The owners of companies assign a strata or body corporate manager to manage an apartment block. Their assigned duties are to offer guidance and advice in matters like financial administration and legal compliance. They advise on behalf of the apartment block owners. To be hired for this job a body corporate manager has to have complete knowledge of the management of property, industry practices, and legislation.
Duties of the Corporate Manager
The owners of apartment blocks are represented by corporate managers in different administrative functions. Among them are taking care of financial matters, arranging meetings, coordinating insurance claims, and collecting bank levies. These corporate managers must be well-versed in legislative requirements and know when any changes occur. They need to have the knowledge and the skills needed to be able to deal with legislative matters. Among other assigned duties they must make sure that the building or complex they manage is run in compliance with legislation and insurance coverage. Corporate managers must be patient and understanding so they can minimize any conflict that might occur and solve arising problems by finding the best solution possible. They take up additional responsibilities to help the owners by being present when they are not.
- Corporate managers arrange the dates and times for meetings.
- They distribute and prepare the notices, agendas and minutes.
- Take care of correspondence and respond to all problems.
- Distribute budgets and financial statements and prepare and pay invoices.
- They must be sure that everything is run according to the regulations of the Work Health & Safety WHS organization
- They organise and run the building or complex day to day.
Even though the committee retains power corporate managers are assigned to take care of certain tasks for the executive committee. These managers do not make the final decisions but instead refer important correspondence to the committee for their final decision on how to respond. Due to this, there is always time needed to deal with issues since committee meetings are called to solve the problems. If a quick decision is necessary there will be a voting taken outside of the committee meeting. Body corporate managers must always be on the alert so there are no complications and things continue to run smoothly. Basically, their jobs are similar to the jobs that personal assistants do and always act on the behalf of the executive committee.
At a general meeting of the executive committee, a resolution is passed to appoint a body corporate manager. The appointment is for three years according to the written agreement
The decision is made as to how much remuneration will be paid and what assigned tasks will be given to the manager. It is also stated how the agreement can be terminated. At times body corporate managers might also be required to take up the tasks of treasurer and secretary. They are considered to be members of the committee but are given no actual power and cannot vote on presented motions. They are at the meetings to take the minutes and advise to implement the committee’s decisions.
Therefore it is important for Gold Coast body corporate services to be knowledgeable in their assigned positions. Presently those assigned are not required to be licensed and have no formal training requirements or qualifications. However, they can take courses on body corporate management to help them fully understand the body corporate legislation.