Much like a parent who takes on the roles of head chef, chauffeur, chief financial officer and social coordinator, your professional body corporate manager also wears a number of different hats every day.
At a moment’s notice, your body corporate manager is expected to switch between these five personas:
Advisor
Often a body corporate manager is seen as a go-to expert on legal obligations. Body corporate managers can provide advice on key issues like building compliance and workplace health and safety, and can help you understand how to resolve issues, how to change your building rules, and more. However, for more complex issues, it’s probably best to refer to a legal expert.
Chairperson
Running a meeting can be like herding cats. Everyone has their own perspective and wants their opinion heard. body corporate manager chair your meetings to ensure agendas are set and issued beforehand, then followed during the meeting. They lead the meeting, maintain order, and ensure that all matters are dealt with fairly.
That’s a lot of responsibility and work, so it’s good to know body corporate manager are supported by a team of specialists who can help them:
- administer the body corporate’s bank account, collect and deposit body corporate fees, and prepare financial budgets and statements
- recover debts and monitor fees arrears, and liaise with owners to manage payments
- manage insurance including arranging valuations and quotes for insurance, plus lodging claims.
PICA Group tip: If you are on the body corporate and deciding to appoint a new managing agent, then ensure you are clear what services are provided under the agreed services of your agreement, and what items fall under additional services.
Coordinator
When your common property and other facilities need maintenance, coordinating trades and getting quotes can be time consuming and, without knowing whom to trust, expensive. It’s important to get issues fixed and maintenance completed as soon as possible to maintain the value of your property, so it’s good to know your body corporate manager has this well in hand. They can even
negotiate substantially discounted pricing for you.
Mediator
Sometimes people aren’t aware of their obligations or they inadvertently (or deliberately) cause a problem that needs to be rectified. Your body corporate manager can mediate between individuals when resolving disputes seems impossible. The body corporate manager is a neutral yet informed person who can advise everyone on their rights and provide a way out of the disagreement.
Secretary
Your body corporate manager takes care of record keeping, correspondence, and documentation. From meeting minutes and owners’ rolls to maintaining the common seal, it’s all in safe hands with a professional body corporate manager.