Body corporate charged $16k for Strata Manager to send 5 emails

This article is about high body corporate charges and the importance of committee attention to detail when it comes to the fine print.

Video: Body corporate charged $16k for Strata Manager to send 5 emails

On the 13 March 2024, Nikki Jovicic spoke with Ross Anderson, a Queensland lot owner about high body corporate management charges and what’s really in your contract after his body corporate noticed a number of unusually high fees for the simple task of distributing emails to owners. Considering the information that has hit the media this week about a strata management firm and unfair charges relating to referral fees and insurance commissions, this video illustrates the extent of the problem. Here we are speaking about a different large firm in a different state with different circumstances.

"In the strata world, particularly with our money, you have to be looking all the time. Asking questions, keeping an eye on it. ...So often in the strata world, you lift up a rock and cockroaches crawl out".

Contents of the video:

Ross details charges that have been imposed by their strata management company between September and November 2023 for sending a series of emails with attachments.
How additional charges for EGMs were also adding up to thousands of dollars.
As the charges were included in the management contract, shouldn't the committee have been aware of the charges?
The committee’s responsibility: Whose job is it to monitor and address additional charges?
What is the committee doing about distributing correspondence in the future?
Are the fees you are paying your body corporate management company fair and reasonable?

If you've experienced a similar problem with high body corporate charges in your strata scheme, please share your thoughts and post your comments below.

Comments

Published: 25 Mar 2024

Last Updated: 13 Jul 2026

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Author

Ross Anderson

Active QLD Lot Owner

Qualifications: BA, LLB (but have not practiced as a lawyer, and make no claim to be a lawyer). Am now a student of the Rule of Law and the principles and values of a democratic society. Aspire to moving beyond learning the many complex rules in the BCCM legislations and developing an understanding of how they fit together.

Experience: Owned several investment units since 2001, often on the Committees. Now live in one.

Became actively involved about 12 years ago when I realised things could be, should be, so much better in strata management. This involvement included being an Executive Member of the Unit Owners Association of Queensland, and initiating weekly publication of strata-related matters. Now operate independently as an Active Qld Unit Owner (AQUO)
Been active participant with Lookupstrata since 2014/15. Am in awe of what Nikki and her team have created.
Principal values are Compliance, Best Value for Money, Good Governance.
Acted as consultant on a pro bono basis for hundreds of schemes, committees and owners across Queensland re matters of a general legal nature and good business practices
Published more than 100 strata-related papers for the UOAQ and also through LookUp.
Conducted several dispute resolution matters of a private nature via the BCCM Commissioner’s Office, including Conciliations, Interim Order Applications and Final Order Applications, generally successful. Most rewarding were the 5 successful applications at Waves in 2023/24 confirming separation of responsibilities between the body corporate and the owners, and access to relevant body corporate records.
Maintain extensive networks with mutually trusted strata professionals, including lawyers, quantity surveyors, lift consultants, insurance brokers, body corporate managers, publishers like Nikki. There are a lot of good people in our strata world, and once you find them you do not let them go.