Employment

Netstrata strives to be an employer of choice in the property industry.

We have a built a strong company culture and values, and have created an environment that appeals to the best people in the industry.

We foster a great team environment atmosphere and challenging workplace.

We offer a range of rewarding career options to help our team achieve their career goals and pride ourselves on developing our employees through a ‘hands on’ mentoring programme that is managed by our executives.

Interested in working with Netstrata? Contact: careers@netstrata.com.au

Strata Title Management - So you think you can manage?

Introduction

The Strata Title Management profession can be a rewarding, challenging and interesting career.

Being only a relatively young industry, (first incepted in 1961), Community and Strata Title Management has often struggled to forge its’ own identity within the property industry. We’re often confused with our distant cousins in Real Estate Sales and Property Management.

The industry is however coming of age. For a start think of the new demographic of strata and community title properties; they can range from simple two lot duplexes to developments containing literally thousands of apartments, with a mixture of residential, retail, retirement and commercial elements including shopping centres, community facilities and marina births.

And no longer are strata title properties the realm of the first home buyer or swinging bachelor. Thanks to the property squeeze today developments are being designed for families, empty nesters, business operators, couples, investors and retirees’, all of whom have their own lifestyle wants and needs. And it’s not unusual to see names like Russel Crowe, Harry M. Miller or Alan Jones appear on your client strata rolls!

This combination of sophisticated developments and wide demographic accompanied with increasing legislative and administrative responsibilities means that modern strata title management requires talented and dedicated professionals that have a variety of skills to keep pace with our developing industry – If you’re interested in pursuing a career in strata title management, keep on reading!

What is Strata Title Management?

Every Owners Corporation (Body Corporate) in NSW must be administered in accordance with the Strata Schemes Management Act 1996 and Regulations 2005 (the Act), as well as the registered By-laws and any management statement or development contract that might be registered for the particular scheme. For Community, Neighbourhood and Precinct associations the relevant legislation is the Community Land Management Act and Regulations 1989.

The aim of Strata Title Management and these administrative apparatus is to provide owners within a scheme with effective mechanisms to manage their scheme for the benefit of all owners.  There are hundreds of administrative obligations imposed on strata title and community title developments by the various pieces of legislation, however those described as ‘Key Management Areas’ by the Act include;

1. Insurances for the Scheme
2. Maintenance and Repair of Common Property
3. Financing the Strata Scheme
4. Record Keeping
5. By-law administration

The role of the strata manager is to ensure that the Owners Corporation or Community Association is being administered in accordance with the act and regulations and to provide assistance to executive committees, owners and residents within the scheme.

Day to Day

Due to the variety of obligations imposed on the Strata Title Management industry as well as a Strata Title or Community scheme the day to day duties of strata title manager are vast.

There are the usual administrative responsibilities such as drafting meeting notices and writing minutes as well as responding to telephone inquiries, emails and correspondence.

Aside from this there are other duties such as authorising maintenance works, approving invoices, monitoring budgets, cash flows and financial performance.

An efficient manager will also need to make time to conduct on-site inspections with owners, consultants and tradespersons in order to obtain firsthand experience of their client schemes.

Managers are also often asked to act as facilitator to settle disputes within a scheme; For example; residents parking on common property, noise violations or children playing on common property.  Here you can appreciate the unique diplomacy skills and sensitivity that is required to settle a dispute between two feuding owners. The manager must be always alert that they are not just managing bricks and mortar, but owners homes, investments and lifestyles. A dispute within a strata scheme can do more damage to a property’s value and saleability than termites in the trusses.

And after the working day is done there is usually an executive committee or Owners Corporation meeting to attend which can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours +.

What Qualifications do you Need?

To work in the Strata Title Management industry, all managers must complete a certificate of registration qualification and be registered with the NSW Office of Fair Trading. Certificate of registration courses are conducted by the Institute of Strata Title Management over 5 days. At the end of this period the manager must complete a detailed assessment in order to gain their preliminary qualification.

To gain your Strata Title Management License, a licensing course must be completed with a recognised body such as TAFE NSW. These courses are usually conducted over a 2 year period.

