The short version
- Australian strata software falls into three camps: trust-accounting systems, operations and communication platforms, and all-in-one building portals. Many agencies run one from the first camp and one from the second.
- If your problem is levies, trust accounting and statutory reporting at scale, shortlist the accounting-first systems.
- If your problem is the building — maintenance, contractors, residents, the front desk — shortlist the operations platforms.
- If you want one portal per building covering operations, residents and committee governance, with finance as an optional add-on, that is the category TowerDesk sits in.
Why "best" depends on who is asking
A licensed strata manager with 400 schemes, a self-managed committee of 12 lots and a building manager running a 300-lot tower all search for "strata management software", and they need different things. Accounting-first systems exist because trust accounting, levy runs and statutory reporting are hard and regulated. Operations platforms exist because those systems were never designed for the building manager on site or the resident who wants to know when the lift will be fixed. Judge any platform against your own job, not against a feature count or a "best of" list, including this one.
The three kinds of platform
Trust accounting and scheme administration
The system of record for a strata agency: the roll, levies, receipting, trust accounting, meeting administration and statutory reporting. Strong on compliance and scale; typically weaker on day-to-day building operations and the resident experience. Usually priced per scheme or per lot, often on request.
Operations, maintenance and communication
Built for the building manager, concierge and facilities team: work orders, contractors, assets, bookings, parcels, notices. Usually sit alongside an accounting system rather than replacing it. Often priced per building or per user.
All-in-one building portals
One portal per building covering operations, residents, committee governance and communication, with finance either built in or available as a module. TowerDesk is in this group.
| Question | Accounting-first | Operations platform | Building portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary user | Agency back office | Building manager, concierge | Manager, committee and residents together |
| Trust accounting | Core | Rarely; via a partner system | Built in or optional module |
| Building operations | Limited | Core | Core |
| Committee governance (meetings, voting, by-laws) | Meeting administration | Limited | Core |
| Resident self-service | Statements and documents | Requests and notices | Requests, bookings, notices, access, payments |
| Typical pricing | Per scheme or lot, on request | Per building or per user | Per lot or per building |
A scoring checklist
Score each shortlisted platform 0 to 3 on the criteria below. Weight the rows that match your job: a committee weights governance and residents, an agency weights accounting and reporting, a building manager weights operations.
| Criterion | What a 3 looks like |
|---|---|
| Australian legislation | State terminology, fund names, notice periods and electronic-voting rules built in, not configured by hand |
| Data hosting and isolation | Australian hosting, encryption at rest, one building cannot see another, two-factor on every account |
| Resident self-service | Residents lodge requests, book facilities, read notices and pay without phoning anyone |
| Operations depth | Work orders with SLAs, preventive schedule, asset register, contractor compliance checked at assignment |
| Committee governance | Meetings, motions, voting, proxies, by-laws, approvals and minutes with a record that survives a dispute |
| Finance | Whatever your model needs: full trust accounting for agencies, or levies and funds as an optional module for schemes whose agent keeps the trust account |
| Audit trail | Who changed what and when, retrievable by the committee and the auditor |
| Pricing transparency | Published, predictable as you grow, no per-module or per-user surprises |
| Continuity at handover | Records, documents and history stay with the building when the manager or agency changes |
| Adoption | The vendor can tell you what share of lots in existing buildings logged in during the last 90 days |
Seven questions for every vendor demo
Who is the primary user?
Ask them to show you the screen a committee member sees, then the one a resident sees. If the demo only shows the manager's desk, that is the answer.
Where will the trust account live?
If you are a licensed agency the answer is a compliant accounting system. If you are a committee or building manager, you probably want to leave the trust account with the agency and buy operations and resident tools instead.
Is it built for Australian legislation?
Ask how it handles a NSW capital works fund plan, a Queensland sinking fund forecast and a Victorian maintenance plan. Software built for North American HOAs or UK block management will fight you.
Where is the data hosted and who can see it?
Strata data is personal information. Ask for Australian hosting, role-based access, two-factor authentication and how one building's data is separated from another.
How is it priced, exactly?
Per lot, per user, per module or per scheme all behave differently as you grow. Ask for the price of your actual portfolio in writing.
What happens at handover?
Managers and agencies change. Ask how records, documents and history stay with the building.
What does adoption look like?
Ask what percentage of lots in their existing buildings have logged in during the last 90 days. If they cannot tell you, that is also the answer.
Where TowerDesk fits
TowerDesk is a building portal: every building gets its own portal on its own address, covering operations (maintenance, assets, compliance, contractors, bookings, parcels, visitors, car parks, access control), residents (notices, broadcasts, translations, requests) and committee governance (meetings, voting, by-laws, records). Financial management (trust accounts, levies and budgets) is an optional add-on rather than the core, which suits building managers and committees whose agency already handles the trust account. Pricing is published and per lot with all other modules included. It is not the right choice if your only requirement is high-volume trust accounting across hundreds of schemes; put an accounting-first system on that shortlist instead. Read about the building management side, the committee side, or what it costs for your building.
Shortlisting?
Bring the checklist. We will show you TowerDesk on one of your own buildings and tell you frankly if another category is the better fit for what you need. Book a demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best strata management software in Australia?
There is no single answer: licensed agencies need trust accounting and statutory reporting at scale, committees need governance and communication tools, and building managers need operations. Score platforms against your own job using the checklist in this guide: Australian legislation, hosting, resident self-service, operations depth, governance, finance model, audit trail, pricing transparency, continuity and adoption.
Do I need trust accounting software if I am on a strata committee?
Usually not. If your scheme uses a licensed strata manager, the trust account is their responsibility and lives in their accounting system. Committees more often need governance, maintenance and communication tools, which is what TowerDesk provides, with finance available as an add-on if the scheme wants it in the same portal.
Is strata management software different by state?
The underlying tasks are the same, but the legislation is not. Notice periods, fund names (capital works fund in NSW, sinking fund in Queensland, maintenance fund in Victoria, reserve fund in WA), committee size limits and voting rules all differ. Choose a platform built for Australian legislation and check it handles the terminology of your state.
How much does strata management software cost in Australia?
Pricing models vary: per lot, per user, per module or per scheme, with some vendors quoting only on request. TowerDesk publishes its pricing: a $59 base fee per building per month plus $3.40 to $1.70 per lot per month depending on the building size, with financial management as a $5 per lot per month add-on.
Can I switch strata software mid-year?
Yes, although timing matters. Operations and communication platforms can be adopted at any point because they carry forward assets, contractors and open jobs. Trust accounting systems are usually switched at a financial year boundary to keep the audit trail clean.