Contact your chosen professional OC managers and request quotes for their services. You may wish to ask for referrals from friends, family or other property owners in your area to find a reputable provider;
Ask to meet the tenderers in person at the property or over Zoom so you can get to know them;
Evaluate which provider is likely to be the best fit for your owners corporation’s needs;
Consider the following from your tenderers:
are they members of the Strata Community Association (SCA)
how many years have they worked in strata
will they need expertise for your property type e.g.: Stratum, Companty Title, Heritage listed, hotel/golf course management
will they need expertise in cladding, water ingress or defect management;
what technology they use for communications
what after-hours maintenance services are provided
how they educate their team and stay updated with legislation changes
what contract of appointment they use
what they charges
Step 2
Committee Vote – majority wins
Hold a meeting or ballot and vote on your preferred tenderer. A motion will need to be passed at a general meeting to terminate the existing stratamanager and appoint a new one. At your meeting make sure quorum and voting requirements are met. Record the meeting minutes in detail.
Step 3
Terminate Current OC Manager
Inform the current Owners Corporation Manager of the decision to terminate the agreement and request they send all files and monies per section 127 of the Owners Corporation Act 2006 to your new manager.
Unless a contract breach has occurred, written notice by mail or email will be sufficient. A copy of your meeting minutes should also be included.
Step 4
Sign Contract with New OC Manager
Ensure that two members of your committee and your new OC manager sign the new contract.
Step 5
28 Days for Transition
Once your outgoing strata manager has been notified, they will commence the handover process with your newly appointed strata management company. This includes handing over important documents, the strata roll and financial information. Depending on the size and volume of files, quality of records and financials, the process of changing OC managers can take some time and should be managed carefully to ensure a smooth transition.
Step 6
Welcome Aboard!
Once files are all set up and handover completed your new OC manager is likely to send out an introduction letter/welcome pack to your lot owners. This is a great opportunity for you to craft a communication to send your lot owners explaining your committee’s reasons for exploring changing strata management providers, the process you went through to seek alternatives, evaluation criteria that led to the preferred recommendation and any other useful information that supports this decision. Your new OC manager is likely to arrange to come out onsite, meet with the chair/committee, familiarise themselves with the building and formulate an action plan tomove forward with your OC’s priorities.
Dixon Kestles have been leaders in Melbourne’s strata industry for nearly 50 years. We have achieved this leadership position through unwavering dedication to client service, innovation, and a comprehensive understanding of the property market and its dynamics.
