FactSheet: Owners Corporation Managers / Strata Managers

• Strata Manager Obligations and Work Overload: An Industry Problem? Aug 2017 - What can be done about growing problems of work overload, increased strata manager obligations and the resulting stress this places
• Best Practice Strata Management – Banking Jun 2017 - Hand grenade lobbed. Any takers? What are the best practices around the strata bank account? Should each owners corporation have
• Federal Budget Review 2017 May 2017 - This year Australians get no dramatic changes to the tax laws but the Turnbull government has done a lot of
• Strata Managers can now add Public Liability & Management Liability to their Professional Indemnity insurance program Mar 2017 - In an increasingly litigious environment, it is prudent for strata mangers to consider a Professional Indemnity policy combined with Public

 How to Use Technology to Improve Strata Management Outcomes – Podcast

Amanda Farmer, Your Strata Property

Jul 2016: The value of technology around Strata community. How Strata managers and owners can use technology to make their jobs easier e.g. Community web portals – with Gary Bugden.

 Reena Van Aalst on working with your strata manager and getting the most out of your building

Reena Van Aalst with Amanda Farmer, Your Strata Property

Apr 2016: This podcast discusses strata manager duties, ways of working with your strata manager and how that could be a huge benefit to you and your building.

 Why are Strata Managers so difficult to get along with?

Paula Byrnes, Metropolitan Strata Reports

Nov 2015: Mention “Strata Manager” & people get riled up. Many owners don’t know the duties of a strata manager & there is confusion about how much of the levies they get paid.

How Strata Managers Effectively Control Strata Schemes

Lisa Rutland, MyBodyCorpReport.com.au

May 2014: I’ve seen two pieces of content recently, both from respected professionals in the strata industry, both saying the same thing: The strata world is changing, and it’s changing by devolving management into the hands of the lot owners.

 Striking a Match under the Strata Industry

Bailey Compton, Leverage Australia Solicitors

Jul 2013: Strata Match has come and become a player in the Strata industry. Strata Match advertises to owner’s corporations that when they wish to find a new Strata Manager, they can register with Strata Match and Strata Match will find the best Strata Manager for that owner’s corporation. They also seek registration from Strata Managers who will be given the opportunity to tender to the owner’s corporation.

The SCA A100

SCA National Introduction to living & working in the strata community

This comprehensive strata community management course provides a practical overview for new managers, an essential review for veteran managers and an advanced course for committee members.

• NSW: Q&A Disputed term of appointment of strata manager Jul 2017 - Question: There is a discrepancy around the term of appointment of our strata manager. Appointment occurred at our first AGM.
• NSW Strata Reform – Strata Management License NSW Jul 2017 - When it comes to the licensing of Strata Managers in NSW, which Certificate IV and which Diploma has been named
• NSW: Q&A Can We Terminate Because We Don’t Have a Licensed Strata Manager? Jun 2017 - Question: What are the implications of not having a licensed strata manager? Can a termination of a contract signed with
• NSW: Q&A Appointing a New Strata Manager. Do We Wait For Our AGM? May 2017 - Question: We are looking at resigning our current strata manager and appointing a new strata manager. What are the procedures
• NSW: Is An Unsigned Agency Agreement Valid? [PODCAST] May 2017 - The legislation is quite strict about how strata management agency agreements are entered into, so what is the validity of
• NSW: Why Are Strata Managers Charging ‘Compliance’ Fees? PODCAST May 2017 - Has your strata committee been hit with strata compliance fees from your Strata Management Company? Are these strata management fees
• NSW: Agency Agreements Expiry Deadline – 29 May 2017 Apr 2017 - Those committees and managers who are eligible to extend appointments up to the next general meeting should carefully oversee decisions
• NSW: Strata Managers vs Real Estate Agents – PODCAST Feb 2017 - Real Estate Agent Duties and Responsibilities including tips for quick action steps to take for improving a problem relationship.
• NSW: Compulsory Strata Management: How Does it Affect You and Your Scheme? Sep 2016 - The NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal has the power under section 162 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 1996 to
• NSW Strata Reform: How Will it Affect Your Strata Managing Agent Agreement? Aug 2016 - The Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (“Act”) and associated regulation, which are expected to commence during November 2016, will make

Q&A Strata Management Tenders /KPIs. What Should We Include?

