What is a Strata Manager?
A strata manager is a professional who works for the owners corporation/body corporate and runs the building's administrative side. They manage the money, meetings, paperwork, and maintenance bookings. They take their instructions from the committee and the owners corporation, not from any one lot owner. In Victoria, they're called owners corporation managers. In Queensland, they're called body corporate managers.
Many owners may not think about their manager very often until something goes wrong. This page covers what a manager does, where their job stops, and what you can do if they're not delivering.
What does a strata manager do?
The exact list depends on your scheme's signed management agreement, but most managers handle some version of the following:
- The money: Prepare the budget, issue levy notices, collect levies, pay invoices, and keep the financial records.
- Meetings: Send notices and agendas, take minutes, and often attend or chair general meetings.
- Insurance: Arrange cover, renew the insurance each year and lodge claims.
- Maintenance: Get quotes, book contractors and handle repair requests for common property, usually within spending limits set by the committee.
- Records and compliance: Keep the scheme's records and registers, and keep track of things like insurance and fire safety requirements.
- Day-to-day enquiries: Answer owners' questions, communicate committee decisions, and provide the paperwork needed when a lot is sold.
To understand what your manager is and isn't responsible for, read your management agreement. Your committee has a copy, and you have a right to access it.
Who does the strata manager work for?
The owners corporation or body corporate as a whole. Not you, not the committee members personally, and not the owner who emails the most.
A manager takes instructions from the committee within the authority the owners corporation has given them. Bigger decisions, like changing by-laws or spending above a set limit, require a vote by all owners. It also means a manager can't take sides when two neighbours fall out, and they can't give one owner special treatment.
If you need something done, put the request in writing and send it to the manager, copying in the committee when it affects the whole building.
What isn't a strata manager's job?
Plenty of owners expect more from their manager than the job allows. A manager generally can't:
- Give legal advice: They can explain how things work, but a good manager will tell you when to see a lawyer.
- Make decisions they haven't been given authority for: Spending above their limit, changing by-laws or approving major works all need the committee or the owners.
- Act for one owner: They work for the scheme, not for individual lots.
- Fix things inside your lot: Your manager looks after common property. You maintain what's inside your lot.
What's the difference between a strata manager, a building manager and a property manager?
These three roles get mixed up all the time.
A strata manager handles the scheme's administration and finances. They're almost always off site and look after many buildings.
A building manager (sometimes called a caretaker) looks after the building day to day. They're often on site, and handle things like cleaning, security and minor maintenance.
A property manager is a real estate agent who manages the rental of a single lot on behalf of an investor. They have little to do with how the building is run.
What qualifications does a strata manager need?
Some states license strata managers, some require registration, and some have little or no formal requirements. Several states have recently introduced legislation on strata management qualifications, including Western Australia, which is phasing in new education and experience requirements, and Victoria.
Whatever your state requires, it's reasonable to ask a manager what qualifications they hold and whether they have professional indemnity insurance.
What if my strata manager isn't performing?
Start by working out what's going wrong, because that will determine the fix. Here's a sensible order to work through.
- Check the agreement: Is the thing you're unhappy about part of your strata manager's job? If it is, you have a clear complaint. If not, the issue may be that the scheme hasn't asked them to do it.
- Raise it in writing: Be specific about what happened and what you expected. Copy in the committee so there's a record.
- Take it to the committee: The committee is the manager's point of contact for the scheme, and it can formally review how things are going. If the problem continues, the owners corporation can decide at a general meeting what to do.
- Ask for a different manager: Contact the principal or a senior manager at the strata management company. They may be able to assign you a new strata manager, which is often much easier than ending an agreement. The management agreement sets out the notice periods and exit conditions, so check those first.
- Escalate serious conduct issues: Where a manager has breached their obligations, you may be able to complain to your state's regulator or tribunal. If they belong to an industry body, that body may also have a complaints process.
Changing strata managers takes time, and a new manager won't fix problems caused by unclear instructions or an unengaged committee.
What should we look for when appointing a strata manager?
If you're on a committee choosing a manager, ask these before you sign:
- How many schemes does the strata manager manage?
- What's included in the base fee, and what costs extra?
- What qualifications and insurance does the strata manager hold?
- How long is the agreement?
- Can we speak to a couple of other schemes they manage?
You can find strata managers in your state through the Lookupstrata directory.
The information on this page is general. For anything affecting your rights or your scheme's contract, seek independent advice.
