To Infinity and Beyond – Well Just 2025 Really!

Well, another year gone. 2024 was a tumultuous year for strata and unfortunately not all good… But here we are in 2025, no limbs broken and no animals harmed…

After my crystal ball gazing last year, I sat down to see where we are and where I think we are going. I didn’t use AI this time as it didn’t give us any great insights from what we all knew and loved.

Colin’s Crystal Ball

Maintenance and Repairs: It never changes, and, in all honesty, I could write this for 20 more years and it would be Number One. This issue is the expense and how much materials and work have gone up. Also it’s the never-ending changing requirements of Councils and legislators.

Legislative Changes: What a year on this front. After strata became the dinner conversation around the country, many Governments have started the process of legislative reform. NSW is leading (if you call it that) the charge and making many changes around strata managers’ business dealings and revenue. This is only the start as everyone is having a look at changing things around this year.

Insurance Commissions: The National push from owners groups and other interested parties about the receiving and allocation of insurance commissions is one of the big four in 2024 and it will not stop in 2025. Whilst many Governments are looking at it, it is not a simple decision to say no managers, you can’t receive commissions anymore. The business relationships, services provided for insurance (and claims) and the underlying costs need to be properly analysed before decisions are made.

Related Entities and Businesses: Another significant trend in 2024 involved businesses related to managing agents. Whilst in most instances proper and detailed disclosures and approvals may deal with the issue, it is wider than just the strata industry. For example, real estate agents are more likely to own marketing companies, conveyancing businesses, strata search services and repair companies, rather than strata managers. Some of which you must use if you want to use them as your selling agent.

Perhaps Government may need to look further afield if they wish to delve into related businesses and consider the rights of people to own businesses. Can you actually legislate to say you cannot have a related business??

Car Parking: This one isn’t about illegal car parking, it’s about not enough parking at all. Planning laws have become laughable on the push to stop people buying cars. How do they do this?? By making buildings with only one space per two-bedroom apartment for example. Basically, everyone has a car outside of the city centre, so most properties have one space and two cars.

So, where are they all — on the street…great planning team! We need to reassess planning laws to deal with cars, and making space for electric charging stations isn’t the answer. It’s a straight numbers game — more cars need more spaces, simples…

Animals: Now the dust has started to settle on animals with some legislative changes around the country saying approval required but good luck to owners corporations if the answer is no… It’s always a heavy topic and one discussed many times around my dinner table (we had a pet, but he died 2 years ago, do we get another one?).

It is such a touchy subject so why can’t we have pet friendly buildings and non-pet friendly buildings? If I love pets fine, but if I don’t, I am somehow a leper or radical animal hater and should be removed from existence. Why can’t an OC by unanimous resolution (or resolution without dissent) pass a by-law or covenant on title that says not in our building. That way it is clear, and you just don’t buy in the first place. Anyway, I’ll never win the argument for an OC/BC to make decisions for itself (on any topic really) so we move along.

Sustainability and Energy Efficiency: Implementing environmentally friendly practices and energy-efficient technologies can be a priority for many strata communities, however, politics has entered the fray on this one as different sides of politics have different views on how and what to be energy efficient on, what is the cause, and how do we fix the world. So, this one is a movable feast and who knows – we might all be on Mars anyway. Strata on Mars now there’s a thought…

Construction: Please tell me that we will have better buildings in the future.

Lot owners: As I said last year, owners are becoming more involved in the daily activities of their buildings. They ask more, listen more and want to be involved in the decisionmaking process. Going hand in hand with that, they are now more demanding of service from providers. Trying to find the balance between service and expectations will continue to be a challenge to all of those involved in the industry.

So, here we are, 2025. In 2016 I said it was to be “the beginning of the fastest rise in the strata industry for a while to come”. In 2018 I said we were running as fast as we can because of it. In 2022 I said, “here it comes — 2022 with a vengeance!!” In 2024 — run as fast as you can. Well, 2025, bring it on…