Strata Community Association (SCA) developed a Strata Management Practice Standard (SMPS), which Strata Management businesses who are SCA members are able to submit to in order to highlight their professional standing in the strata and community management industry.
A voluntary practice standard, the SMPS is for strata community management businesses, in relation to their own internal procedures as well as contractual relationships with strata communities.
Through an independent audited process, the SMPS recognises businesses that have developed and adhered to their documented internal processes. These are implemented to ensure best practice with regards to trying to improve client satisfaction and also to ensure proper internal business processes.
At the writing of this, only 15 Strata and Community Companies in Australia have committed to and subjected their business to the audit process and become Certified SMPS Strata management businesses.
Stratarama are very pleased to be a leader in this area, becoming the first (and to date, only) SMPS Certified Strata and Community Management Business servicing South Australian Strata and community titled properties.
We believe that along with maintaining our internal systems, processes and guides, by choosing to have these audited by third party auditors, as arranged by the Strata Community Association (SCA), we are able to provide confidence to our clients and those who may be seeking a change in management. Submitting to meet this certification highlights our commitment to be transparent and ethical in all our dealings both with our clients and also our team.
SMPS Certification we believe offers:
peace of mind for existing and prospective clients knowing the business’s policies, procedures and accounts are audited annually
a beneficial training tool for employees, providing employee certainty and promotes retention of our team
provides a point of difference
In 2023, Stratarama were also the first South Australian Business to take the Respect Pledge. The SMPS certification and the commitment to the SCA respect pledge are just some ways in which Stratarama aim to show our commitment to clients and delivering upon our standards.
The word agenda derives from the Latin word, agendum which means “something to be done”.
Sometimes when we think of an agenda, we instinctively think negatively “they must have an agenda”. Everyone has their own internal agendas, but whether negative, positive or just a to do list, when we get together at a meeting, if we don’t have a shared agenda, then things simply won’t get done.
Every meeting has an agenda.
In a body corporate management sense, a proper agenda, breaking down the legislatively required topics to be discussed, considered and voted on, along with any other items to be tabled by the Members is vital.
If you are not familiar with Strata Management or Community title management here in South Australia, or haven’t been a part of any other formal meeting, then proper construction of your agenda and the details there-in may seem confusing or to some even pedantic, however adhering to proper process and detail is the only way that the business of the meeting can be transacted.
The Strata Titles Act 1988 and the Community Titles Act 1996 both require the Strata Corporation or Community Corporation to hold at least one Annual General Meeting (AGM) and allow for other meetings to be called and held as required such as Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) and even Committee meetings. These same South Australian Acts further outline set items that must be discussed, important things such as financial reporting, appointments of Officer Bearers and Committees, and the striking of contributions to fund the groups outgoing costs.
As a member of the Corporation a meeting is your opportunity to present business and seek a vote on matters important to you and the group. However, if your business is not properly documents on the agenda then not only might it not be voted on, but it might not be discussed at all. Items you might want to raise at a meeting could include:
request for a pet
request for an addition or attachment to your private subsidiary (shed, pergola, enclosure, fence)
an improvement such as a changed style of fence, rendering, or other change to the complex from what is currently in place
consideration for certain maintenance to be prioritised and/or funds raised for the same, maybe you believe it is time to paint, or add annual gutter cleaning or pipe servicing to the budget
In every instance, the other Members of the group need to be given the opportunity to consider the matters that you raise prior to the meeting in order to give it proper consideration. If a unit Owner/Members appoints a proxy for this meeting, and they weren’t aware that you wanted to consider changing the colour scheme to the complex, their representative wouldn’t know how they should vote. It is imperative that all Owners know in advance what the discussions are to be about, so that they can do their due diligence and ensure that they cast a vote.
It is also very important to be precise in the details being put forward on the agenda. For example, if you would like to erect a fence and the agenda lists your request to “erect a fence on the northern boundary”, how do those Members know if the fence proposed will be colorbond, iron, timber, brick, etc if its not noted. Will the fence be cream or green? 1.8 metres high or 2.1? Will there be 4 solar panels or 16?
It may be beneficial to supply supporting documentation to assist the other Owners in being able to visualize your request. For example, a marked-up plan of where the pergola will be erected, a drawing of the newly proposed carport showing heights and materials to be used, a colour chart, etc.
