Jamesons

⭐☆☆☆☆ Very poor communication and coordination from this strata management company. This is the third time this year that contractor arrangements have caused problems for us, with residents left dealing with the disruption and chasing answers. There seems to be little consideration for how works affect the people living in the building. Basic… Read more

information about timing, access restrictions and who to contact should be provided beforehand, without residents having to chase it.

The recurring issue is the lack of planning, communication and follow-through. We expect strata management to coordinate these matters properly, and our experience has repeatedly fallen short.

Easily the worst customer service I have ever encountered. No AGMs for years despite owners pleading, blatantly ignore clients and don’t reply to emails for months (sometimes ever), no advocacy for issues affecting owners and good luck getting something urgent resolved. Painful from start to finish.

Jamesons Strata Management is, in my experience, an exceptionally bad strata management company. I have serious concerns regarding its ongoing conduct, governance practices and apparent disregard for the rights and interests of owners and residents. What is particularly troubling is the apparent persistent and sustained nature of the conduct. The… Read more

issues I have experienced do not appear to be isolated administrative mistakes or occasional failures. Rather, they indicate an ongoing pattern of conduct that raises serious questions about compliance with the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), the regulations governing strata schemes, contractual and statutory obligations, and the duties owed to owners and the owners corporation. There have been serious concerns regarding the failure to properly address necessary repairs and maintenance, including matters involving insurance and obligations that should properly have been pursued on behalf of affected owners. Owners should not have to repeatedly fight to have legitimate strata responsibilities discharged. There are also significant concerns surrounding contractors appointed or utilised within the scheme, including allegations of excessive charges, questionable expenditure and financial arrangements that warrant proper scrutiny. Of particular concern are allegations that certain contractors have engaged in conduct towards owners that may potentially extend beyond ordinary strata disputes and into matters requiring consideration under NSW criminal law. I am also deeply concerned about apparent conflicts of interest involving committee members. There are allegations that certain committee members were financially benefiting, directly or indirectly, from their positions and/or arrangements involving contractors or expenditure within the strata scheme. If substantiated, such conduct would raise extremely serious questions concerning conflicts of interest, disclosure obligations, misuse of position, financial governance and compliance with applicable NSW strata legislation and potentially other areas of law. The apparent tolerance, facilitation or failure to properly address questionable conduct by contractors is particularly disturbing. Where allegations of intimidation, harassment, improper pressure or other potentially unlawful conduct are brought to the attention of those responsible for managing a strata scheme, there should be an appropriate response, investigation and protection of affected owners—not continued conduct that could reasonably be perceived as contributing to their displacement or pressure to leave their homes. The cumulative effect of these matters has been deeply concerning. The apparent pattern of ongoing and sustained abuse of owners and residents, combined with questions surrounding repairs, insurance, contractor conduct, financial arrangements, conflicts of interest and committee governance, warrants far greater scrutiny than an ordinary disagreement between a resident and a strata manager. There are fundamental legal and fiduciary principles involved in the proper administration of a strata scheme. Owners are entitled to expect transparency, proper financial management, lawful decision-making, appropriate disclosure of conflicts, responsible contractor oversight and compliance with the statutory obligations imposed upon those administering their scheme. In my view, the seriousness and persistence of these concerns warrant urgent, independent investigation by the appropriate NSW regulatory and law-enforcement authorities. The matters raised potentially involve breaches of NSW strata legislation and, depending upon the evidence uncovered, may warrant examination under NSW criminal law and other applicable legislation. Jamesons Strata Management should be subject to comprehensive scrutiny regarding its management practices, contractor relationships, financial arrangements, handling of repairs and insurance matters, treatment of owners and residents, and the conduct of those exercising decision-making authority within the affected strata schemes. These are not matters that should simply be characterised as routine strata disagreements. Where there are persistent allegations of improper conduct, financial conflicts, sustained mistreatment of residents and potentially unlawful behaviour, independent investigation, transparency and accountability are essential. In my view, the relevant authorities should investigate these matters thoroughly and determine whether any breaches of legislation or other unlawful conduct have occurred.

I have received very professional and friendly service from Jade Duron-Ricafuente from the Jamesons Strata team in their Wollongong office. My requests for quotes on contractors for repairs and maintenance is prompt and the trades people attending my property have done a good job. Show reply

Very responsive to query relating to townhouse through emails and phone call. issue resolved quickly within the working day by Jamesons.

Jamesons' friendly and knowledgeable personnel are a pleasure to deal with and take care with looking after our block of units.

