Are Strata Managers Properly Qualified? A 2026 State-by-State Guide

Do not stop at the logo

• Licensing and education rules vary by state.
• Industry membership is useful, but it is not the same thing as legal authority.
• Committees should ask who will manage the building, as well as which firm won the pitch.

Strata managers sit in an odd position. They do not own the building, but they often control the inbox. They do not vote at the AGM, but they shape the papers owners vote on. They do not personally pay the invoices, but they may recommend the contractors, insurance broker and lawyers.

That is a lot of influence for a role that is regulated very differently across Australia.

In 2026, owners should be more careful about the word "qualified". It can mean licensed under property legislation. It can mean registered as an owners corporation manager. It can mean a completed certificate course. It can mean membership of Strata Community Association. It can also mean very little unless the committee asks for proof.

1. 01
   Check the firm and agency authority
2. 02
   Identify the actual assigned manager
3. 03
   Verify licence, registration or education status
4. 04
   Review conflicts, fees, trust money and reporting controls
5. 05
   Test references against similar buildings

The person matters as much as the firm

Large firms often pitch with senior staff and then assign day-to-day work to a junior manager with a large portfolio. Small firms may give direct access to the principal but have less backup when that person is away.

Neither model is automatically better. The issue is transparency.

Before appointment, ask:

• Who will be the assigned manager?
• What is their licence, registration or education status?
• How many schemes and lots do they manage?
• Who is their backup?
• Who reviews financial statements before they go to the committee?
• Who attends AGMs and committee meetings?
• Who approves outgoing payments?
• Who handles urgent maintenance?
• What training did the assigned manager complete in the last 12 months?

If the proposal only gives firm-level credentials, ask for the person-level details. The building will deal with a person, not a brochure.

NSW

In NSW, strata managing agents operate under the property and stock agents framework. Licence class, supervision arrangements, trust money obligations and conduct rules matter. NSW has also tightened disclosure obligations and conflict rules through the 2025 strata reform program.

For committees, the practical check is straightforward: confirm the agency licence, confirm the assigned manager's authority and experience, and ask how the firm manages disclosure of commissions, related suppliers and conflicts.

Do not assume a licensed agency means every person touching your file has the same experience.

Victoria

Victoria regulates owners corporation managers under the Owners Corporations Act framework and Consumer Affairs Victoria. Managers have registration and conduct obligations, and owners corporations should check registration status before appointment.

The practical issue in Victoria is not only whether the manager is registered. It is whether the manager understands the tier of owners corporation, meeting rules, maintenance plan obligations, disputes and the particular limits of Victorian decision-making.

A manager who is strong in NSW language can still be weak in Victorian owners corporation practice.

Queensland

Queensland uses body corporate language and has a body corporate manager code of conduct under the BCCM framework. A body corporate manager is not the same thing as a strata managing agent in NSW, and committees should be careful not to import NSW assumptions.

Queensland committees should ask about module experience. A manager who understands the Standard Module may not be the right fit for a scheme under a different module. Caretaking arrangements, letting arrangements and committee procedures can also make Queensland schemes more complex than they look.

Western Australia

WA is moving on education standards. Landgate has published strata management education changes established under amendment regulations, with changes effective from 30 October 2026. The reform responds to national changes to the Certificate IV in Strata Community Management and aims to lift professional knowledge in the sector.

WA committees appointing or renewing a manager in 2026 should ask how the manager is preparing for the education changes, what training current staff have completed, and whether the firm has a supervision plan for staff who are still working through requirements.

The five-year review of WA strata law is also examining manager practice and standards, so committees should expect more scrutiny in this area.

South Australia, ACT, Tasmania and the NT

Smaller jurisdictions have fewer managers and less uniform strata management infrastructure. That does not make qualification questions less important. It makes reference checking more important.

Ask whether the manager regularly works under the relevant local legislation, which tribunal or dispute pathway they use, how they handle trust money or client funds, and how they keep up with law changes.

If a manager uses generic national templates, check whether those templates actually match local terminology and voting rules.