What Skills do you need?

Like most modern professions, there are a variety of skills that are required in order to be successful in Strata Title Management, let’s have a look at a few...

1. Legislative

It is a common misapprehension that all buildings are managed in the same way. Different plans, interpretations, By-laws, management statements or contracts means that each building is unique and the manager must be aware of the idiosyncrasies that affect their client schemes.

Whilst the Strata Title Management qualification courses outlined above will provide some grounding, like many professionals you’ll be continually learning about the legislative obligations of your schemes and the many contractual or developmental instruments that affect your schemes.

In particular the Strata Schemes Management Act and Community Land Management Act which contain around 1000 different sections and clauses to guide owners in the administration of their properties.
So if you’re the type of person that likes to read the inside of the Monopoly Box or you have an interest in rules, interpretation and legalese there’s always plenty of opportunities for you to dust of your barristers wig and gown and flex your legal muscles.

2. Administration

Record keeping is the backbone of the Strata Title Management profession so time management, organisational skills and record keeping knowhow are also essential.

Whilst this is something that is not unique to the Strata Title Management industry, as technology takes over inter office communications, basic computer and typing skills are essential. In a typical day a manager will receive around 100 emails from owners, property managers, consultants and trades people.

Convening meetings, minute writing, consulting with owners, executive committee’s engineers, solicitors and auditors also means that the modern manager must have professional writing and social skills in order to address inquiries in a correct and timely manner.

3. Building Knowledge

Modern Strata Title Developments can contain an array of sophisticated apparatus to facilitate the needs of the occupants. These days lifts, pools and gyms are common place. In order to maximise safety, efficiency and space developers are incorporating the likes of car stackers, solar panels and fire suppression systems into their buildings.

Modern Strata Title Management requires the manager to have a working knowledge of these systems as well as the basics so they know who to coordinate to maintain the systems or worse with something unexpected goes wrong.

4. But wait, there’s more...

As outlined above, the roles and duties of modern Strata Title Management are vast. Effectively you’re a combination of project manager, administrator, counsellor, diplomat, building consultant, record manager, insurance broker, accounts clerk, debt collector, concierge and toast master all rolled into one.

The intricate legislative responsibilities as well as the expectations from owners, service providers and other professionals’ means that you’ll need to execute these skills with care, diligence, expertise and efficiency.

The advantage of this is that it is usually relatively easy for the modern professional to adapt. Over the years many accountants, solicitors, police officers, clerks, teachers and labourers have all transferred to the Strata Title Management industry to help broaden and sharpen this skill set.

Hours of Work

Most professional Strata Title Management firms work the usual 9.00an to 5.00pm office day. And as outlined above, managers will also usually need to avail themselves to conduct executive committee and owners corporation meetings 2 to 3 weeknights per week.

Depending on the complexity of the agenda, the duration of a meeting can be anywhere from around 30 minutes to 3 hours +.

It’s also not unusual to receive a phone call or 3 after hours to address an emergency such as no hot water, a break and enter or failure of a main entry garage door. Whilst preventative maintenance programs are usually in place, you never know what the modern day resident is capable of – leaving your main entry door swipe card in the back of a taxi on Friday night seems to be a regular trait of the modern day tenant!

Demand, Stability and Rewards

As outlined above, Strata Title Management can be a challenging, rewarding and interesting career. It can also be a lot of fun too!

There is seldom a shortage of interesting people to meet, not just within your client schemes, but within the industry itself. Most of whom will have an amusing anecdote or story to tell. 

The industry itself is coming of age and is continually growing meaning that there is no shortage of work to go around. Ask yourself the last time a unit block was knocked over for a house to be built.

Like many professions, the Strata Title Management industry needs new and talented people to replace many of the industry experts that are now reaching retirement. There is a gross shortage of skilled and dedicated professionals to replace these talented and experienced managers that helped developed the profession.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the Strata Title Management industry and wish to work with one of the leading Strata Title Management firms in Sydney, Newcastle or Wollongong, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.