If you own or live in an apartment or townhouse, most likely you will have a body corporate manager.
You may also have a Property Manager, and maybe a Building Manager too. While these roles may all sound very similar, they are in fact completely different.
Apartment owners and residents are often unclear about who is responsible for what, and this confusion about managerial roles and responsibilities can be the cause of many disputes between stakeholders.
What does a Body Corporate Manager do?
A body corporate manages the entire apartment block on behalf of all of the individual owners. They will ensure that the building and its common areas stay compliant with current industry regulations and that all aspects of it are well managed.
The body corporate manager will oversee the maintenance of the scheme, take care of its legal requirements and financial affairs and manage all community issues.
Duties of a body corporate manager include:
- Working with the committee to set dates for committee meetings, the annual general meeting, and extraordinary general meetings
- Prepare and distribute notices, agendas and minutes
- Attend to correspondence
- Arrange payment of all invoices
- Prepare and distribute financial statements and budgets
- Prepare and distribute contribution notices
- Attend to orders, submissions and appeals
- Ensure the strata scheme complies with all the Work Health & Safety (WHS) and other regulations
- Provide advice regarding the day-to-day running of the building or complex as well as handling ‘difficult’ or complex strata issues.
What does a Property Manager do?
A property manager only takes care of and manages one unit. They will serve as a liaison between the property owner, the tenants and the body corporate manager, and will protect the welfare of both the owner and the tenant.
Duties of a property manager include:
- Searching for and screening tenants
- Collecting rent from tenants
- Regularly inspecting the unit to make sure it’s being well-kept
- Taking care of repairs and maintenance for the unit
- Ensuring the tenant doesn’t experience any strata issues, and if they do, raising these issues with the body corporate manager
Body Corporate Managers and Property Managers both play an important role to play within strata communities.
With more people than ever before owning and living in apartments, it is vital that all stakeholders involved in a strata community have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different types of managers.
At Oxygen, our body corporate relationship managers are experts at managing the administration of unit title developments. We ensure our clients meet their legal obligations under the Unit Titles Act 2010 and its Regulations.
For more information or to learn more about how we can help you, give us a call on 04 619 1000 or email us at [email protected].
