Strata firm Netstrata fighting to overturn draft report findings into claims of excessive fees

A top strata management firm under investigation for charging clients excessive fees is arguing for a raft of changes to the draft findings of an independent review into its business practices, before the final report is made public. A source with knowledge of the investigation said lawyers acting for Netstrata had sent NSW Fair Trading a 70-page document that refuted the adverse findings contained in a report by independent experts McGrathNicol. One source who was not authorised to speak publicly said Netstrata's 70-page submission to the regulator included new documents which had not previously been handed to McGrathNicol investigators, which the strata firm hoped would result in at least some of the findings being dropped before the final report was delivered. Amendments 'based on factual evidence' The strata management company was permitted to argue against the findings under the terms of the enforceable undertaking it reached with the regulator, NSW Fair Trading, in May last year. A spokesperson for NSW Fair Trading said it did not outsource its Netstrata investigation, but instead sought "complementary specialist advice" to assist its broader probe into the business.