Under One Roof: When Strata Power Becomes Domestic Abuse
or, serious structural issues that underlie women’s strata experiences ...
It’s International Women’s Day tomorrow, and I want to focus on women’s perspectives on and experiences of strata title matters.
So, I asked well-known strata activist Jo Cooper to take over in a guest article.
Her experiences, views, and thoughts might [or might not] surprise you, are pretty disturbing, and suggest difficult, confronting and challenging structural issues that need addressing in strata, which may be even worse than in our broader society.
[a 6:50 minute read, with 1297 words]
Introduction
From time to time, I publish articles from guest writers who have different perspectives and ideas on strata issues to expand and challenge our knowledge and thinking.
I hope you enjoy today’s article.
March 08, 2024
Francesco ...
UNDER ONE ROOF: WHEN STRATA POWER BECOMES DOMESTIC ABUSE
As International Women's Day approaches, I find myself pondering the curious mathematics of strata living: how purchasing an apartment somehow equals surrendering basic human dignity.
The brochures never quite capture this equation, do they? They show sparkling pools and rooftop gardens, but mysteriously omit the fine print: '*Terms and conditions apply. Speaking up may result in surveillance, intimidation, and being told to "take No for a bloody answer."'
Perhaps Kafka missed his true calling, he should have written about strata committees. Where else can you find a system where asking a question about your own home transforms you from resident to threat? Where your status as an owner comes with the unexpected bonus of being monitored 'for a few weeks' by grown men who seem to have confused building management with surveillance state operations?
It's a peculiar form of theatre, these general meetings. Plato's cave, but with fluorescent lighting and committee agendas. The shadows on the wall are cast by power structures so ancient they predate our buildings, yet so modern they come dressed in suits and wielding iPads. As a woman of colour, I'm apparently expected to play my assigned role: the troublemaker who needs to be watched, controlled, and silenced.
I witnessed this absurd drama firsthand at a general meeting, where I dared to present a motion for change. Standing before my neighbours, I tried to appeal to their humanity: "Imagine if I was your sister, mother, wife, or colleague, and all I had done was ask a question. What would you say if she faced this kind of abuse for simply speaking up?" The responses cut deep, revealing the raw misogyny lurking beneath the surface. "What is the point of this rant?" sneered one man. Another transported us back to the 1950s: "If it was my sister, she would learn to take No for a bloody answer."
The intimidation doesn't stop at public meetings. It seeps into every aspect of strata living.
Our building manager's chilling email to the strata manager, "We will keep a close eye on her in the next few weeks", perfectly captures the sinister surveillance that women in strata face. In what universe is it acceptable for a building manager to monitor a resident in their own home? It's like hiring a security guard who decides their job description includes following the homeowner.
DARVO - Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender - plays out in strata settings with frightening precision. When residents raise legitimate concerns about mismanagement or abuse of power, the response is textbook:
Deny: "There's no problem here. You're just being difficult."
Attack: "If you proceed with the work, they can make everyone's life very difficult."
Reverse: "Your complaints are the real harassment. You're the one creating a hostile environment."
This gaslighting strategy is amplified by what I call "vertical bystander culture", where those witnessing abuse in strata settings remain silent for multiple reasons.
Committee members fearful of challenging fellow members.
Residents fear becoming the next target.
Strata managers worry about losing contracts. Building managers protect their employment.
Neighbours avoid "getting involved."
The vertical nature of strata power structures makes this bystander effect particularly insidious. Unlike domestic violence, where neighbours might hear abuse through walls, in strata abuse, the entire community witnesses it in meetings, emails, and common areas, yet the same silence prevails. It's as if we're all stuck in a bizarre social experiment where speaking truth to power has been replaced by speaking nothing to anyone.
These aren't isolated incidents; they represent a pattern of abuse that our government knows about but chooses to ignore. Police dismiss it as 'disputes between neighbours,' failing to recognise the dangerous power dynamics at play. Meanwhile, unqualified committees sometimes manage million-dollar budgets with no oversight, no accountability, and, often, no basic human decency. Building managers operate without proper regulations, while strata managers and committees exploit their unchecked authority by banding together.
And behind closed doors? The kickbacks flow, commissions and dinner parties serve as rewards for looking the other way. The parallels with domestic violence are impossible to ignore.
Just as an abusive partner might control access to finances and monitoring communications, building facilities become tools of control. Neighbours openly state they will not challenge committee members as they have a renovation they need approved, resident real estate agents want the work, those who are lonely don't want to lose so-called friends. The currency of compliance is access to your own home's amenities. One woman who reached out for assistance shared a few emails from her Strata Manager, not sure about you, but these words are a little disturbing, wouldn't you say:
"Perhaps you have forgotten that I already warned you"
or
“If you proceed with the work and the SC chooses to, they can make everyone's like very difficult and you have already seen what will happen”.
Reform is desperately needed including:
Mandatory training in trauma-informed management for strata committees and strata managers.
Clear protocols for addressing abuse and harassment in strata settings.
Independent oversight mechanisms that recognise the intersection of gender and racial discrimination in strata buildings.
Legal frameworks that acknowledge strata abuse as a form of domestic violence.
Protection for whistle blowers and advocates within strata communities.
Until we recognise strata abuse for what it is, a form of domestic violence perpetrated on a community scale - women, particularly women of colour, will continue to face harassment, intimidation, and abuse in their own homes. The walls of our apartments shouldn't become barriers to justice, and the shared spaces of our communities shouldn't become theatres of abuse.
It's time to acknowledge that living under one roof means we have a collective responsibility to prevent abuse, protect vulnerable residents, and create truly safe communities. The first step is breaking the silence, even if it means being told to "learn to take No for an answer."
Because sometimes, the most powerful act of resistance is simply refusing to stay quiet.
While this piece focuses on strata communities, these patterns of institutional abuse, power dynamics, and bystander silence repeat across our society, in corporate boardrooms, educational institutions, religious organisations, and beyond.
The tools of oppression may vary, but the fundamental dynamics remain the same: power concentrated in the hands of the few, wielded against the many, and protected by walls of silence.
Jo Cooper
ABOUT JO COOPER
Jo Cooper is a fearless advocate whose landmark legal victory in Cooper v The Owners – Strata Plan No 58068 was recognised as one of the Top 10 Influential Court Cases of the 21st Century. Her personal experience with systemic abuse transformed her into a powerful voice for change. As the Founder of The Good Warrior, Jo combines her artistry with advocacy, using storytelling and music to inspire transformation in individuals, corporations, and communities.
Her work focuses on challenging the institutional structures that enable abuse, transforming bystander culture, and giving voice to those silenced by systemic power imbalances. Through her keynote speaking and advocacy, Jo demonstrates how personal experience can catalyse systemic change, turning silence into action and fear into empowerment.
You can find and follow Jo Cooper at her LinkedIn profile.