Though I was no fan of our strata manager whilst on the EC,they did do a lot of work for our complex over the years. They did this because I kept on top of things asking them to arrange quotes, works, payments, notices. I kept track of what should happen and when. I realized that our strata manager had a lot of plans on their books, not just one. So the onus must be on the owners to check up on happening in their own complex. Your own water leak might have been overlooked because the manager had 10 others they were attending to on that day. They did earn their money whilst I was on the EC because I rang, emailed, and asked the status of repairs/maintenance. I asked for confirmation of receiving instructions. I did a lot of work for free making sure that they earned their money. And they did. I am sure they hated hearing I was on the phone.
Having a strata manager means that there is a contact point for owners at least 5 days a week. On matters of urgency, where person or property were in danger of injury or damage, the SM would step in, after trying to contact EC members and get work done. The big problem with our last strata manager was not the company as a own whole, or the owner of the business, but rather some of the property managers that crossed our path were astoundingly incompetent, and down right rude. But I kept on top of matters, I complained, I had monies reimbursed where they were in the wrong, such as the time they sent out a notice to owners at least 4 times that was 4 pages long. The photo copy fees plus the postage fees might not have been a million dollars, but we weren’t going to pay for it.
The problem with owners here is that they think the SM does everything. That the SM gets the work done and if it isn’t done then it is their fault. I have had one resident here ask which unit the SM lived in. Most here think that the OC is the EC so they don’t have to do anything, it is all for someone else, namely the SM. In the case of the outstanding maintenance for our complex, now up to for quoting processes over the past 12 months, an owner recently said to me that perhaps things will be better with the new people. Thinking there had been some EC coup that I did not know about I asked which new people. He was referring to the new SM. Because obviously it was the old SM who didn’t get around to the maintenance here. Not the current EC who would ask the SM to arrange quotes then do nothing with them, then they expire, they ask for more quotes do nothing etc etc. I pity our new SM. People are already starting to say they are incompetent. But they are waiting for instructions to carry out works. I had some tradespeople over to my place. They were astounded at the state of the exterior common property just outside my front door. A problem that was reported 12 months ago. They said it was not an expensive job, and would only take 30 minutes. Quoting process started with the last SM. Up to two quotes for the new manager about to get the third. And no doubt they a charging now for getting this job, not to mention the others, requoted.. And so they should.