Helen Wells, Acumen Strata Management

Jul 2016: Question: We are looking for suggestions for KPIs or Service level agreements to include in a tender document for appointing a Owners Corporation Manager

Q&A Small Strata Schemes – Can We Get Out of the Strata Management Contract?

Leanne Habib, Premium Strata

Jun 2016: Question: We have just purchased into a 2 lot scheme. Can we get out of the current contract & self manage the scheme instead?

Resolving Disputes at Strata Meetings – The Role of The Strata Managing Agent

Matthew Jenkins, Bannermans Lawyers

Feb 2016: Strata managing agents should approach strata dispute resolution with caution & in most cases take on a role akin to a mediator/facilitator and not a decision maker.

Managing agents – Professional Indemnity Insurance Required

David Bannerman and Mark Pollinger, Bannermans Lawyers

Dec 2015: The Property, Stock and Business Agents Amendment (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Regulation 2012 commenced on 1 January 2013.

Why is it important to have a Licensed Strata Manager?

Inger Brettle, Premium Strata

Feb 2015: What does it take to become and remain a fully licensed Owners Corporation Manager, and why are you typically much better off appointing a well-regarded and trained professional?

Strata Management Agency Agreements – How Much Liability Do Strata Managers Have?

David Bannerman and Mark Pollinger, Bannermans Lawyers

Oct 2014: The strata management agency agreement containing provisions dealing with the scope of the agent’s responsibilities must also consider the scope of the agent’s liability.

Owners Corporation Manager, Building Manager, Property Manager, What’s the Difference?

Leanne Habib, Premium Strata

Sep 2014: It is easy to get confused with all the jargon flying around! Let us try and explain the difference between Owners Corporation Managers, a Building Manager/Caretaker and a Property Manager.

Effective Governance for Bodies Corporate: The Role of Owners Corporation Managers

Teys Lawyers

Aug 2013: Perhaps the single most important thing a committee can do is appoint or recommend the appointment of a strata Management Company. A strata management company collects levies, pays bills, effects insurance, keeps the books and records and convenes, attends and minutes meetings. But what about the individual employed by the strata management company appointed to a particular building?

Owners Corporation Managers

NSW Fair Trading

There are new accountability measures and obligations for owners corporation managers, including new disclosure requirements and limits on appointment terms.

Governance – Working With Your Owners Corporation Managers

What you can expect from your Owners Corporation Managers?

Owners Corporation Network, with funding from NSW Fair Trading, has produced some guides about Owners Corporation Managers for the information of strata owners.

FAQs about NSW Owners Corporation Managers

FAQs: Strata Schemes: Owners corporation managers

NSW Fair Trading 

• QLD: Q&A Change Of Ownership of Body Corporate Management Company Mar 2017 - Question: Why weren't we advised of the change of ownership of our body corporate management company and how does this
• Who Manages Our Body Corporate Managers QLD? Caveat Emptor II Nov 2016 - There is an abundance of anecdotal information, supported by formal evidence like reported Adjudications, which informs us that there are
• QLD: Q&A Reappointing Your Body Corporate Manager Aug 2016 - We have recently received a question from a Queensland strata lot owner concerning reappointing your body corporate manager. Thank you
• QLD: Why would anyone combine two quite different proposals into the one Motion? Jul 2016 - A practice has emerged where two quite different proposals are being bundled into single alternative motions and presented to owners
• Who ‘manages’ our Queensland Body Corporate Managers? Jul 2016 - A recent Adjudication Decision highlights a systemic problem in Queensland’s StrataWorld ie the absence of regulatory oversight of Queensland Body

How To Find Who Manages The Body Corporate Records?

Lisa Rutland, MyBodyCorpReport.com.aun

Mar 2015: If you need to get in touch with the body corporate for a scheme, how do you go about locating the body corporate manager? It may be more difficult than you think.

