Why The Right Personnel Improves Your Property Value

The number of Strata complexes within the ACT has seen substantial growth over the last 5 years. Whilst Canberra suburbs have typically consisted of houses and townhouses, large high rises are now becoming the norm in the Canberra landscape outside of the City and Kingston Foreshore. Although there are more Canberrans living in Strata than ever before, many still feel that Strata and their operations are a mystery.

One of the first questions we are asked by those new to Strata is ‘why do we need a Strata Manager’? Although the answer can be detailed and intricate, it is easiest to imagine your complex as your favourite restaurant, the one you go to enjoy the environment and the food, the place you look forward to visiting and brings comfort. Now this restaurant likely has music in the background, not too loud that you cannot enjoy yourself, but played at a volume that helps to set the tone, blending into the ambience, weaving its way subtly into the environment. When you look around the restaurant, you can see others laughing and enjoying themselves, they are here for the reason you are, and seeing others around you happy adds to your own enjoyment.

Now imagine that instead of the one song playing the in the background, every person is playing their own music at their table, with the music of 50 others competing against each other in the space, the environment shifts from one of tranquillity and peace, to one of displeasure and stress. You see, your Strata Manager should be the conductor of your complex, setting the tone by ensuring that it is maintained well and that all residents are working together for a shared interest. Without a good Strata Manager, the tone of your complex will not be right, making it a less enjoyable place to live.

A Facilities Manager is integral in the running of medium to large Owners Corporations, especially those with shared spaces such as gyms, pools and large assets such as lifts and communal gardens. Although utilised extensively in commercial real estate and in other states across Australia, Facilities Managers are rarely fully utilised in the Canberra Strata Management sector, resulting in most complexes missing out when it comes to correct maintenance of items and often spending more time and money than is actually needed. Facilities Managers work hard in the background with their dedication often not seen to members of the Owners Corporation outside of the Executive Committee.

When Executive Committees are first looking at adding Facilities Management to their services, the initial outlay of costs can typically be seen as a detractor. We have found that there are often huge savings that can be negotiated by the Facilities Manager, particularly with contracts, which often leads to the service paying for itself. Once an Owners Corporations understands the value and need for a Facilities Manager, they understand why this is an essential service.

At First Choice Strata we are endeavouring to remove the mystery from Strata and Facilities Management, helping to empower Owners and in turn, improve the value of Owners Corporations.