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Strata Hub sent me another interesting email. Let me explain my situation first. I am involved in a self-managed strata plan. We have NO strata manager. As a committee member, I registered a Strata Hub account with the NSW government from my own computer.
However, if an owners corp has a strata manager, the STRATA MANAGER would have registered a Strata Hub account on behalf of the owners. Therefore, the strata manager receives all correspondence from Strata Hub (like the one I’m about to disclose). Then it is up to the strata manager to pass the message on to the owners.
I have a problem with this. These messages are intended for the owners but the Strata Manager sees them first. If the message is not favourable to the strata management industry (see New disclosure duties for strata managers, it may never reach the owner. Hence I decided to report such emails to the forum.
My latest correspondence from Strata Hub: A couple of weeks ago, Strata Hub sent me an email asking if I would like to participate in a survey about how we choose a strata manager.
Today, Strata Hub emailed me with this survey of ten questions. I have seven days to submit my answers. I invite FlatChat members to suggest answers. I am curious to know if any other owner has been invited to participate in the survey.
We are looking to understand how we can improve the Strata Hub, and to help with that we are looking to hear from people who have been involved in their own strata committee, particularly if they’ve been personally involved (or will shortly be involved) in selecting a Strata Managing Agent (SMA) or company. Please do not provide any personal information as part of your survey response.Please note: once your survey is submitted, you will not be able to make any changes or updates.
1. Which of the following roles, if any, have you held in the past, or are holding now?Home owner / Chairperson / Secretary / Treasurer / Strata Manager / Building Manager
None of the above
2. If you will be involved in helping your scheme to change SMA in the next 12 months, what steps do you think you would go through? How are you planning to select SMA’s?
3. What is your personal experience around helping your strata scheme to select or change a Strata Managing Agent in the past? Tell us as much as you can.
4. How did you go about selecting which SMA’s to contact or consider? What was the process?
5. What were the biggest pain points, in terms of understanding and comparing contracts?
6. What were the biggest pain points, in terms of understanding and comparing fees and costs?
7. How do you think the Strata Hub can help, in terms of comparing SMA’s and their contracts?
8. What would make it easier for you, in terms of comparing the costs, both short term and long term, from each different SMA?
9. Let’s imagine that the Strata Hub is going to offer something to help you choose the most cost effective SMA for your scheme. How would you want that to work?
10. When you are comparing different SMA’s, what information are you comparing, and what (if anything) would make that comparison easier?
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Hi Tina
Thanks for your previous post with the letter sent to you by Strata Hub
Our Strata Manager did not forward that letter to the strata committee or owners
Our 8 storey scheme consists of 42 lots , I am the secretary.and recently added an agenda item attaching a copy of your DFT letter with a motion that future loading of our schemes information onto the Strata Hub must be performed by the Secretary of the Strata Committee , which was carried.
I recently tried to access the Strata Hub to check whether the committee’s email addresses were recorded , However I was only able to enter my contact preferences onto my profile , & not our scheme
Very soon after I received a email from a DFT researcher and was selected for a MS Teams survey meeting last week
The MS Teams meeting went for over an hour covering all the questions you have also received
I am Chair of a strata committee and I did not receive this survey either. We have a strata manager that we really like, but a few things have happened recently that make me think it’s time to look at a few others.
I was contacted by the Strata Hub by phone, having set up a Microsoft teams meeting with them. They were immensely understanding and helpful.
Having been voted at a recent AGM as our building’s emergency on-site contact, I asked the staff if my contacts details were on the Hub because I couldn’t find them. They were not, they said.
Contact details are used by emergency services ie fire brigade, ambulances etc. and are therefore vital for the safety of the residents in a strata complex.
Why weren’t they there? Because I was removed from the Hub by an unknown person. When I asked the SM that I be put back on, they told me this would happen. I also asked for the password etc etc but never received a response. I also asked for the most up to date strata roll so I knew who resided in the building. I’m still waiting for that a month later.
Does this mean the strata management has complete control over who can be an emergency on-site contact? Despite the owners AGM decision?
Hi Tina
I followed your guidance , however got blocked , as our Strata Manager has completed our schemes reporting
And , I appear to be not recorded as the Secretary
Following is a copy & paste of the page on Strata Hub
I’ll enquire with Strata Hub 13 32 20
Strata scheme reporting
There are 87, 000 strata schemes in NSW and that means (theoretically) 87,000 AGMs and committee elections every year. Logically, the strata manager is the only entity that can change the information on the Strata Hub. Strata managers need to be compelled to update the information and inform strata owners of any notices posted on the Hub, but strata schemes need to be compelled to pay a fixed fee for the service. It really is as simple as that.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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