Question: If we change strata managers, how is the transfer of email correspondence carried out? Is the information handed over in hard copy?
We are thinking about changing strata managers. One issue we have discussed is the records transfer, given that most things are done via email these days.
Are the current managers required to hand over all relevant email correspondence received during the term of their appointment? Is this transferred in hard copy? Is the process difficult? How is the transfer usually managed?
Answer: There is no requirement for body corporate records to be kept or handed over in hard copy.
There is no requirement to keep body corporate records as hard copies or to hand them over in this format.
As you indicate, almost all records are digital these days. When a property changes hands, the transfer is largely digital as well.
I suppose that if you had a particularly malevolent body corporate company that was sour after losing a scheme, they could print out all the documents for the scheme and hand them over, but let’s not go putting ideas in people’s heads.
In reality, most body corporates respect one another when handing over documents. There is a general degree of professional respect and, perhaps too, some karmic understanding. What goes around comes around.
This is not to say that handovers are seamless. Information gets lost as it transfers from one manager to another. If the companies work with completely different record keeping systems, accessing the records is not always easy. In and of themselves, though, these issues probably aren’t sufficient for staying with a company you don’t like working with.
See the BCCM website for more info on record keeping: Queensland Government: Body corporate records.
William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924
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