In Queensland, there is no requirement for your Body Corporate (Strata) Manager to be licensed or qualified before they open for business offering administration services. This means service providers who have gained industry qualifications, do so voluntarily as the QLD government does not require any pre-requisite training prior to offering services. If you would like to know the qualifications and associated accreditation that are available to those service providers that choose to participate in strata industry self-regulation and education, read on.

The strata industry has an established peak body known as Strata Community Association (QLD) (SCA QLD) who offer 4 levels of accreditation. Each accreditation level requires industry experience, qualifications and continuing professional development (CPD) to maintain accreditation. These levels, qualification and CPD requirements are as follows:

Level 1 – Accredited Strata Community Manager

• Membership & adherence to SCA (Qld) Code of Conduct, plus
• Mandatory introductory course (minimum two days with completion of competency questionnaire), or
• Two years membership with evidence of on-job or employer training (proven via CPD points balance), and where applicable satisfactory completion of competency questionnaire
• Ongoing CPD requirements (as per policy)

Level 2 – Certified Strata Community Manager

• Membership & adherence to SCA (Qld) Code of Ethics, plus
• Cert IV in Property Services (Operations) or Strata plus minimum of 2 years experience or
• Other equivalent Cert IV level qualification subject on a case by case assessment by SCA (Qld) Education Committee and approval of SCA (Qld) Board plus minimum 2 years experience
• Ongoing CPD requirements (as per policy).

Level 3 – Practicing Strata Community Manager

• Not currently open for application (pending restructure of qualification course)

Level 4 Fellow and Life Member Strata Community Manager

• At SCA (QLD) Board discretion.

Why Is Accreditation Necessary?

A professional accreditation obtained through a reputable facilitator, helps to determine if someone meets or exceeds minimum standards of quality that have been developed by experts in their field. Consumers should have trust in the fact that their professional service provider has demonstrated a certain set of skills and abilities, which are reflected in the level of accreditation achieved.

At Archers the Strata Professionals we are committed to raising the bar for the strata industry by ensuring our Body Corporate Managers are suitably qualified and exceed the minimum standards set by our industry peers. Accreditation, qualification and an ongoing commitment to professional development ensures that our Strata Managers:

• Adhere to a Code of Ethics;
• Remain up to date with relevant legislation – both current and proposed changes;
• Adopt best practice methods;
• Remain at the top of their field through professional recognition

Through our affiliation with SCA (QLD), our Strata Managers maintain their accreditation by attending courses that have been developed and facilitated by a professional standards committee, which includes state and territory industry representatives, through a range of educational programs available under the national framework.

As you can see, not all Body Corporate (Strata) Managers are qualified equally and this should form part of your due diligence when considering the engagement of a Body Corporate Manager appropriate to the complexity of your Body Corporate.  At Archers the Strata Professionals, we are proud to not only be foundation members of SCA QLD and advocates for Body Corporate Manager accreditation, we also provide comprehensive in-house training to employees of all levels on both technical and customer service aspects of the strata industry to remain current with stakeholder needs.

We are also proud to have an SCA QLD Foundation and Life Member in Colin Archer and 2 Fellow Members in Partners Andrew Staehr and Grant Mifsud, who was recently appointed Vice President of the SCA QLD Board of Directors, advocating for all strata industry stakeholders.

If you have a view on areas of education needed for Body Corporate Managers or stakeholder advocacy, let us know in the comments below.

This article was contributed by Melitta McDonald, Human Resources and Training Manager – Archers the Strata Professionals.

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