Managing multi-apartment communities is a multi-faceted area of work that includes both physical tasks and administrative duties. Strata managers and building managers are roles that often get confused. It’s understandable, they’re closely tied to different yet related property management tasks. What’s more, there can sometimes be a slight overlap of duties.
However, different roles are needed to take care of different elements. Strata managers and building managers often work closely together to deliver a seamless support system for the residents in multi-apartment communities.
Strata manager responsibilities
Strata managers are responsible for the running of a multi-apartment community. They ensure the building’s common property is kept in tip-top condition.
Strata managers also take care of legislative duties. That means they’ll keep track of insurance policies, committee meetings, and AGMs and even manage the building’s budget so approved contractors get paid on time.
Enforcing committee-agreed by-laws, record keeping, incident reporting, and myriad other administrative tasks that are part of keeping a building running smoothly are managed by your strata manager. So much of what a strata manager does is behind the scenes and because of this, it can be a thankless task.
The management a strata manager takes care of can keep them tied to their desk for most of the day. They’re the ones who make sure the committee meets according to government rules and regulations and they also keep the owner’s committee up to date with relevant changes to legislation.
According to Seek, the average salary for strata managers falls between $75,000 – $95,000. Typically, this would be paid for by the multiple strata communities using the same manager.
The role of a building manager
Although strata managers are responsible for the day-to-day running of a multi-apartment community and keep common areas in tip-top condition, you’re unlikely to see them changing lightbulbs or fixing leaks. Your friendly building manager is the one who has the hands-on management tasks for strata communities.
Building managers go by many other names. Yours may be referred to as the caretaker, facilities manager, or even the resident manager. Generally speaking, building managers are located onsite. You’ll find them taking care of the physical aspects of property care; giving tradespeople access for repair and maintenance work, responding to maintenance requests, and carrying out regular inspections to make sure everything is working as it should.
Sometimes, building managers may take care of more than one strata community, in which case you may only notice they’re around for part of the day or week. CMS’s use of BuildingLink allows them to share building managers among their sites and make savings for each community. Average salaries for building managers in Australia are around $89,000 per year.
Working together for communities
In simple terms, strata managers tend to the administrative side of managing strata communities while building managers are far more hands-on and visible to the communities they serve. Although you may have a strata manager and a building manager located within your apartment complex, they’ll be taking care of complementary sides of the management.
For seamless management and to ensure your building is running as efficiently and economically as possible, both building and strata managers are needed. BuildingLink’s management software streamlines processes for both types of managers. Learn how our software supports both roles with a tailored demonstration today!