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The Professional Standards Scheme (PSS) for the strata sector has been approved and is now in effect across New South Wales, having been two years in the making.
The new standards, which officially took effect on 1 July, are set to increase the professionalism of strata managers while better protecting consumers.
According to the Strata Community Association NSW (SCA), over 2 million people living in New South Wales who own, live in, manage or provide services to apartments, units, town houses and other strata title properties will benefit from the new professional standards, which have been hailed as the best in Australia.
Under the scheme — and in the biggest industry overhaul seen in 40 years — New South Wales consumers will now have a formal complaint and disciplinary system if they feel they have not been treated fairly by their strata manager or strata management company, and strata management professionals will be bound by a code of ethics.
According to SCA president Chris Duggan, the focus remains on “providing improved professional standards and ongoing education to make sure that consumers feel confident in the advice and service they receive from SCA (NSW)”.
“We demand high levels of professional standards and practices from strata manager members that are bound by the SCA (NSW) Professional Standards Scheme Code of Ethics,” Mr Duggan said.
“We will make sure that our members uphold these standards through education, guidance, monitoring, enforcement and other measures. This plays an important role in protecting an estimated 2 million New South Wales consumers.”
Flagging the new standards as the first of their kind for the real estate sector, the state-based legislative mechanism could “make New South Wales a leader in the strata sector”, according to the NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson MP.
The Professional Standards Council has also weighed in on SCA’s contribution to the new scheme, considering it “a significant achievement”.
It believes the scheme “will set a new benchmark for SCA (NSW) as it seeks to improve consumer protection and to increase the professionalism of strata managers in New South Wales”.
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