Body corporate management services are an effective way of managing apartment buildings, and take all the stress and hassle out of the process for the apartment owners. These services are carried out by body corporate management companies, who will oversee
the maintenance and upkeep of your building, manage community issues and take care of financial and legal affairs on behalf of the owners. Body corporate management services are quite cost effective, and even though they will cost you money to use, your body corporate will usually end up saving money as a result.
But to really ensure that you get the most out of the service you are paying for, here are some solid ways to ensure you utilise your body corporate management service to the maximum extent.
Stay in contact
Keep your manager in close contact at all times, so that they’re always in the loop about what’s going on in the scheme. This will allow them to manage any problems quickly and easily, before they become bigger issues. Have all their contact details easily accessible, so that it’s a simple matter to keep them abreast of what’s happening.
Understand their role
You’ll save a lot of time and angst if you thoroughly understand the role your body corporate manager will carry out for you. The body corporate manager is not a “manager” in the strictest sense of the word, and is not actually in charge of your building – the body corporate committee is. The manager can’t run your building for you or make decisions, but can act in an advisory role. They should be seen more as a personal assistant than a leader, and will only act at the direction of the committee. They can’t vote on the committee, or act as an individual property manager or the strata police. They are not authorised to deal with by-law breaches or enforce strata by-laws.
What they can do is use their expertise to look after all the responsibilities and obligations of running a building on behalf of the lot owners. They will essentially do all the legwork once decisions have been made, and will attend to all the tasks and projects required by the committee. They will manage the physical, financial, informational, legal and human assets of a body corporate scheme, and will do so fairly and with equal regard for all members of a scheme.
Understanding their role will help you know what you can and can’t expect them to do, and will save you time and stress when you expect them to do tasks that they are not authorised to carry out.
Use their expertise
Your body corporate manager is likely to be experienced in a wide range of areas regarding all aspects of body corporate management, and can provide expert advice to the body corporate committee. Use that knowledge that you have at your disposal, and always ask your manager for advice when making decisions. Chances are they’ve dealt with most situations that arise in body corporates before, and will be able to give you clear, detailed and helpful insights and advice.
Take advantage of their networks
Your body corporate managers will usually have an extensive network of specialist service providers that they can call on when necessary, including repairers, consultants and professional service suppliers. You can take advantage of their experienced network, as
these people have usually proven their reliability, trustworthiness and the quality of their work over the years. This will ensure that your building is maintained and managed to the highest possible standards, and you’re more likely to avoid shoddy, poor quality work.
Take advantage of their resources
The best body corporate managers will have a vast network of resources that you can access to help your committee with all aspects of body corporate management. Use these resources whenever you need to – such as this handy resource centre provided by Capitol Body Corporate Association, the leaders in body corporate management.