2020 Strata Year in Review

Welcome to our first update for 2021, where we recap the newsletter highlights of the crazy year that was 2020. We are sincerely thankful and humbled by your support shown throughout the past year with a total of 377,925 newsletter reads by Smart Strata’s now in excess of 35,000 subscribers! This keen interest inspires us to keep working hard to source and provide the content you want and need to assist with navigating your day to day life in strata.

Counting down our top 12 newsletters, you will be provided with some statistics and commentary on the issues that keep surfacing to the top as the most read topics in strata. You will also find a links to each of the highest read newsletters in case you missed that week’s release or would like to recap. If you enjoy reading these articles, please share them with your fellow strata stakeholders that will also benefit from the knowledge they provide.

Coming in at 12th place for the year was our first newsletter of the year covering “Welcome to 2020 – Strata Year in Review” with 8,392 reads! It seems that many of us have more time in the holidays to read strata articles than we thought or we are all just very dedicated to learning as much as we can about strata and find Smart Strata to be a good read J

In 11th place was lone article “Preventing Winter Fire Hazards” with 8,520 reads contributed Sean Albert, General Manager – Strata Compliance Solutions, who had a timely reminder for winter safety, providing tips on how to be prepared and compliant from a Body Corporate Committee member’s perspective.

The top 10 started with “Legislation Amendment Bill – Temporary Financial Relief Measures | Webinar Registrations Now Open!” with 8,734 reads. The first appearance of a ‘Covid’ topic in our countdown was contributed by Grant Mifsud of Archers the Strata Professionals. This new temporary legislation was introduced by the QLD Government to “provide measures to alleviate the financial burden caused by the COVID-19 emergency on bodies corporate for community titles schemes and owners of lots included in the scheme”.

At number 9 we had “Commissioners Corner – Water Damage Claims and Who Pays Explained” with 8,883 reads led by another popular contributor to our newsletter Chris Irons, who was the Body Corporate and Community Management at the time the article was written. Published at the beginning of the year, Chris gave advice for a starting point to try to get a difficult situation resolved.

In 8th place preparing us for the end of financial year was “Tax Time is Here | Australasian Strata Insights 2020 Report” attracting 9,028 reads. Aaron Margaritis of Archers the Strata Professionals provided information about accessing strata financial records and tips on future budgeting. The Strata Community Association (QLD) provided a detailed analysis report on the state of the Strata industry.

7th place saw “Pet Approvals – Seek Permission or Forgiveness? | COVID-19 – Restrictions on Gatherings Return to SEQ” receiving 9,261 reads saw Michael Kleinschmidt, Legal Practitioner Director – Stratum Legal delve into the old mantra of “sometimes it is better to ask forgiveness than permission”. The SCA (QLD) provided another update on the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, providing an updated ‘Best Practices’ guide for bodies corporate during the midst of the pandemic.

The top 6 was rounded out by “Short and Long Term Letting Restrictions Explained | Large Market Electricity Tendering Process” attracting 9,388 reads. Jason Carlson of Grace Lawyers provided his expertise in the controversial and often misunderstood area of strata law and discuss what bodies corporate can and can’t do. Newcomers to Smart Strata, Strata Energy Services, Senior Analysist Solomon Freer explains large market electricity tenders and answers some of the burning questions people have.

Unsurprisingly a release that was entirely ‘Covid-19’ focused made it into the top 5, “Communal Facility Restrictions Easing – GYM Supervision No Longer Required!” gained 9,587 reads. Published as restrictions in Queensland began to ease, the SCA (QLD) provided another updated ‘Best Practices’ guide for bodies corporate.

4th on the list was “Noise in Strata | What is an Occupier Statement?” with 9,784 reads another article from Chris Irons, this time in his new role with Hynes Legal, as Strata Advisor, Chris provided the tools and processes for dealing with noise and nuisance in strata. Sean Albert of Strata Compliance Solutions again provided advice to our readers, this time on the most commonly asked questions that bodies corporate have about occupiers statements.

Coming in as our 3rd most popular article with 9,871 reads “Project Management Explained | Combustible Cladding – What’s Next?” Margo Grant of BOSS Building Maintenance explains why planning in project management is important. Lynda Kypriadakis from Diverse FMX provides answers and information on cladding replacement programs.

Coming in at a close 2^nd, with 10,052 reads, both of the topics covered were ones that we receive countless requests for information on. “Maintenance Obligations Explained | Facility Management Efficiency” Todd Garsden, Mahoneys delves into maintenance obligations and what steps to take to help determine who is responsible.  Sam Khalef – MYBOS explains how Facility Management software can help you to manage your property with ease.

Our most-read newsletter “Management Rights Assignments | Safety Compliance Audits – Friend or Foe?” had 10,077 reads, Todd Garsden, Mahoneys tackled another topical and sought after topic, providing readers with insight in to call aspects of management rights assignments. Sean Albert, Strata Compliance Solutions explained the concept of safety compliance audits, and why they are important.

We hope you enjoyed the content we provided throughout the year and look forward to keeping it relevant to you. If you have read this far, no doubt you have a keen interest in the topics we publish. Please let us know what you would like to hear more about in the comments below and we will seek a contributor.

Finally, and most importantly, a big thanks to all of our article contributors who dedicate their time and expertise, helping us stay relevant to your strata education needs.