There are roughly three million strata townhouses and apartments in Australia. The focus on high-rise developments to address the housing crisis has seen a 7 per cent increase in the number of strata properties over the last two years. In Victoria, the government redevelopment plan for inner Melbourne proposes that 84 per cent of new dwellings will be high rises of ten storeys or more.
Owners corporations manage and administer communal property for apartments and other dwellings.
Recently certain high-profile owners corporations have come under media scrutiny. Dubious and unethical business practices have been exposed. These include kickbacks to contractors, phantom charges, inflated fees relative to the extent of work done, and near-invisible accountability. Over 2,000 people from across Australia responded to an ABC investigation into the strata industry.
Not all owners corporations can be tarred with the one brush. There are many owners corporations where their good reputation and profitability reflect an unswerving commitment to their clients.
As housing density increases across Australia, so will the number of properties that operate under owners corporations and strata committees of management. At the bare minimum, strata owners should expect that both the owners corporation and the strata committee of management will act ethically in the best interests of all owners.
It’s easy to point the finger at owners corporations. When decision-making appears opaque, maintenance requests are ignored, emails are left unanswered, and the rules are unevenly applied, strata committees of management must also be held........