What to ask before appointment

Ask for licence, registration or education evidence in writing.

Ask for three references from buildings similar to yours. Similar means size, age, facilities, complexity and state, rather than only "apartments".

Ask for the assigned manager's portfolio size. A manager handling too many lots may be technically qualified and still unavailable.

Ask how the firm handles conflicts and supplier referrals. This should be a written policy, not a promise.

Ask for a sample AGM pack, financial report and maintenance tracker. The quality of the paperwork tells you how the building will be run.

Ask how complaints are escalated. If the assigned manager goes quiet, who does the committee call?

Ask what work is included in the base fee and what is charged separately. Qualification does not help if the building later discovers every email, certificate and meeting action is extra.

Red flags

The first red flag is vague credential language: "fully qualified", "industry accredited" or "SCA trained" with no details.

The second is a pitch led by a senior person who will not manage the scheme.

The third is no clear backup. Buildings do not stop needing management because one person is on leave.

The fourth is poor state knowledge. If the manager uses owners corporation, body corporate and strata company terminology interchangeably, ask more questions.

The fifth is defensiveness about disclosure. A good manager can explain commissions, supplier relationships and conflicts without treating the question as an accusation.

A simple state snapshot

Licence, registration and the Act are three different documents

A logo is not a licence. A licence is not a delegation. A delegation is not the owners corporation’s duty.

In NSW, confirm the agency under the property and stock agents framework, then read the appointment against section 49 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015. Ask who is authorised to sign on the trust account and who will actually attend your meetings. The 2025–26 disclosure rules sit on that appointment. They do not make commissions illegal. The PEC report is still a report as at August 2026.

In Victoria, check registration with Consumer Affairs against the Owners Corporations Act 2006. Ask which tier the assigned person last ran. The Owners Corporations (Education) Regulations 2026 and the Owners Corporations Amendment Regulations 2026 commence 25 November 2026. Initial manager training is due by 30 June 2027; annual CPD from 1 April 2028. Put those dates in the appointment letter. The Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 is a bill, not a rewrite of the OC Act.

In Queensland, name the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 and the module. A manager who quotes NSW section numbers in a Standard Module scheme is not “nationally experienced”. They are unprepared. Ask how they would coordinate lot-level smoke-alarm upgrades toward 1 January 2027 without pretending the body corporate owns that duty.

In Western Australia, use the Strata Titles Act 1985 and ask about the 30 October 2026 education changes in writing. In South Australia, name the Strata Titles Act 1988 or the Community Titles Act 1996, and ask which Magistrates Court forms they last used. If they say SACAT, keep interviewing. Tasmania: Strata Titles Act 1998 and TASCAT. ACT: Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011 and ACAT. NT: Unit Title Schemes Act 2009 or Unit Titles Act 1975 and NTCAT.

A credential pack that fits in one PDF

• Current licence or registration extract (dated)
• Named assigned manager, licence class or supervision arrangement, lots already on their desk
• Written commission and related-supplier policy, plus last year’s dollar disclosure for a comparable building
• Sample AGM pack and a sample arrears letter
• Confirmation they will take instruction on insurance placement
• Termination and records-handover clause that names formats and fees

If that pack cannot be emailed before the AGM, you are appointing a brochure.

What UnitBuddy tracks

UnitBuddy can store manager credentials, contract terms, assigned contacts, disclosure records, service benchmarks, meeting performance and renewal dates. It gives committees a way to compare what was promised during appointment with what is delivered.

The best qualification check is not a certificate in a PDF. It is whether the building is better run six months later.

Sources and further reading

• NSW Government: changes to strata laws
• Consumer Affairs Victoria: owners corporation managers
• Queensland Government: changes to the BCCM Act
• Landgate: strata management education changes
• NSW: What are the duties and best practice standards for a strata manager?, via LookUpStrata
• NSW: Strata Assistant Licence Qualifications Extended, via LookUpStrata

Keep the scheme file in one place the committee and the manager can both open. Features, pricing, or book a tour.