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 actually manage the building, not just 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.
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 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, not just "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
| Jurisdiction | What committees should verify in 2026 | | --- | --- | | NSW | Agency licensing, assigned manager authority, trust money controls, conflict and commission disclosure process | | VIC | Owners corporation manager registration, tier experience, Victorian meeting and maintenance plan knowledge | | QLD | BCCM module experience, code of conduct compliance, caretaker and letting arrangement experience | | WA | Current training, preparation for 30 October 2026 education changes, local strata titles experience | | SA | Local strata/community title experience, records and meeting procedure knowledge | | ACT | Unit titles experience, ACAT dispute pathway familiarity | | TAS | Local strata titles experience, insurance and records handling | | NT | Unit title scheme experience and local dispute pathway knowledge |
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 actually delivered.
The best qualification check is not a certificate in a PDF. It is whether the building is better run six months later.