WA: Must a WA Council of Owners Appoint a Secretary and Treasurer?

This article discusses whether a WA council must appoint secretary treasurer strata, explaining their statutory duties even if a strata manager handles most administrative and financial tasks.

Question: In WA, is the Council Of Owners required to appoint a secretary and treasurer? Our Strata Manager says it is not necessary as he does all that work. If he does all the work, what tasks should the secretary and treasurer do? Do they have some responsibility?

Answer: It is common for the strata manager to take on the duties of those two roles.

Technically speaking every strata council is required to elect a specific chair, secretary and treasurer at their first council meeting.

It is common that the strata manager does take on the duties of those two particular roles. I have included a list of those items under the act further below.

My suggestion would be; that since the strata manager has the software and knowledge to facilitate a lot of those things; essentially the secretary and treasurer would then be responsible for checking over the strata manager’s work in that regards. I.e. strata manager prepares the financials but the treasurer takes the time to look over and approve on behalf of the council similarly the strata managers prepares the minutes but the secretary signs off on those! By all means every council and property is different so some councils like to take on more or less of the load.

Schedule 1 — Governance by‑laws

9.Powers and duties of secretary of strata company

The powers and duties of the secretary of a strata company include —

1. the preparation and distribution of minutes of meetings of the strata company and the submission of a motion for confirmation of the minutes of any meeting of the strata company at the next such meeting; and
2. the giving on behalf of the strata company and of the council of the notices required to be given under the Act; and
3. the supply of information on behalf of the strata company in accordance with the Strata Titles Act 1985 sections 108 and 109; and
4. the answering of communications addressed to the strata company; and
5. the calling of nominations of candidates for election as members of the council; and
6. subject to the Strata Titles Act 1985 sections 127, 128, 129, 200(2)(f) and (g) the convening of meetings of the strata company and of the council.

[By‑law 9 amended: No. 30 of 2018 s. 95.]

10.Powers and duties of treasurer of strata company

The powers and duties of the treasurer of a strata company include —

the notifying of owners of lots of any contributions levied under the Strata Titles Act 1985; and

1. the receipt, acknowledgment and banking of and the accounting for any money paid to the strata company; and
2. the preparation of any certificate applied for under the Strata Titles Act 1985 section 110; and
3. the keeping of the records of account referred to in the Strata Titles Act 1985 section 101 and the preparation of the statement of accounts referred to in the Strata Titles Act 1985 section 101.

This post appears in Strata News #574.

Jordan Dinga
Abode Strata
E: abode@abodestrata.com.au
P: 08 9368 2221