Extracts and comments from those who have researched or who are experienced with the creation and operation of owners corporations.

The Fourth Tier of Governance: Managing the Future of our Cities. Dr Hazel Easthorpe, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW

When you buy a strata property

  1. You own a lot – an airspace bounded by the inner skin of boundary walls, floor and ceiling.
  2. You become a member of an Owners Corporation – but not necessarily an “equal owner”.
  3. You own a share of common property, but not necessarily an equal share. But you have collective obligations for costs, repairs, management, etc., hence a responsibility for “collective decisions”.

Strata and Community Titles in Australia – Issues 1, Current Challenges. Gary Bugden, Griffith University. 31 July, 2005.

I think the problem and the solution are aptly identified in the following quotation from the introduction to the US publication Building Community 2 –

“I have reached the conclusion that all community associations and the people who lead them – fit pretty neatly into one of two distinct categories: administrative or aspirational. The first (and by far the largest category) comprises what I call administrative associations. They operate under the premise that a community association is essentially a neighborhood housekeeping organization. The association’s purpose is to maintain common elements and enforce rules. Thus, the role of management is to furnish competent administration for the maintenance and enforcement operations of the association. The board and the manager in an administrative association tend to regard a high level of resident apathy as a compliment. Residents must be happy if they’re not showing up for community meetings or casting votes for board positions. . . . . .

The second and much smaller category is made up of what I call aspirational communities. In this type of association, the role of the board and manager is as much about building the social and civic well-being of the community as it is about maintaining the physical plant or enforcing the rules. Aspirational communities tend to be managed by people who express a sense of passion and idealism about community. These managers and board members believe their role is to provide leadership and inspiration, not merely administration. They strive to engender a sense of caring, civic pride, and shared responsibility.”