Body corporate manager factsheet

Body Corporate and Community Management (BCCM), Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Information relating to the role & engagement of a body corporate manager.

ACT Government: Justice and Community Safety

Factsheet: Service Contracts

Restrictions are placed on the term of all service contracts entered into after 31 March 2009. A service contract entered into in breach of the provisions is void.

Factsheet: Managers

Many owners corporations choose to engage managers to carry out some or all of their functions under the Act.

Guide to the Obligations of Owners Corporation Managers

This guide is designed to assist owners corporation managers to understand their obligations under the Agents Act 2003 (ACT).

Owners Corporation Network ACT

Unit Title (Management) Act in Practice: Employment of Managers

The Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011, (UTMA), provides the executive committee with the structure and powers to exercise the functions of the corporation, but in many cases, corporations decide that their committees should be assisted by a manager.

Unit Title (Management) Act in Practice: Management by Executive (Self Management)

Owners corporations can decide they would rather largely manage themselves and purchase the few specialist services they want. It does rather depend on whether you have an active Executive Committee who are willing not only to take responsibility for the affairs of the corporation (as all committees are obliged to do) but also actively do many of the tasks themselves.

• VIC: Committee Member and Manager Wrangle for Control over South Bank Owners Corporation May 2017 - A Committee Member of a South Bank Owners Corporation made an application to VCAT to resolve an Owners Corporation Dispute

“We wish to terminate your Owners Corporation Management agreement…”

Nicole Wilde, Tisher Liner FC Lawn

Sep 2015: Terminating Management Agreements: termination of current and appointment of new Owners Corporation Managers has been a hot topic in the industry in recent years.

• SA: Q&A Strata manager wanted! I’m getting no response. Mar 2017 - Question: Strata manager wanted! I recently purchased a unit and my strata manager will not respond. Who can I turn

FAQs about SA Strata Managers

How do we dismiss our negligent strata manager?

Question

At AGM I had proxy votes to dismiss our Strata Manager. He said I was a not fully paid up member and therefore my vote and proxies where void. He had 9 votes and without me our co- op had 9 votes. Our strata manager appointed himself and said we have to be with him till the next AGM! I had fully paid up my Strata Fee’s except for $ 34 late paying fee’s – an amount I dispute about. Furthermore, I had 25 individual paper slips, dated and signed, by other owners all in favour of changing strata managers. He declared this paper slips void, because they weren’t on the proper Strata papers. Can you please help?

We only have a small % of occupy-owners. This was the second AGM, the first AGM he had dismissed, because according to him we didn’t have a quorum.

Our manager re-appointed himself for a full year last night. I challenged he and said that a meeting could be called and he could be dismissed any time. He has been totally negligent in his duties. Never contacted owners to let them know about their tenant having 2 or 3 cars. For the last 3 weeks we had police coming to our complex every day because threats being made by the multiple car-owners (all tenants!). We had a $ 50.000 paint job done; a total disaster and our manager paid this people already $ 32.000!! Then he gave this painter-thugs my telephone number without asking me first! I am not young and live alone – I am not impressed! I/we need to know the proper legal way to get rid of this manager.

Answer

From Pam Lewer, Integra Strata

The easiest way to proceed is to call a special general meeting which can be done by 25% of owners. This written instruction is passed to your manager who has the obligation to call a special general meeting with the only two topic:

1. Termination of Management and he must then distribute the papers to all owners.
2. Election of committee

Make sure you get everyone to sign the correct Proxy Form naming you as their proxy and when you are at the meeting you can terminate the manager and elect a committee of at least 3 owners.

You must make sure everyone is fully paid up, including yourself, so there are no technical problems. If you then get 10 votes to his 9 the motion is passed and his services are terminated.

Then the elected committee can make a decision on behalf of all owners who the new management company will be, so you will need to get a few quotes.

FAQs about WA Strata Managers

Guide to Strata Title

This publication contains a FAQ section (page 25) for strata owners and residents containing answers to common questions including:

Our strata company has appointed a Strata Manager. What powers does the Strata Manager have?