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Strata schemeLotCommon propertyOwners corporationBody corporateStrata companyStrata committeeCouncil of ownersAnnual general meeting (AGM)Extraordinary general meeting (EGM)Ordinary resolutionSpecial resolutionUnanimous resolutionResolution without dissentUnit entitlementContribution schedule lot entitlementInterest schedule lot entitlementLevies (contributions)Administrative fundCapital works fundSinking fundMaintenance planReserve fundSpecial levyStrata rollBy-lawsBy-law breach noticeStrata managing agentBuilding manager (caretaker)Trust accountAnnual fire safety statement (AFSS)Essential servicesStrata HubInitial periodOriginal owner (developer)Strata management statementBuilding management committee (BMC)Embedded networkProxyPre-meeting electronic votingQuorumNCATSection 184 certificatePortal (TowerDesk)
The terms
- Strata scheme
- A form of property title in which owners hold individual lots and share ownership of common property. Called a strata scheme in NSW and WA, an owners corporation in Victoria and a body corporate or community titles scheme in Queensland.
- Lot
- The individually owned part of a strata scheme — an apartment, townhouse, office, shop or car space — defined on the registered plan. TowerDesk prices per lot.
- Common property
- Everything in the scheme that is not a lot: structure, roof, façade, lobbies, lifts, plant, gardens and shared facilities, owned by all owners collectively and maintained by the owners corporation.
- Owners corporation
- The legal body made up of all lot owners, responsible for the common property, insurance, finances and by-laws. The term used in NSW and Victoria; Queensland says body corporate, WA says strata company.
- Body corporate
- The Queensland term for the owners collectively, governed by the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 and its regulation modules.
- Strata company
- The Western Australian term for the owners collectively under the Strata Titles Act 1985.
- Strata committee
- The elected group of owners that makes day-to-day decisions between general meetings. Called the committee in Queensland and the council of owners in WA; capped at nine members in NSW.
- Council of owners
- The Western Australian name for the strata committee.
- Annual general meeting (AGM)
- The yearly meeting of all owners that adopts budgets and levies, elects the committee, confirms insurance and decides major motions. Required every financial year in each state.
- Extraordinary general meeting (EGM)
- Any general meeting of owners other than the AGM, called to decide something that cannot wait.
- Ordinary resolution
- A motion passed by a simple majority of votes cast.
- Special resolution
- A motion that passes unless a set proportion of votes (in NSW, more than one quarter by unit entitlement) are against it. Used for by-law changes and major common-property works.
- Unanimous resolution
- A motion on which no vote is cast against. Required for the most significant decisions, such as some dealings with common property.
- Resolution without dissent
- The Queensland and WA equivalent of a unanimous resolution: passes only if no owner votes against it.
- Unit entitlement
- The number allocated to each lot on the plan that sets its share of levies and, usually, its voting weight. Queensland splits this into contribution and interest schedule lot entitlements.
- Contribution schedule lot entitlement
- Queensland: the entitlement that sets each lot's share of body corporate levies.
- Interest schedule lot entitlement
- Queensland: the entitlement that sets each lot's share of common property and of certain costs such as insurance.
- Levies (contributions)
- The amounts owners pay to fund the scheme, set by budget at the AGM and split by entitlement. Also called contributions or strata fees.
- Administrative fund
- The fund for recurring running costs — insurance, cleaning, utilities, routine maintenance, management fees.
- Capital works fund
- NSW: the fund for major capital replacement and refurbishment, backed by a 10-year capital works fund plan. Called the sinking fund in Queensland, the maintenance fund in Victoria and the reserve fund in WA.
- Sinking fund
- Queensland: the fund for anticipated major capital expenditure, informed by a sinking fund forecast.
- Maintenance plan
- Victoria: the long-term plan for major capital items, mandatory for larger (tier 1 and 2) owners corporations. Also the general term for a 10-year plan in other states.
- Reserve fund
- Western Australia: the fund that pays for the 10-year maintenance plan, required for schemes of 10 or more lots.
- Special levy
- An additional contribution raised by general meeting for an unbudgeted expense or shortfall.
- Strata roll
- The register the owners corporation must keep of lots, owners, their addresses, tenants, agents, mortgagees and voting details.
- By-laws
- The rules of the scheme governing use of lots and common property — noise, pets, parking, renovations, short-term letting. Called model rules in Victoria; WA splits them into governance and conduct by-laws.
