The Key Services To Look For When Shopping For New Body Corporate

Selecting from the hundreds of strata property management services available can be confusing enough for an individual, let alone a corporate body. Whether it’s your first time dealing with body corporate or you’re simply shopping around for a new strata management company, finding a reliable service that is second to none in industry knowledge is absolutely vital.

To help you make the best decision, here are 6 factors to take into consideration when looking for a new body corporate company in Australia.

1. Expert Knowledge On Local Legislation

It goes without saying that when searching for a new body corporate, expert knowledge of the local area and its legislation should be top on your list of services to check off. Having a local representative that understands the unique challenges of your particular suburb or neighborhood is vital in ensuring that your body corporate strata group is equipped to deal with any challenges thrown their way. Aside from being familiar with the local area, it is equally important that the body corporate is an expert on local legislation as every state is different and subject to slightly different regulations by law.

2. Dedication To Property Maintenance

Body corporate is responsible for the various repairs and maintenance tasks that are required to keep common property areas and their inclusions in tip top shape at all times. This is why searching for a company that places property maintenance at the top of their list is absolutely vital. Depending on what type of property you are dealing with (building format or standard format), the maintenance responsibilities of the body corporate will differ.

A building format plan’s body corporate is responsible for:

• Maintaining and repairing garage doors and fittings;
• Maintaining gardens, lawns, and roads on common property;
•  which can include any springs, gears, and various mechanisms
• Upkeeping facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, saunas, BBQ areas, lift lobbies, and more;
• Upkeep building exteriors including doors, windows, and balcony railings.

A standard format plan’s body corporate is responsible for:

• Pest control;
• Maintaining gardens, lawns, and roads on common property;
• Upkeeping facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, saunas, BBQ areas, lift lobbies, and more;
• Maintaining pipes, wires, drains, sewers, and other equipment that supply a service to more than one unit.

3. Drafting and Enforcing Strata By-Laws

When living in or owning a strata property, residents are required to adhere to specific strata by-laws that may regulate matters regarding parking, smoking, noise ordinances, use of common property and pet ownership. A reputable body corporate will take an active role in drafting and enforcing these strata by-laws for the benefit of all lot owners and residents. Aside from enforcing standard by-laws set out in the legislation, the body corporate is also entitled to create their own by-laws to suit the specific scheme’s circumstances. If these laws are breached, the body corporate should work efficiently to deal with it in an effective and lawful manner.

4. Transparent Financials

Another non-negotiable service that any reliable body corporate should offer comes in the form of having accurate and transparent financial information available when necessary. Having easy access to accurate and up-to-date financial information is key to helping the committee function much more efficiently and effectively. Efficient collection of levies, responsible cost management, and accurate accounting are crucial for everybody corporate.

5. In-Depth and On-Time Reporting

When shopping around for a new body corporate, it is essential that you discuss what reporting capabilities the service provider has. In-depth and on-time reporting is a crucial component of any corporate service as it can help you understand important information, identify trends, undertake analysis, hold discussions with major stakeholders, and much more. Aside from providing accurate reporting, these reports must also be easily accessible at all times. For example, some companies upload all relevant information to the cloud, ensuring that key players have access to important information regardless of location or time.

6. Commitment To Customer Service

Last but not least, having the best owners corporation in the world doesn’t matter if their customer service is sorely lacking. Strata managers should be committed to providing the highest level of customer service at all times, regardless of the scope of services they provide.

The ideal body corporate will treat all its customers with the same level of care, actively take the time to listen to customer needs, respond to emails and phone calls on time, and of course, always provide help when required. The last thing you want is to not be able to get in contact with your body corporate in the event of a problem arising, so be sure to do your research by asking around and looking at online reviews before jumping the gun.

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And there you have it – the 6 pivotal factors you must consider when you’re on the hunt for a new body corporate management company. Have we missed out on anything? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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