Question: Our committee requested records, but the owners corporation manager insists on an office visit rather than emailing copies. Why won’t they provide the records electronically?
Members of our committee have requested copies of invoices and ledgers from the owners corporation management company. This involves submitting a form listing the documents, then scheduling a time to visit their office 14 days later. The manager is using various stalling tactics to avoid handing over copies of our records.
Why can’t the owners corporation manager supply us with digital copies via email?
Answer: Lot owners have a right to inspect records free of charge, but there is no obligation to supply digital copies.
- section 144 of the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (the Act) sets out the records that must be kept by the owners corporation, including fee notices and ledgers.
- section 148 of the Act sets out the documents that must be kept in the owners corporation register, including the plan number and lot entitlement and liability.
- section 146 and section 150 of the Act set out that the records and register are to be made available to lot owners for inspection at any reasonable time, free of charge, and that the owners corporation is entitled to require payment of a reasonable fee for any copies requested during the inspection.
In the decision of Pekar v Owners Corporation No SP 34630W (Owners Corporation) [2012] VCAT 360 (29 March 2012), VCAT confirmed the correct procedure for a lot owner seeking access to records and held that:
“[17] The right is to inspect. There is no right to demand a copy of a document, although an unreasonable refusal to supply a copy after there has been an offer to pay a reasonable fee might well prompt the Tribunal to make an order for provision of a copy.
The proper procedure for a lot owner to follow is this:
- make a request for inspection;
- attend the place where the records are kept and inspect them;
- select any document a copy of which the lot owner wishes to have;
- pay any reasonable fee demanded for the copy.”
Unfortunately, the Act does not require managers to give copies without inspection, which limits recourse, even though records are often stored electronically, and many managers choose to provide access freely. If the manager continues to delay, a lot owner can escalate the issue by making a formal written request for timely access, raising the matter with the committee, or applying to VCAT for an order requiring the owners corporation to provide access to the records.
This post appears in the September 2026 edition of The VIC Strata Magazine.
Alexandra Cunningham and Deborah Andronaco Aitken Partners E: info@aitken.com.au P: 3 8600 6000