Very poor communication. Emails and phone calls frequently go unanswered for extended periods and often fail to address the issues raised, instead only offering vague assurances that action will be taken.

Our experience with Jamesons Strata Management (Surry Hills) has been highly unsatisfactory. We have lived in our small block for nearly 30 years, and I have served on the committee, including as Secretary. Based on this long-standing involvement,… Read more

I can confidently say that the past 15 months under the current management have been the most disappointing we have encountered.

Communication has been a persistent issue, with emails and phone calls frequently going unanswered for extended periods. When responses are received, they often fail to address the issues raised and instead offer only vague assurances that action will be taken.

Transparency is also a major concern. It has been difficult to obtain detailed expense reports, and there is limited clarity around certain charges. For example, the Owners Corporation has been charged $37.50 not only for issuing work orders but also for obtaining quotes, including where those quotes were sourced by owners themselves. Additionally, quotes arranged through the strata manager have often been significantly higher than comparable quotes obtained independently.

The strata manager, Shane Haytana, has been insufficiently responsive to urgent matters and appears to prolong relatively straightforward issues. This is particularly concerning given the management fee structure (approximately $55 per 15 minutes), in addition to other charges. We have also observed questionable decision-making. In one instance, despite a request to engage a known and cost-effective contractor for a sewage blockage, an alternative contractor was appointed, resulting in a charge of $8,400 for work that had previously cost approximately $450 and would typically require only a short time to complete. Similar discrepancies have been noted in other routine maintenance works.

The Jamesons SMATA portal also provides limited transparency, with no detailed expense reports or major work quotes readily accessible. Relevant documents have only been provided after repeated requests from multiple owners. Following the recommendation to switch to Coverforce Partners Pty for building insurance, the premium increased by approximately 30%, further raising concerns regarding value for money.

Overall, the service has been characterised by poor communication, a lack of transparency, and inadequate value for money.

It is therefore unsurprising that the building’s condition is declining while owner dissatisfaction is increasing, driven by rising levies and deteriorating service standards.

I would strongly encourage others to carefully consider their options and engage a strata management provider that demonstrates accountability, responsiveness, and a clear commitment to acting in the best interests of owners.

Really poor experience. Emails are constantly ignored, and even critical issues - like multiple apartments experiencing indoor leaking issues - take numerous bumps and follow ups to get addressed. (If addressed at all.) EDIT: After this post, we have had much more response from the team, and after being assigned to a different manager, it does… Read more

look like our building is getting some attention. Whilst there is more work to be done to ensure the leaks are addressed, I am hopeful that these issues were due to one bad manager - now removed - and not a reflection of Jamesons as a whole, who have since been much more communicative.

Extremely poor experience with Jamesons Strata Management. Communication is consistently lacking, with emails going unanswered for weeks or ignored entirely. Serious building issues, including ongoing leaks, have been left unresolved for months, causing significant damage. Our strata manager, is very difficult to contact and responses are slow… Read more

when they do arrive. Basic maintenance and urgent matters should not take months or years to address.

I would strongly recommend other buildings look elsewhere for strata management.

Professionalism and knowledge of strata laws. Proactive approach to building maintenance and issue resolution. Clear and consistent communication. Willingness to work with the committee to manage costs effectively. Show reply

Well, everything with the Strata is fine and happy with the people in charge of the cleaning It’s just the constantly moving tennants leave everything in a mess and don’t treat our facilities with care and drop disposable over the outdoors areas . Should be put a sign. my opinion if they found out who these people are will be have a big fine. … Read more ·  2

that’s all. We owners from a numbers of years are very conscious about our good buildings and do the right thing. that’s my personal comment. thanks Victoria Moore

We have found Jamesons to be a wonderful Strata Company to deal with. Their knowledge of our unique strata being a lot system has been incredible. Jamesons have helped make our unique strata an amazing place to live! Show reply

Robert from Jamiesons has been fantastic to work with. He’s incredibly responsive, always getting back to us quickly, and he consistently shows great awareness of our strata’s budget and overall costs. Most importantly, he listens and follows through on what we request. His professionalism and reliability make strata management so much easier. Highly recommended. Show reply

