This article is about who in WA strata instructs the building manager.
Question: Can Council of Owner members instruct the Building Manager to undertake duties or must instruction come through the Chairperson?
Answer: A building manager is engaged by the Strata Company to carry out duties and tasks on their behalf.
I note that we are only able to provide some comments on the query below, noting that we have no specific information on this particular Strata Company, the contract with the Building Manager and any intimacies of that contractual arrangement.
A building manager is engaged by the Strata Company to carry out duties and tasks on their behalf.
The contractual arrangement with the Strata Company should provide specific details of those duties, tasks, hours of operation, reporting requirements etc.
In most cases, the Building Manager would be providing regular reporting to the Strata Company on any matters requiring their attention, however, there is normally a requirement for a specific person to be the liaison or the one point of contact for the building manager. To be effective, the building manager has to have one point of communication/instruction. The Strata Company can put specific instructions around that liaison, including expenditure or time limitations.
The liaison person does not have to be the Chairperson of the Strata Company, it can be another member or any other person that the Council delegates that responsibility to. This person would normally have strong communication skills, maybe some professional background in areas of building maintenance or management, skills in employee relationships and obligations, and time availability.
There are still many items that may need to be referred back to the Council of Owners at different intervals, such as large expenditure items that require additional approval, any changes/upgrades to common property, new installations, etc
The council of owners can consist of 3 to 9, or more members. As a contractor or employee of the Strata Company, the Strata Company has an obligation to ensure the Building Manager has a direct line of communication and responsibility.
Shelley Fitzgerald
Strata Alliance
E: [email protected]
P: 9330 3959
This post appears in the May 2021 edition of The WA Strata Magazine.
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