Jamesons

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

I’m disappointed to write this review after reading several reviews on this website. My home in a department managed by Jamsons for the past eight years, but I’ve noticed no significant improvements in their services. If you’re a homeowner managed by Jamsons, I strongly recommend considering find a better strata company. 1. Poor notifications. I… Read more

notice this happened many times and keep happening. Do not be fooled by their online system (My portal). You will be flooded with all documents/invoices/quotes/notice then miss the important things. If you ask, you wait... 2. Lack of transparency and poor management. We paid high strata fee (1.5-2.5k quarterly) over years for a small size apartment 33 lots without pool, gym, expensive utility or general areas... This does not avoid the owners went into building repair work (1.4M) because of keeps overlooking degradations/complaints over years without actions. I am confused with the poor decisions made over these years. The owners were just notified in annual general meeting and increased levy fees without any heads-up or explanations. Obviously, the strata manager is lack of experiences to inspect building, manage budget, seek preventive maintenance and build relationships with customers. They list many unnecessary services or I do not know if they pretend to be incompetent or just incompetent. 3. Overcharging fees. If you take time to check , you will find out. However, I have to admit this is a more general problem for strata companies in Sydney as I see many complaints. This is a systematic disaster. I do not know how far we can go with this. Good luck to my family and other owners.

Very unimpressed with the start of a strata in a small lot. Without notifying all owners and treating all owners equally they appear to have been inserted out of the blue for those owners not aligned with one they appear to know. What is extraordinary is the apparent lack of shame over conflicts of interest - transparency is fundamental but… Read more

missing. Inappropriate behavior was also not reined in, rather enhanced if not encouraged. The manager was personally involved in the discrete installation of a new strata knowing one of the owners from a previous strata building where there has been significant oversight queries raised by owners and some committee members not aligned with the pair that were aligned with the manager. This is a clear conflict of interest given they never declared theirs nor jamesons presence beforehand to the owner, preventing any challenge. The practical modus of operation involves siding with one or two owners ensuring they control all other owners and weight things in their favour, often just by virtue of no transparency. When this happens, you know you're going to be overcharged on costs and escalating charges as was happening at the previous location. It appears there is a prior relationship between certain parties given the manner this was conducted. I knew nothing about Jamesons before this but I do know the new person their and their history, along with the transparency issue with the main owner, so I cannot in any way endorse jamesons given the start to this strata - I cant imagine any strata starting so badly and it serves to teach others to be warned about sudden impositions of these types of matters because they reek of an ethics problem right from the get go guaranteeing ongoing issues given the inability to apologise let alone recognise that behaviour. You could be forgiven thinking this kind of thing shouldn't be happening in democracies at a time when strata is being investigated but it does and it explains why there can be so much potential for hiding improper conduct despite inquiries and so on. Its also observed that some people that benefit from the unhealthy relationship will write positive reviews and these should be taken with a grain of salt - strata is meant to represent all not just a handful. If the ethics is not there at the beginning then that's a major red flag and its unclear how one can rectify these matters with this approach.

Highly recommend Jamesons !! Our manager Shane is amazing. We have a lot of building issues in our complex and with Shane’s knowledge all issues are being resolved .He goes above and beyond, Responds quickly and nothing is to hard. Thank you Show reply

Great Strata service from a team that really know what they are doing. Quick response to Committee queries so our Committee can respond to our residents in a timely manner. Show reply

The worst Strata managers similar to Netstrata – We have had the misfortune to be put under compulsory strata management with Jamesons for 2 years. After trying to deal with them for the past year I would not recommend them to anyone. Their charges over and above the normal annual rate are astronomical. They keep raising special levies as they are charging so much and spending our money so… Read more

recklessly. They have picked the most expensive trades in the are and rarely get more than one quote. When they make a mistake they always have an excuse then charge owners again. When owners try and go through fair trading or NCAT they lawyer up and charge owners to ‘fight themselves’. They are unapproachable and arrogant. We have had 4 special levies on top of 55% hike in normal levies. All the promised work keeps getting delayed, the gardens and property maintenance are being neglected and owners re being treated like mushrooms. If you have a choice of strata managers do not pick this one.

Navigate the online system – Friendly, knowledgeable professional officer who meticulously navigated me through the system. I am now able to confidently use the system to pay levies and look up information that relates to the strata plan Show reply

worst strata manager – just a simple task asking for the strata roll which i am entitled to is denied to me after 11 requests and emails to the general manager it is there responsibility to keep an up todate roll and supply to me upon my request as an owner in the strata plan , my experience with them means i must complain to fair trading anytime i want to get something… Read more

simply not good enough if you are looking for a new strata manager make shore you do your home work as some think they are there to tell you what to do instead of serving the need of the strata plan

Very good Strata Manager – An excellent Strata Manager. We had a first AGM with Ms Vicki Oldknow and had no pressure, stress nor any hick-ups. For the first time in last eight years we are looking forward for the next AGM. Thank you Vicki for your patience, understanding and professionalism.

Worst Strata management company ever! No way to contact them – Ive had 2 of my strata apartments (both in different buildings) move to Jamesons in the last 4 months and both have suffered the same ugly fate... You cannot get in touch with anyone until they set up the portal and that takes them months! During and even after that time they do not notify you who your strata manager is and who to contact for… Read more

repairs. Too bad if its an emergency. Ive been waiting 4 months for one, 2 months for the other, and still no name of strata manager, no phone number for strata manager, no email address for strata manager. No name or contact for repairs I havent even been given instructions on how to access the portal. When I plug in my email address and hit "forgot password" it says I dont exist. They dont even answer thier main phone line. Ive rung 3 times and always get the same "too busy" recorded message. Seriously, do not make the mistake of moving to this mob who care not about customer service. All they want to do is take your money and hide behind a contactless portal wall. They dont realise that not everyone is as computer literate as they would like, nor that fact that many property owners and managers dont want to be talking to a faceless piortal. They want to talk to real people who can respond and action a request.

More poor service and lacking Strata Law knowledge! – My Strata manager didn't know you were able to call a General meeting to vote in a new committee member when there were 3 positions vacant. After about 10 emails and 2 months of to and fro they finally conceded you could call a General Meeting but it was going to cost me $176. When I looked at the contract between our property and Jamesons' I… Read more

noticed that the contract had been signed by 2 allegedly 2 committee members when there had only ever been one according to AGM minutes for the last 2 years. Something dodgy going on but no one cares to explain to me! I'm going to get on the Committee and kick Jamesons to the kerb!

Non-responsive management – Strata manager has been very unresponsive to our requests lately, we have committee members logging into the portal for service and repairs, emailing and calling them, and still no response. The strata had not organised the AGM - despite choosing the date of the next meeting in every AGM prior. Upon reading the other reviews Jamesons seem to… Read more

have dropped the balls of late. All the poor reivews appear to coincide our issues.

JAMESON - ARE YOU GOING UNDER? IF SO PLEASE JUST LET US KNOW SO WE CAN FIND ALTERNATIVES MANAGEMENT.

Terrible Strata company with hidden fee and service – never never use this company. one Lot reported toilet blockage. Strata manager call emergency service and fixed the issue, but plumber's report confirmed the wet wipes blocked this lot's branch and Strata company charged OC without any approval. I called Strata manager who confirm this lot need to pay, but after 2 weeks. My another committee… Read more

member noticed they charged us . Then strata manager emailed Committee said it's main line issue. how come main issue only impact one lot ?

previous strata manage charged us additional admin fee was out of budget for the first two months. And new manager provided new approach to avoid such cost, but never done ,still tried to use any chance to charge us although committee pass motion for any service /payment need approval. they don't care.