Short answer
The committee usually asks several licensed strata managing agents for written proposals, compares the services and the total fees (not just the base rate), checks references and licences, and the owners corporation appoints the chosen agent by resolution at a general meeting. Line the start date up with any notice period on the outgoing agent’s contract. It’s also the natural moment to weigh appointing a new agent against self-managing.
The steps
- Shortlist and request proposals from a few licensed agents; give each the same information about your scheme so quotes are comparable.
- Compare the whole cost and scope — base fee, additional charges and disbursements, and exactly what’s included (see how much a strata manager costs).
- Check references and the licence — a strata managing agent must be appropriately licensed in NSW.
- Appoint at a general meeting — the owners corporation appoints by resolution and enters a management agreement.
- Mind the timing — coordinate the start with the end of the outgoing agent’s term to avoid a gap or an overlap.
The fork most committees miss
“Find a new manager” isn’t the only option on the table — it’s one of two. The other is to keep the fee and run the scheme yourselves. You’re a self-managed strata: a system such as Straita does the work a manager would — levies, meetings, compliance, records and money — while the committee just approves the decisions. Before you sign another multi-year agreement, it’s worth seeing what self-managing would cost and save.
Primary sources
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — appointing a strata managing agent by resolution (s 49); term of appointment (s 50) and the agency agreement.
- NSW Government — Strata schemes (Fair Trading) — managing agents and licensing.