What Is A Strata Committee and What Is Their Role
The Strata Committee of the Owners Corporation represents owners or owners’ nominees.
It is responsible for the day-to-day running of the strata scheme and is elected at each annual general meeting (AGM).
The Owners Corporation decides the number of Strata Committee members for the coming year at each AGM. It can have from 1–9 members, but in a two-lot scheme both owners must be members. A large scheme (more than 100 lots) must have at least 3 members on its committee.
Once the Strata Committee is elected, the members of the committee decide who is to hold the office-bearer positions. The office-bearer positions are Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.
The following are eligible for election to the strata committee:
- an owner
- a company nominee of a corporation that is an owner
- a person who is not an owner but who is nominated by an owner who is not standing for election.
If a vacancy occurs during the term of the Strata Committee, the Owners Corporation must appoint a person to fill the vacancy until the next AGM.
Co-owners can only be nominated by:
- an owner who is not a co-owner of that lot, or
- a co-owner of that lot who is not a candidate for the election.
There is no legal requirement for how often Strata Committee meetings must be held. The Secretary may convene a meeting of the Strata Committee at any time.
One-third of the Strata Committee members may ask the Secretary to call a Strata Committee meeting and set a time for the meeting to be held.
If the Secretary is away, any other Strata Committee member may be asked.
Any decision made by the committee is treated as a decision of the Owners Corporation although there are some matters that the committee cannot deal with (for example, levying contributions). No individual committee member can make a decision for the Owners Corporation. In the event of a dispute between the Owners Corporation and its committee, the decision of the Owners Corporation prevails.
