Watch Out ! UNSW is Researching Strata Owners’ Attitudes

It had to happen eventually. That everyone’s ad hoc views about what’s happening in strata (and why) would get checked by empiric and standardised research and analysis.  It just took a long time.

Right now a major research project is underway in New South Wales about how strata scheme buildings operate (and what owners and others think about that).

It’s being conducted by the clever researchers in the High Density Living Program at the City Futures Centre of the University of New South Wales including (see more about this talented group here).


Governing the Compact City is a two-year research project charting the key issues facing the governance and management of strata buildings, with a focus on NSW. It is the first major study of the strata sector undertaken in Australia, and will thus inform practice and policy development on a national scale.  The research has three main aims:

1.   To explore the role, capacity & effectiveness of owners’ corporations as agencies of property governance and management.

2.   To explore the capacity & effectiveness of strata managers as mediators of outcomes for owners and residents in strata & their role within the overall structure of management & governance.

3.   To assess how well residential strata works from strata owners’ points of view.

Funding and support to carry out this project have been received from the National Competitive Grants Program run by the Federal Government’s Australian Research Council and from the following government, peak body and industry partners:

It’s early stages in their research now, but there’s already a lot of interesting data being collected and analysed which I’ll comment more on in future blogs.

And, of course none of this research could happen without the time and money contributed by important strata sector supporters including –

• NSW Land & Property Management Authority
• NSW Department of Fair Trading
• Institute of Strata Title Management
• Owners Corporation Network 
• Lannock Strata Finance
• Macquarie Bank

So check out the research project Governing the Compact City at its dedicated webpage.

Also keep watching the research space for developments and, when you get the chance, participate in the research if you can.

Francesco …