Strata Living the loneliest place on earth?
The importance of community is more important to an Owners Corporation than most managers realise.
We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of strata living in Australia, yet rates of loneliness have double since the 1970s. Figures show one-quarter of private dwellings in Australia have only one person living in them [1]. Whilst Sydney alone has 75 percent of its population living in high-density apartments it is expected to grow to 90 percent with 40 percent living alone [2]
Loneliness and isolation can stem from the common frustration that owners and tenants experience – the lack of communication and lack of access to information with regards to the building maintenance or committee meeting action items. Strata Managers open themselves up to hundreds of phone calls, and thousands of emails from stakeholders because there are no lines of communication between each other within a scheme. It’s evident a solution is needed to assist Strata Managers to facilitate open lines of communication and break down those walls of frustration.
Strata Managers have an important and meaningful job: to assist with compliance, to provide information and to promote and protect the interests of owners and others who occupy or visit a property, to name a few. They also have a meaningful opportunity – to connect people together.
There is more to it than just altruism. Creating great strata communities will result in positive impacts on all stakeholders. It helps to encourage responsible and thoughtful behaviour whilst stabilizing levies and it helps build strength in portfolios – whether they comprise of 2 lots or hundreds of lots. A cohesive community will facilitate more meaningful, communication efficiencies, grow maintenance efficiencies and increase client satisfaction.
Reducing isolation in a strata community living is good strata business.
How can we foster this sense of community and connection in our strata schemes when we need to answer numerous emails and phone calls, search for the answers in digital dumps and paper records?
The answer is StrataVault, a platform that brings all the historical, current and future records and information into one place with one combination for all your office processes and software.
An instant community is formed when using StrataVault, with the Strata Manager being put back into the centre of the community; allowing all stakeholders to be on the same page, through discussion boards, tailored access to information and communication with complete transparency.
As an added benefit, you don’t need to be physically present at every property you are managing with StrataVault. By unlocking a safe and efficient digital space with StrataVault, you are front and centre creating community and communicating with stakeholders at the levels they require.
“I brought on board StrataVault as I saw it as a mini website for each building. I saw it as a way of not having to store as much physical information, as we’re a small company, with limited amounts of space.
When we took on StrataVault, we had 7 or 8 buildings and now we have 24 buildings so every time we get a building you open a new Vault. I like the fact information is easily accessible and that our clients can log in directly and see all the buildings they own in one application.”
Daniel, Strata Manager