straita

Strata Basics

How does a strata scheme work?

Short answer

In a strata scheme you own your individual lot and share ownership of the common property with the other owners. Together, all the owners form the owners corporation, which is responsible for the shared parts — funded by levies, governed by by-laws, and run through decisions made at meetings, usually via an elected committee.

The moving parts

  • Your lot — the part you own outright (your apartment or townhouse).
  • Common property — the shared areas (external walls, roof, driveways, gardens, lifts). Owned and maintained collectively.
  • The owners corporation — every lot owner together; the body legally responsible for the scheme.
  • Levies — what owners pay to fund the running of the scheme, split across the two funds (what are strata levies).
  • By-laws — the rules for living in and using the scheme.
  • The committee — a small elected group that handles day-to-day running between general meetings.

Who runs it

The owners corporation makes the big decisions at general meetings; the committee handles the routine. A scheme may appoint a strata managing agent to run the administration — but it doesn’t have to, and many schemes self-manage.

Running one without a manager

All of it — levies, meetings, records, by-laws, compliance — still has to happen whether or not there’s a manager. A system such as Straita does that work and tells the committee what needs to happen next, so a self-managed scheme runs properly and the owners just approve the decisions.

Primary sources