The Knight Alliance

  A statement from The Knight’s Managing Director, Gregor Evans. Many will have seen the media reporting over the past 24 hours regarding some of the unscrupulous practices which can unfortunately exist within the Owners Corporation (Strata) management industry. Reporting of this nature is a blow to many in the industry, the overwhelming majority of whom are hardworking, honest professionals, proud of the work that they do to protect and better the communities under their care. Firstly, to alleviate any concerns our clients may be feeling, I’d like to share a few reminders (all of which we outline clearly on our website and in our proposals and are proud to claim as true since our inception): With integrity one of our core pillars, we have never engaged in unconscionable conduct with Owners Corporation service providers We have never received any commission or kickback from Owners Corporation service providers except at times for the receipt of a fai...

We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone for The Knight as we welcome Carla Pizzorno to our team as the newly appointed Owners Corporation Operations Manager . This strategic addition brings a wealth of experience and expertise, to propel our organisation towards new heights of efficiency and excellence. Carla comes to us with a proven track record in both the legal and strata worlds, making her an ideal fit to lead our OC Operations team . Carla’s passion is people, and in her new role will bolster and invigorate our existing culture of continuous improvement. “My passion is understanding people whilst inspiring and supporting them to be the best they can be. I love that I have the opportunity to do this in the ever growing and developing OC industry with long standing clients and OC managers that are required to have skills across a variety of fields.” This exciting new role will guide our team in adapting to the ever-evolving industry landscape and cement The Knigh...

On Friday 27 October, the SCA (Vic) Strata Community Excellence Awards Gala Dinner was held. Hosted at the Leonda by the Yarra, the evening was a celebration of those who make a significant contribution to the strata industry and community, from Managers to suppliers and everything in between. We would like to send our congratulations to all finalists and nominees in this year’s awards. The Knight were proud finalists in six categories this year (click the category to learn more about the award and our nominees): Essay Award – Sim Firns Support Team Member Award – Karen Young Strata Community Manager Rising Star Award – Jessa Yen Strata Community Manager Award – Rama Murugesu Strata Community Management Leadership Award – Scott McCann Environmental, Social & Community Impact Award – The Knight We are proud to share we came away as winners in two categories at this year’s awards: the Strata Community Manager Rising Star Award and the Environmental, So...

  As strata insurance premiums continue to skyrocket – is Insurance Premium Funding the timely solution for strata communities? Insurance Premium Funding: What is it? Insurance Premium Funding (IPF) is a financial solution designed to help Owners Corporations manage their insurance costs more effectively. It allows owners to spread the cost of insurance premiums over time, typically in monthly or quarterly installments, instead of paying a lump sum annually. IPF ensures that Owners Corporations can maintain comprehensive insurance cover without straining lot owners’ cash flow. Indeed, given the time constraints on paying premiums, sometimes Owners Corporations have missed premiums simply because of the time required to issue levies and receive payment – IPF eliminates that risk. Changing dynamics of the insurance market. Rising inflation, supply chain constraints, catastrophic weather events, scarcity of materials and labour shortages are all factors driving the increasi...

Properties are increasingly being built with sustainability front of mind, solar panels and recycled water systems are used to make them more energy efficient. For properties without these built in features, owners still have plenty of options to achieve sustainability success. Parque Apartments on St Kilda Road was awarded a sustainability grant for a community garden by The Knight , which they used to install planter boxes to grow a variety of herbs (pictured). This is a great way for residents to exercise their green thumb and reduce their property’s food and packaging waste. Owners corporations are increasingly coming together to commit to sustainable living. Some top initiatives include: Like Parque, your Owners Corporation can start a communal garden to provide health and wellbeing benefits. Residents can access fresh food and green space while also reducing food and packaging waste within the property. If there is no area in your common property, loo...

How secure is your driveway gate? Did you know that there are devices which can scan and copy the frequency of remote controls used to operate driveway gates from 50m away? These devices are particularly effective with 125Khz (low frequency) fobs and are readily available for purchase online. This creates a concerning security risk for properties using this type of fob to open remote controlled gates. Using such a device, an unknown party could easily gain access to common property to target vehicles and mailboxes, jeopardising residents’ belongings, and sensitive information. The team at Brave Security have shared a few alternative options which Owners Corporations can consider, if concerned about this potential risk. Keypad Entry Systems As the name suggests, Keypad Entry Systems require residents, trades and authorised personnel to enter a unique code to gain access. Not only is this more secure, but it will allow the OC to remove external key safes, which can often b...

The benefits of a strong community within an Owners Corporation include increased security, reduced tenant turn over, and improved resident well being. While as Owners Corporation Managers, our main role is to facilitate the management of common property, we strongly believe that we also have a role to play in the facilitation of a strong community spirit. This is why each year The Knight awards grants to Committees looking to implement a community building initiative at their property. Previous initiatives have ranged from Christmas in July  celebrations to  Trick or Treating and all sharing the common goal of getting neighbours together to get to know each other better. Keep an eye out on our  Facebook page , and be sure to be  subscribed to our newsletter to find out about the upcoming application process, and how The Knight could help your Committee with community building in 2021. Read More …