A body corporate manager is an individual that is tasked with overseeing the day to day running of the body corporate. The owner’s corporation usually appoints this manager after a search process has been concluded.
A body corporate manager is bound by the expectations set before them by the respective owners’ corporation, which they represent. They are the most visible part of the owners’ corporation and are entrusted with the well being of the strata community. A body corporate manager will often be expected to certify that the community is operating as it should and that all avenues of success are optimised.
The selection of an appropriate and suitable body corporate manager begins with the submission of a request For Proposal to various firms by the owners’ corporation. This acts as an invitation for the firms to put forward their service lists and terms of operation. The selection process can then move on from here with a decision based on the one that the owners’ corporation feels would be best suited to their needs. Other than relying on the material provided by the competing firms, owners’ corporations should also undertake the following actions when selecting a body corporate manager:
- Establishing a clear course of action before embarking on the selection process.
- Having a clear and concise set of expectations that they wish to be met before considering a candidate for hire.
- Looking into the candidates’ background and track record can be beneficial to weeding out those that exhibit undesirable traits.
In addition to all the above, the owners’ corporation should also keep in mind the various qualities that make up a sound body corporate manager. These qualities, when presented in a candidate, would indicate that they are most likely to emerge as a competent and ideal body corporate manager. Therefore, when endeavouring to select a functional body corporate manager,
- Consider their people skills. They must be able to interact with others positively so that members of the community do not feel ostracised and unsatisfied.
- Find out about their level of experience. This matters as a manager with a lot of experience will be more effective in the long run.
- Inspect their professionalism. How do they present themselves? Do they maintain high levels of professionalism in all aspects of their work, be it meeting with vendors and other workers, attending meetings with the owners’ corporation, or even normal interaction with members of the community?
- Probe their knowledge of the industry. This will give you insight into what they have learned during their time as a body corporate manager. It should also indicate how effective they will be in the running of the strata and the quality of advice that they will be able to provide to the owners’ corporation as decisions are made.
- Take note of their qualifications. The training that a body corporate manager undergoes is paramount. The level of training your candidate presents to you will indicate their preparedness to handle such complicated matters as ever-changing governmental regulations and in-depth requirements set about for the running of a strata.
The owners’ corporation should undertake the hiring of body corporate management with great gravity. With proper due diligence and a thorough review process, they should be able to pick out a competent individual.
