Question: To be able to perform their role satisfactorily, should the strata manager attend the scheme? Should the strata manager oversee works to ensure the job has been completed?
To gain a full understanding of our scheme, is our strata manager required to visit the property to be able to manage it, or can their role be done remotely via email, etc?
Our strata is undergoing major repairs/maintenance to the roof. The strata manager organised quotes and specifications for the work, and we are finally getting underway. They have informed me that the strata owner is not responsible for ensuring the work is carried out as per the quote, etc. Is this correct, or should the strata manager ensure the work has been completed satisfactorily as per the quote?
Answer: The strata manager’s role is best described as administrative and can, therefore, be done via email, subject to the general obligations imposed on strata managers in the Act.
There is no requirement in the Act or Regulations for a strata manager to visit a property they manage. Rather, their role is best described as administrative in nature and can, therefore, be done via email, subject to the general obligations imposed on strata managers in the Act. The contract between the strata manager and the strata company may impose additional obligations on a strata manager, but it is not usual for those to include an obligation to visit the property.
For the same reasons as noted above, a strata manager is not required to make sure that the work has been completed satisfactorily, unless that is something specifically required in the contract between the strata company and the strata manager.
Carolyn Meighan Bugden Allen E: carolyn@bagl.com.au P: 08 9254 6304
This post appears in Strata News #693.