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The SiteVisitAuthor: James Faulkner
Leadership in construction with perspective from the job site. A podcast dedicated to the Construction industry. Construction professionals, General Contractors, Sub trade Contractors, and Specialty Contractors audiences will be engaged by the discussions between the hosts and their guests on topics and stories. Hosted James Faulkner ( CEO/Founder - SiteMax Systems ). Language: en-us Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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How Strata Councils Navigate Aging Buildings, Rising Costs, And Legal Risk with Katherine Uppall
Episode 188
Thursday, 5 March, 2026
Send a textEver wondered who’s actually safeguarding a multi‑million‑dollar condo tower when the council is made of volunteers? We sit down with strata lawyer Katherine Uppal to unpack how buildings age, costs climb, and decisions get made under the Strata Property Act—often with limited time, thin records, and 200 skeptical neighbors watching.We dig into the governance flashpoints that derail progress: contested elections, proxy fights, and quorum drama that can stall urgent repairs. Katherine explains the real legal standard—reasonableness—and why councils acting in good faith are broadly protected, even as owners push back on special levies. From there, we get concrete: depreciation reports that nobody reads, building envelope condition assessments that reveal water ingress risks, and the good‑better‑best framework that helps councils stage work without blowing reserves.Money talk is unavoidable. Flat fees feel good until inflation, utilities, and service contracts spike, turning “savings” into deficits and emergency levies. Katherine shares a smarter path: incremental fee increases, transparent town halls, and contracts with real safeguards. We explore how experienced contractors navigate the three‑quote ritual, why two‑page agreements sink seven‑figure projects, and how to align engineers, managers, and owners long before a three‑quarter vote.The surprises keep coming: solariums and enclosed balconies that were never approved, records lost between council turnovers, and the parking space that probably isn’t yours. Katherine breaks down common property versus strata lot responsibilities, why leases complicate parking, and how clear bylaws and better documentation prevent costly disputes. With developer windups cooling, councils can’t wait for a buyout; elevators still fail, membranes still crack, and rain still wins.If you care about sustainable strata living—whether you’re on council, a property manager, a contractor, or an owner—this conversation offers the playbook: read the reports, plan the cash, stage the work, and communicate like your building depends on it. Subscribe, share this with your council, and leave a review to tell us the smartest move your building made this year.PODCAST INFO:the Site Visit Website: https://www.sitemaxsystems.com/podcastthe Site Visit on Buzzsprout: https://thesitevisit.buzzsprout.com/269424the Site Visit on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-site-visit/id1456494446the Site Visit on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cp4qJE5ExZmO3EwldN1HHFOLLOW ALONG:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesitevisitInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesitevisit
