Listen to ‘Your Strata Property’ podcasts

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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