A year in review

SCA (NSW), were very vocal in recommending legislative amendments that supported the industry and streamlined administrative functions for many strata residents and owners corporations to ensure that legislation was met, and health and safety continued to be paramount throughout lockdown restrictions.

Part of our advocacy is forging strong working relationships with the NSW Government; with Fair Trading, the NSW Planning and Environment, the Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation and the Building Commissioner David Chandler; developing an excellent rapport over multiple meetings.

We remain committed to continuing our work with the NSW Government to ensure that Strata remains a key policy priority for the increasingly significant proportion of the state’s residents who reside and work in strata.

How do we not mention the glaring elephant in the room?

While the economy was being placed into hibernation earlier this year, strata was not afforded the same windfall. We were forced to adapt, pivot, innovate and problem solve on the run, with a huge responsibility and obligation to provide hope, support, and service to millions of residents searching for answers and navigating a myriad of competing priorities.

We cannot forget that strata entered the global pandemic still inflicted by past problems of defects, flammable cladding, behavioural challenges, and complex compliance obligations. Those issues did not simply go away during lockdown and isolation – they were ever present and compounding reminders of the minefield that strata communities across the state juggled and navigated.

We as an industry faced an unprecedented challenge and delivered an unprecedented, coordinated effort to get through.

We’re proud of the hurdles SCA (NSW), and our members have overcome as a community, and the continued work that allows us to deliver expert services and support/advocate for the Strata industry as a whole. The role we’ve played to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in high-density living and ensure all strata residents have access to the support, resources and guidance they need has been integral.

SCA (NSW) are humbled by our response, our dedication, and our resolve!

As the NSW Government works towards delivering better quality builds for the future; one of our recent collaborative efforts has seen the development of industry-first guides and reference material!

We launched the ‘Strata Defects Rectification Guide’ in December 2020, which has enabled researchers to gather comprehensive data on the granularity of defects and deliver a consumer-friendly guide (a first of its kind), to help owners and managers navigate the complexity of defects.

In partnership with SCA (NSW), researchers from UNSW Sydney’s City Futures Research Centre and the University of Technology Sydney have developed the ‘strata defects rectification guide’ for strata residents and owners in New South Wales.

The guide will provide vital information on the approach to building defects under the legislation to help property owners navigate the process of identifying, documenting, reporting and rectifying building defects in strata schemes. It will also be a handy tool for potential buyers while inspecting a building.

The guide provides easy to understand information and support on how to rectify defects in a strata scheme.

SCA (NSW), is pleased to be part of a collaboration of nationally focused Industry stakeholders to assist the building commissioner David Chandler. Our work is to consult on the establishment of a ratings tool (ICIRT), to restore public trust and consumer confidence in construction.

Our role in the built environment industry is representing our strata managers, lot owners and stakeholders living in, residing, or working in strata titled property. We are part of the iCIRT Industry Group as part of ongoing advocacy work in the property sector.  

SCA (NSW) has and continues to share insights into the performance of builders and developers, sharing experiences of our membership on quality of work or issues around defects, remedial works, or new developments.

We see value in an improved operating environment with more independent verification and rating.

The tool will be launched in Mid-2021.

The building defects crisis has spotlighted the potential vulnerability of consumers buying off the plan.

New buyers have limited information about potential risks associated with owning the strata property or how construction and the strata sector operates.

Following the high-profile failures of the Opal and Mascot towers there has been substantial loss of confidence in new apartments. While the strata communities have grown, there has been no equal investments to support these strata communities.

As part of identifying high level requirements, SCA (NSW), has been part of the roundtable discussions for the minimum viable product that can assist to improve the transparency, accountability, and quality of work within the building sector.

The objective of the wider program, the NSW Strata Portal, is to enable end to end oversight into the quality and safety of individual buildings from planning and construction to ownership.

SCA (NSW), recognises that without this central digital workflow and repository, the government’s ability to implement and enforce the new building reforms would be severely restricted.

Earlier this year SCA (NSW) initiated the process of forming our own Professional Standards Scheme regulated by the Professional Standards Council.

Our application has continued in the background following the successful amendments to our constitution and has advanced towards final lodgement of the scheme application and review by the Council.

SCA (NSW) have sought a defined and measurable improvement in consumer confidence and have called on the Office of the Building Commissioner to deliver a 50% increase in consumer confidence by 2025!

One of the key tools that we will utilise to drive research and gauge confidence levels will be a substantial industry tailored survey.

To deliver a complete picture across a large dataset. The data will be used to understand consumer experiences with defects.

This is critically important as it will deliver results on 6,000 buildings constructed over the last 6 years and 750 new buildings every year thereafter. The survey aims to dive into the granularity of defects, reviewing:

• Waterproofing
• Structural
• Cladding
• Fire

Over the coming months we will need your help to complete the most extensive dataset on strata defects ever undertaken. SCA (NSW) hopes that any member who receives the survey will assist us redefining the industry!