I tend to agree with T-world. Strata Managers, rental agents and councils all tend to want to outsource everything so as to ‘cover themselves’. Perhaps it the consequence of the litigious world and communities we now live in. In many cases salespeople of these services (for which the SM or Rental agent receive a commission) do put on a hard sell.
The three examples that I have personally experienced are:
1. Smoke detectors; the rental agent wanted our strata to enter into a contract with a professional tester. It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure there is a working smoke alarm with a new battery when a new tenant moves in. We do that ourselves.
2. Public liability: a Strata Manager asked us to engage a professional to come out and certify that there were no issues. How many home owners do this? In the end our OC decided that owners just needed to keep their eyes open and use common sense to alert for hazards.
3. 10 year plan: a strata manager advised our OC to engage a qualified person to draw up and keep a plan. We do the plan ourselves as it involves only basic spreadsheet knowledge or can even be done by hand.
In many cases it seems common sense and practicality have “left the building”. In many cases I don’t see the value added by, or need for, these professional consultants.
My view is that in most cases, what you lose in professionalism by not engaging professionals you more than make up for by increased owner interest in the property.