lives of strata managers, with an understanding that change must come from within. In this chat, Natalie shares her thoughts on: - the ABC News revelations as strata's "Watergate" that had to happen, - how managers could be better served by their professional association, - why a better deal for owners starts with better service from managers, and lots more.

Sam Hogg of PASG Projects joins me to explain the role of a project manager, sharing his tips to help reduce the pain of your next strata remedial works project.

A cardiac arrest is more likely to occur in a residential strata building than a fire, yet most communities are completely unprepared to respond to such an emergency. My guest this week, Kurtis Vuko, is on a mission to do something about that, bringing life-saving equipment into strata buildings across the country.

Karen Stiles, executive director of the Owners Corporation Network (OCN), joins me to share: - how strata owners are being overlooked in today's conversations about the strata industry, - the astonishing lack of consumer protections for those buying apartments, - the owners who ARE willing to pay more for good strata management, and - why Fair Trading needs to step up - including some ideas for how it might do that.

Lot owner Cate Morrison is fresh from (another) win in the NSW Tribunal. She joins me for this week's podcast to share: - as a non-lawyer, how she prepares her case for the best chance of success, - her cross-examination technique, - her top tips for other strata owners and committee members self-representing in the tribunal.

Reena Van Aalst joins me to discuss: - Building Management Committees (BMCs): do owners have the right to access records of the BMC? - can an owners corporation refuse to accept cash from an owner wanting to pay their strata levies?  - the benefits that a loyal referral partner can bring to your business. 

Having spent many years assisting owners, committees, and my own neighbours through large strata remedial works projects, this week I'm sharing my top 3 tips to help ease the pain for anyone doing the same.

Reena Van Aalst joins me to discuss: -why it's important to update the insurer at the conclusion of legal proceedings, -motions to keep quarterly levies rolling on at the same rate until re-determined: are they legal? -Reena's takeaways from her recent trip to Spain, and -how to transfer a case from a court to the tribunal, and why you might want to.

Strata owner and committee member Kareem Tawansi long ago made the choice to live in strata rather than a Sydney terrace house. In this chat, Kareem shares how the communities he is now part of are reaching new heights, including the recent approval of a $2.7m upgrade project.

Dr Nicole Johnston joins me to share her soon-to-be-published research, confirming what many in strata have known to be true for quite some time: owners are not meeting their legal duty to properly repair and maintain their buildings, and it's probably time for some government intervention.

I've chosen three listener questions to answer, covering termites, security cameras and the strata manager's authority to appear before the tribunal.

By popular demand, this is your short (12 min) summary of the Barnes case - including why the case is so important for NSW strata communities. This one delivered for you by a special guest. Tune in to find out who…

Amy Brand and Julie McLean join me, sharing your access to The High Life Expo, happening online and in-person over the next month. We discuss how the apartment market is already changing when it comes to the sustainability conversation - with purchasers demanding more, and how suppliers can best harness the many new opportunities available.

Reena Van Aalst brings us a (long!) list of deadline-driven tasks that a strata manager is legally required to complete on behalf of their clients, and I ask her the question: how do you run a profitable business?  I explain the limitations on spending special levy funds, and invite you to the inaugural Strata Impact Conference.

I'm taking you inside part of my LIVE in-person presentation delivered for The City of Canada Bay Council earlier this year, sharing how and why our strata committees should be engaging in the practice of radical transparency (which shouldn't be that radical...)

Bruce Minter, long-term strata committee member, joins me as we discuss the incredible resilience required to lead a strata community. Bruce explains how he helped his community shift its collective mindset and break "the curse of low levies". He shares lessons learned from the U.S. Founding Fathers, and his unique understanding that strata "is not a jam stall at a school fete. It's a business".

Daniel Holt, strata manager, joins me, calling out the 'gaslighting' that he says has been going on in the strata management industry, with the real cost of managing a strata building hidden behind sophisticated third-party payment arrangements extending beyond insurance commissions. 

In a week during which the media continues to wage war against strata managers, Reena Van Aalst joins me to provide her point of view. We discuss: - models of remuneration for strata managers, and what Reena says needs to change - the role of Strata Community Association - the murky arrangements between other strata "professionals" and service providers, overdue for investigation, and more.

Recorded before last week's ABC news story broke, in this interview Tyrone Shandiman of the Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby explains: - how a lack of informed consent around insurance broker appointments may be harming strata owners, - the commercial advantage that strata managers accepting commissions have over those who don't, - how unfair industry "standard" contracts are feeding the problem, - why we need more voices willing to speak up and share their stories, and more. If you've experienced a practice that doesn't pass the pub test, you're invited to fill in ACIL's survey here.