Let me start with the reality of Jamesons, which created an expanded company called CNG Group, to build a profit-making machine made up of Jameson branches, SMATA System compulsory to use, QSEC Strata Facilities Maintenance, Coverforce Insurance Broking. They also have expensive suggested trades if your Strata Committee are too lazy to look for… Read more

their own trades. Trade Monitor are cheaper for checking trade insurance and licenses, but Jamesons lock you in to their SMATA system and their charges for every Job Order. Now for the Strata Managers - they don't answer all your questions in one email so you need to keep going back to them which generates more revenue. Everything is geared for maximum revenue. They also are prepared to provide misinformation, like saying you need to spend money on compliance reports that only relate to large schemes (more than 100 units). They use fear and lack of knowledge by strata committees and OCs to spend more money on services that will increase profits for Jamesons. Our Strata Manager also bullies people into complying, which is reprehensible. Schemes receive 2 or 3 lines of primary financial charges from Jamesons and no breakdown to see exactly what generated the costs each month. No transparency. This is a tactic so you can't cost manage them. Their fees are exorbitant and they will try lock you into a 3 year contract so they can add the 5% increase to all their charges p.a. Our fees went up every year with Jamesons and they control all meetings so you cannot get any discussion about them or what they are doing. They usually work on the Strata Committee to secure longevity. They deskill the SC so they believe they can't manage without Jamesons. They also give you a refund on insurance commission the 1st year until they get a hold on your scheme, then that disappears and the costs go up, and no refund on commission. My advice, is anytime you believe Jamesons is in breech or unethical in some way, go on the Fair Trading website and write a complaint. Fair Trading said they need people to write to them or they can do nothing about Jamesons. So if you are reading this and disgruntled like us, please start complaining in writing to Fair Trading. Calling is no good. To keep Jamesons accountable for their 'Profits First' behaviour and exploiting schemes, complain to Fair Trading. At least until your scheme can get away from them. Also write a review here, so others will be warned. I wished I had read the reviews before we lost exorbitant fees to them. For those so called perfect 5 star reviews for Jamesons, check their profiles. Likely contrived.

Worst company ever. I’m an owner and our building recently changed to jamesons, I have a broken gloss balcony door which is dangerous and have sent multiple emails are tried to call numerous times however they never reply or pick up the phone. Absolutely useless.

Jameson's Strata Surry Hills are indeed the worst Strata Managers I have ever encountered. I would rate them a -5 if possible. The staff member, Christina Han is the most incompetent, rude, condescending and unprofessional woman I have ever dealt with. Does not provide a mobile number on emails sent. Does not return messages or calls left at the… Read more

reception desk. And if by chance you do manage to speak to her, she is abrasive, disinterested and very unhelpful. Avoid this company at all costs and do not be pressured into setting up a direct debit account with them. Payments are debited from your account multiple times for the same service without your knowledge or authorisation. And there is no possibility of retrieving any money back, as they insist that it is justified and will not take any responsibility for their error or incompetence.

Francine

Very happy with Gemma, our Strata Manager. She answers all of our emails quickly, and gets onto all requests just as quickly. She is knowledgeable, professional and simultaneously very friendly and down to earth. Show reply

I would like to acknowledge the great work Anna Douglas, our Strata Manager at Wollongong Jamesons has provided. She is very professional, honest, polite and makes sure she treats everyone with the same respect. Takes pride in her work and always offers her service to help everyone. Her dedication is to be admired. Thanking You Anna Suzana Show reply

I have lived in my unit since 1999 and all that time Jamesons has been my strata manager. Jamesons are a pleasure to deal with. Strata managers are professional and are very competent at what they do. Issues regarding strata are dealt with promptly and the tradesman used are very good and compete the work in a timely manner and at a reasonable… Read more ·  1

price. I have owned other properties with other strata managers and none come close to Jamesons for service and professionalism. The best in the business.

Jamesons has provide outstanding services t this SP. They have specialist departments which handle areas such as insurance. We have been managed by Jamesons for 9 years now and they have stepped us through major renovations. Always up with the latest with strata law and the best by far we have ever had at our SP.

We've had them for 18 months and they have been a spectacular failure. Poor communication skills, arrogant and patronizing making decisions without consultation that are short sighted and irresponsible. They are however expert in charging extortionate fees and spending our money. Very disappointed.

Excellent team - they always provide an exceptional services. Thank you so much!

Our strata manager looks after our building and cares about all matters in respect to the building in a responsible and professional manner Show reply

Jamesons is an outstanding strata agent. Staff are always professional, knowledgeable and respond quickly to issues. I highly recommend Jamesons. Show reply

As our SM, Michelle provides excellent service to the OC, quick to respond on issues and good advice. Recommend