Your Strata Property With Amanda Farmer

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 counc...

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.

Lisa Macqueen of Cleancorp joins me to explain how her team is taking a fresh look at a traditional service, and shares why we need to stop de-prioritising the cleanliness of our strata buildings.

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 p...

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. YourStrataProp...

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 dea...

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...

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.