Townhouse Australia

Owners corporation managers in Victoria: what they do and what to check

An owners corporation manager is a person or company the owners corporation appoints to handle its day-to-day affairs, such as collecting fees, arranging maintenance and keeping records. In Victoria, a manager who is paid or rewarded in any way must be registered with the Business Licensing Authority and hold professional indemnity insurance. This page reflects the Owners Corporations Act 2006 and Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) guidance as at October 2026.

A manager who receives a fee or reward must be registered. CAV says you should always confirm registration on the public register of owners corporation managers before dealing with one.

Checked October 2026. Rules, rates and prices change, so confirm anything that matters with the source linked below.

Does an owners corporation need a manager?

Mostly no. Under the Act, only a tier one owners corporation, with more than 100 occupiable lots, must appoint a manager, and it can opt out by special resolution. Tier two to five owners corporations may appoint one.

Smaller schemes, including many townhouse developments, do not have to hire a manager. What an owners corporation is explains the tiers.

There are two types of manager.

  • Volunteer. CAV says a volunteer manager does not have to be registered or insured. A member who is a volunteer manager is not personally liable for things done in good faith.
  • Paid professional. Must be registered and insured. CAV says this includes a person or company rewarded with incentives such as free accommodation, lower fees or discounted use of facilities.

The owners corporation stays legally responsible for what any manager does on its behalf.

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What a manager does

CAV lists the tasks a manager can usually take on:

  • preparing and distributing notices, agendas, minutes, budgets and financial statements
  • arranging quotes for repairs and maintenance, and paying invoices
  • taking out required insurance
  • providing owners corporation certificates, keeping the register and the records
  • arranging audits and reports required by law
  • running the grievance procedure and checking compliance with the Act, Regulations and rules

The powers are not automatic. The owners corporation delegates them by an instrument or contract, and cannot delegate decisions that need a special resolution, a unanimous resolution or a general meeting vote. If the owners corporation has a committee, the manager reports to it as required and to the annual general meeting.

How a manager is appointed

An ordinary resolution at a meeting or ballot appoints a manager, using a contract of appointment in the approved form. Since 1 December 2021 an appointment cannot be longer than three years. CAV says the term can reach five years for a retirement village owners corporation.

What a manager costs

The manager's fees are set in the contract of appointment and paid by the owners corporation, so they sit inside the annual budget that owners approve. This guide found no official page that publishes typical fees, so the contract and budget are the places to look.

CAV makes two points about charges to individual owners. A manager cannot require a lot owner to pay fees due under the manager's own contract. And if a lot owner is late, the owners corporation can pass on only that owner's proportion of the actual cost of the notice, not an extra administration fee.

Worked example (CAV's, adapted). A manager charges the owners corporation $33 to process a late payment. The owner has 10% of the lot liability. The owners corporation can require the owner to pay 10% of $33, which is $3.30, not the full $33.

The duties CAV lists for managers

CAV says all registered managers must:

  • act with honesty and in good faith, and not improperly use the position to gain an advantage for themselves or anyone else
  • take reasonable steps to ensure that goods and services they obtain are on competitive terms and prices
  • not pressure any member to influence a vote or election
  • disclose in writing to the chairperson any commission, payment or other benefit, and any beneficial relationship with a supplier as soon as the manager becomes aware of it
  • hold owners corporation money on trust, with separate accounting for each owners corporation, and provide bank statements for any period in the previous three years on request
  • report to the owners corporation at each annual general meeting, including details of professional indemnity insurance, insurance cover and claims, commissions received for insurance, management fees and fee collection issues
  • carry professional indemnity insurance, with minimum cover of $2 million according to CAV

Points to check

The duties above give a checklist for reading a manager's contract and conduct. A departure is not proof of wrongdoing, but it is a reason to ask questions.

  1. Registration. The public register shows the registered name, registration number, status, grant date, business names and professional indemnity insurer. The full register also holds VCAT orders and undertakings given to CAV.
  2. Term and exit. CAV says terms are void in contracts entered into on or after 1 December 2021 if they require a special or unanimous resolution, a general meeting or more than a simple majority before the appointment is revoked, let the manager renew at their own discretion, or provide for automatic renewal if the owners corporation misses a notice deadline. A contract also cannot require notice of an intention to revoke the appointment of three months or more for tier one and two schemes, or one month or more for tier three to five.
  3. Commissions. Written disclosure to the chairperson of any commission, payment or other benefit, such as on insurance.
  4. Money. Funds held on trust and accounted for separately for each owners corporation, without mixing trust money.
  5. Reporting. A report at each annual general meeting covering insurance, any commissions received for insurance, management fees and fee collection issues.

Changing manager

To remove a manager, the owners corporation votes at a general meeting or by ballot and follows the process in the contract of appointment. Alternatively it can apply to VCAT for an order terminating the contract. After termination, the manager has 28 days to return funds and records.

If an owners corporation does not give notice that it will not renew, the contract is taken to be renewed on terms that allow either side to end it with at least one month's written notice, or less if the contract says so.

Registration is changing

CAV says new education rules include initial training of five core units from the Certificate IV in Strata Community Management for individual managers and people in charge of day-to-day operations, due by 30 June 2027. Annual continuing professional development starts from 1 April 2028. Fee changes for managers start on 25 November 2026.

Common questions

Can I check whether a manager is registered?

Yes. The Business Licensing Authority keeps a public register, which CAV links from its page on owners corporation managers. It shows the manager's name, number, status and insurer, and the full register includes VCAT orders. CAV says to confirm registration before dealing with a professional manager.

Who do I complain to about a manager?

CAV suggests raising the concern with the manager first, then the committee or chairperson, then a written complaint to the owners corporation. After that, a written complaint to CAV or an application to VCAT is possible, and a professional body's code of conduct may apply if the manager is a member.

Can an owners corporation manage itself?

Yes. Only tier one must appoint a manager, and it can opt out by special resolution. CAV describes volunteer managers, who do not have to be registered or insured. The owners corporation's legal obligations still apply, and it stays responsible for what any manager does on its behalf.

Does a manager make decisions for the owners?

Only within the delegation. Matters needing a special resolution, a unanimous resolution or a general meeting decision cannot be delegated, and the owners corporation remains responsible for what the manager does on its behalf.

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Sources

This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Get advice that suits your situation before you buy.