The more information provided to Members, the greater chance of approval. If other Owners are unsure on what is being proposed, they may not vote favorably, simply because they have insufficient information to give you the answer you desire. Even with a very detailed proposal of course, your request may be rejected, however you have given it the greatest chance of success, by communicating and detailing your proposal.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin.
For self-managed groups compiling all the agenda items from Owners (and legislatively required, will be compiled and circulated by your Secretary (Office Bearer). For groups under management, compiling and circulating the agenda and other documentation for consideration and circulation will be handled by your professional Strata Manager.
If you are unsure what information a specific agenda item should include, your Manager at Stratarama will be able to assist you in preparing the item or resolution to be considered.
If our Team are asking you for more detail, it isn’t to be painful. It is to actually give your request the best chance of being considered and possibly approved.
We understand on occasions, particularly if you are new to apartment, shared complex living/ ownership, that you may not even know what does or does not require approval. Don’t hesitate to send us an email at office@stratarama.com.au to seek some guidance with respect you your specific group and your query.
Remember that there are notice periods that must be given when circulating any AGM or EGM meeting notice to the Members, so if your Manager calls for items you want on the agenda for an upcoming meeting, don’t delay, compile and then send to us asap so that your request doesn’t miss the agenda. Without the proper notice period, your item will miss the upcoming meetings agenda and won’t be able to be voted on. Your Manager or Secretary can’t simply delay sending the notice/ agenda for the meeting, because you haven’t yet sent through your request (and in most instances, once the agenda is sent, it cannot be changed), otherwise the appropriate notice designated in the relevant Act will not have been provided. This would then not be a properly convened meeting and the discussions/ decisions would not hold up.
We are here to help. If you are unsure, speak to Stratarama.
It’s your Community.
This article and the information provided represents general advice and does not take into account any specific financial situations, objectives or needs of an individual or Body Corporate/ Strata Corporation.
A Body Corporate is the general term used throughout Australia to encompass all forms of shared Titles. A Body Corporate is any Legal Corporate entity. This terminology is a general term to cover the various names used across all the different State legislations. In South Australia, our forms of Body Corporate properties are Strata or Community scheme. Strata is a term shared with some other States, however other Body Corporate names in other States include Owners Corporation
The term Body Corporate when discussing Strata or Community Title refers to a group of property Owners who collectively have part ownership in a Land division, on which each of those Owners also have private and exclusive use of a section, where a unit, townhouse, apartment or other unit/ Lot is established.
What does Body Corporate do?
Each body corporate will consist of either Commercial, Residential or mixed-use units/ lots. Depending on the body corporate, the site may also be tiered in terms of a primary, secondary type situation.
The body corporate, as mentioned above is the group of Strata or Community unit Owners whose role and responsibility are to ensure that the collective property is maintained, insured and safe for use by all Residents, Owners, Tenants and Visitors.
To fulfill these duties, the body corporate members must have regular meetings and determine the actions required to ensure both compliance and best practice for all members. To do this, many body corporate members may engage a body corporate manager (Strata Manager/ Community Title Manager) to assist them in the day to day running of the property group.
We said above that body corporate refers to being a legal corporate entity, as such there are obvious parallels between a body corporate property member and a board member of a Company. Both must ensure the safety, compliance and best practice for all within their body corporate, and effectively sit on a board to make these decisions. In fact, an older form of Strata Title here in South Australia, was actually Company Title units, showing this clear parallel. Several Company Title units’ properties still operate in SA today.
Who runs the Body Corporate?
As mentioned above, the Members of the body corporate run the body corporate. The Members are the unit owners and they may engage a Manager to assist them.
What Is The Difference Between A Body Corporate Manager And A Property Manager?
The body Corporate Manager or Strata Manager is engaged by the body corporate members to work with all members of the Corporation to deal with the matters mentioned above (common strata insurance, building maintenance, the raising of funds for ongoing works, compliance and all matters that are common). With-in each of these lots or Strata units either a body corporate member resides, or leases out their unit (residentially or commercially). When that unit is leased, the Owner of the unit (the same as they might with a Torrens Titled home) may choose to employ a property Manager to collect the rents, run checks on the Tenants to ensure compliance of their lease agreements, find suitable tenants and the like. The property Manager will address matters purely based on behalf of that one unit owner engaging them. Having a great Property Manager and great Body Corporate Manager who are able to communicate to one another effectively may reduce the work and issues faced by the individual unit Owner.
The above article will explain things in regards to a body corporate which is a Strata Title in South Australia, such as:
How are body Corporate fees Calculated? And what do they cover?
