Question: Our Body Corporate manager advised they should attend meetings as only their minutes will be accepted by the Commissioner’s Office in event of a dispute. Is this correct?
Our Queensland property is a Building Format Plan and we come under the Accommodation Module. Our Body Corporate Managers have advised that they should attend our Body Corporate meetings and prepare the Minutes. Of course, this would be at a cost.
They have advised us that the Commissioner’s Office will not accept Minutes that are not prepared by a Strata Management Company in the event of a dispute. This information implies that any Minutes our BC Secretary prepares are not valid. Is this correct?
Answer: The body corporate manager’s comments are accurate, but strictly speaking it is not a requirement.
Practically, the body corporate manager’s comments are accurate, but strictly speaking it is not a requirement. A body corporate can choose to be self-managed (but it rarely works out well).
The reality is that it is almost impossible without the aid of software and templates to properly hold and minute a formal body corporate meeting. This is the benefit a body corporate manager can add.
That being said, the Commissioner’s Office does not need to review or approve minutes, but if a meeting is ever challenged, the minutes will be scrutinised.
This post appears in the September 2021 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.
Todd Garsden Mahoneys E: tgarsden@mahoneys.com.au P: 07 3007 3753