- By-law breach notice
- A formal notice from the owners corporation to an owner or occupier requiring compliance with a by-law, the first step before a penalty application to the tribunal.
- Strata managing agent
- A licensed professional or firm appointed to administer the scheme — levies, trust accounting, meetings, records, correspondence — under a management agreement. Called a body corporate manager in Queensland.
- Building manager (caretaker)
- A person or company engaged to look after the common property day to day — maintenance, contractors, cleaning, security, front desk. Distinct from the strata managing agent.
- Trust account
- The bank account in which a strata managing agent holds scheme funds on trust, subject to audit and statutory rules. A self-managed scheme holds its funds in its own account instead.
- Annual fire safety statement (AFSS)
- NSW: the yearly statement, signed off by an accredited practitioner, certifying the building's essential fire safety measures, lodged with council and Fire and Rescue NSW.
- Essential services
- The safety systems a building must maintain and test — fire detection and sprinklers, hydrants, emergency lighting, exit signs, lifts, smoke control — under state regulations.
- Strata Hub
- The NSW Government portal to which every strata scheme must report key information annually, within three months of its AGM.
- Initial period
- The period after a strata plan is registered while the developer still owns most lots and controls the scheme; certain decisions are restricted until it ends.
- Original owner (developer)
- The person or company that registered the strata plan and owned all lots at the start; has handover obligations to the owners corporation at the first AGM.
- Strata management statement
- NSW: the instrument that governs a stratum or layered development with more than one scheme sharing a building, setting up the building management committee and cost-sharing for shared facilities.
- Building management committee (BMC)
- The body of representatives from each part of a mixed-use or layered development that manages shared facilities under the strata management statement.
- Embedded network
- An arrangement where the scheme or an operator buys electricity at the building's gate meter and on-sells it to lots through private submeters.
- Proxy
- A written appointment allowing one person to vote on behalf of an owner at a meeting. Most states limit how many proxies one person may hold.
- Pre-meeting electronic voting
- NSW: voting on motions electronically before a general meeting, once the owners corporation has resolved to allow it.
- Quorum
- The minimum attendance (in person, by proxy or electronically) required for a meeting to make decisions; a meeting without quorum is adjourned.
- NCAT
- The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which hears strata disputes that mediation has not resolved. Equivalents: VCAT (Victoria), the BCCM Commissioner and QCAT (Queensland), SAT (WA).
- Section 184 certificate
- NSW: the certificate an owners corporation issues on request showing levies, arrears, insurance and other details for a lot, usually for a sale. Section 184 of the SSMA 2015.
- Portal (TowerDesk)
- In TowerDesk, each building's own web address where owners, residents, committee, staff and contractors log in to notices, requests, bookings, meetings, documents and — optionally — levies. Data is isolated per building.
State map: owners corporation (NSW, VIC) = body corporate (QLD) = strata company (WA); capital works fund (NSW) = sinking fund (QLD) = maintenance fund (VIC) = reserve fund (WA); strata committee (NSW, VIC) = committee (QLD) = council of owners (WA).
See these terms in a working portal
TowerDesk uses your state's vocabulary throughout. Book a walkthrough.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an owners corporation and a body corporate?
Nothing in substance: both are the legal body of all lot owners in a scheme. Owners corporation is the term in NSW and Victoria, body corporate in Queensland, strata company in Western Australia.
What is the difference between the administrative fund and the capital works fund?
The administrative fund pays recurring running costs; the capital works fund (NSW), sinking fund (Queensland), maintenance fund (Victoria) or reserve fund (WA) pays for major capital replacement forecast in the long-term plan.
What is a special resolution in strata?
A motion that passes unless a set proportion of votes are cast against it — in NSW, more than one quarter by unit entitlement. It is required for by-law changes and major common-property decisions.
Who is the building manager versus the strata manager?
The strata managing agent administers the scheme: levies, trust accounting, meetings, records. The building manager or caretaker looks after the physical common property: maintenance, contractors, cleaning, security. Many buildings have both.
Where can I find the legislation for my state?
NSW: Strata Schemes Management Act 2015. Victoria: Owners Corporations Act 2006. Queensland: Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 and its regulation modules. WA: Strata Titles Act 1985 as amended in 2020. Each state's fair trading or consumer affairs body publishes guidance.