So, you’re new to a Body Corporate? Congratulations! Living in a Strata community is so rewarding and brings a real sense of community to your home.

Strata living has many benefits. From the shared facilities, inner city locations, and more. For those who are new to a Body Corporate, we have put together some helpful information below. What is a Body Corporate? A Body Corporate is a legal entity created when land is subdivided and registered to establish a community title scheme. What is the purpose of a Body Corporate? A Body Corporate exists to manage the mutual interest of all owners as well as deal with any issues that may fall into these two categories.

1. Physical property issues including gardens, common building structures and shared assets such as pools and spas.
2. Issues related to people living together. When people live together concerns may arise regarding behaviour, noise, and parking, as well as many other matters where the actions of one particular occupier may impact other residents.

How to make a positive difference in your Body Corporate We encourage owners to participate in Body Corporate life, you can get involved in several ways by:

• attending your general meetings
• putting forward your point of view on any of the motions under consideration at that time
• being actively involved in the decision-making process by voting on the motions and returning your voting papers by the due date
• participating in committee election ballots
• reading the minutes of your meeting

How does the Body Corporate make decisions? Decisions are made by owners in two ways:

• at a meeting of all owners (annual or extraordinary general meeting)
• at a meeting of the committee (which is elected by the Body Corporate at an annual general meeting)

No individual acting in isolation can make a decision on behalf of the Body Corporate and all lot owners have the opportunity to become involved in the running of the Body Corporate by nominating for the Body Corporate Committee. How is a Body Corporate financed? Contributions (commonly referred to as levies) are collected from every lot owner of the Body Corporate and are pooled to maintain the community and common areas. The levies you pay contribute to the upkeep of the property, the insurance of the scheme, payments such as building management wages, and non-recurring capital expenditure items of the Body Corporate (e.g., painting, re-carpeting the common areas etc.).

Accessing your Strata documents

Your Body Corporate records and important information is available on a secure online portal and on the SSKB app. The system and app also allow lot owners to view meeting notices and minutes, agendas, and more. For more information about the SSKB app, please click here. If you would like to know more about SSKB, click here to contact the team today.