This article discusses how to obtain strata by-laws through the strata manager or Titles Office.
Question: I just purchased a unit. How do I locate a copy of the by-laws? None of the committee members will give me a clear answer. They told me not to contact the body corporate because it costs us money.
Answer: We suggest you call the manager to ask about the by-laws.
Answer: We suggest you call the manager to ask about the by-laws.
Firstly, congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to the weird and wonderful world of strata.
The comment about it ‘costing money’ to contact the strata manager to get the by-laws is technically correct. Yet the strata manager will also usually be the keeper of body corporate records on behalf of the scheme. And frankly, it is not for other owners, who happen to be on the committee, to tell you what you should and should not be doing on such a fundamental issue (especially when they are no help themselves – if they could be more helpful, then it wouldn’t cost…)
So, we suggest you call the manager to ask about the by-laws. There may be an owner’s portal where you can access them and other relevant documents for free anyway. The document you actually want is your Community Management Statement (CMS). It contains the by-laws and a range of other essential information.
Otherwise, you can get a copy from the Titles Office. A fee will apply for the transaction with the Titles Office, although you can at least be sure that whichever document the Titles Office provides is the correct, most up-to-date one. We know some people will just cut their losses and go directly to the Titles Office for this material.
This is general information only and not legal advice.
This post appears in the February 2025 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.
Chris Irons Strata Solve E: chris@stratasolve.com.au P: 0419 805 898