Welcome to Body Corporate Matters

OWNERS CORPORATION NETWORK

Mary McLean is a member of the Owners Corporation Network, the national organisation for unit owners.  Mary encourages unit owners  to consider joining this owners' self-help and advocacy group.

OCN was established in February 2002 when representatives of a number of large, recently completed strata buildings found they had common challenges – building defects, expensive insurance, noisy neighbours - and wondered how best to manage the complex beast called ‘cooperative living’.

OCN is a network of owners helping owners – people who have experience in strata living; who have confronted many of its inherent problems; and who have evolved strategies for dealing with the problems that the rapid growth in apartment, villa and townhouse living inevitably brings. Our expertise is based not only on knowledge and experience, but on empathy – we understand the emotional impact of strata issues, as well as the legal, social and financial implications of living under a different set of rules from those that apply to free-standing homes. The issues faced by the owners also impact on residents - the building defects, poor governance, uncooperative neighbours and high rents due to high levies - and OCN speaks up for the whole strata community.

People can find out more about OCN through their website www.ocn.org.au

Choosing a New Body Corporate Manager

Choosing a New Body Corporate Manager

The day-to-day management of a strata complex works best when there is a friendly, harmonious relationship between Committees and their Body Corporate Manager. Occasionally there are personality conflicts or business service issues that cannot be resolved by negotiation with the parties. If you are having trouble getting along with the particular person in your strata company who has been allocated to your complex, we suggest you ask the body corporate management company to change to another person. It is is reasonably common to have personality conflicts with particular individuals and mature people realise that we all have aspects of our own specific personalities that can make it difficult for us to get along with a few people sometimes. No one is perfect and we simply cannot get along with every single person in the world

If the conflict is not to do with clashing personalities and is based by continuing poor performance or sloppy administration and continues after your committee has complained repeatedly, a change in body corporate management may be the best answer.

The key to changing body corporate management is to read your existing contract carefully to find the current end date and the procedure to terminate or end the current contract. It may be possible to negotiate with the existing company to end the arrangement, however this can be difficult. Our experience has been that the worst performing companies are the ones who make it the most difficult for clients to be rid of!

If you are considering changing your body corporate management, we at www.bodycorporatematters.com.au encourage you to look at the People We Know Like and Trust section of this website. We have listed several body corporate management companies who we believe are client-oriented and willing to co-operate with bodies corporate.

If you use one of the strata companies in our People We Know, Like and Trust, please give us a report. We value your feedback at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Know the Body Corporate laws in Qld

BE CONFIDENT & KNOWLEDGEABLE AT MEETINGS

ONE, EASY-TO-READ, A4 BOOK WITH MANY OF THE QLD LAWS AND REGULATIONS THAT A BODY CORPORATE COMMITTEE AND MANAGEMENT SHOULD KNOW AND USE 

*** The Amendments to the Body Corporate Legislation are anticipated early 2020.   Watch this space for when updated version of the Laypersons Guide will be available.

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