When you own property of any sort, it's vital that you maintain it properly and according to local laws and regulations. A guest or visitor who injures themselves on your property, or a resident who suffers an injury because of a poorly maintained rental property, can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in liability claims. This is true even if you own property jointly such as with a condominium complex, as one resident being injured can mean that all owners are liable for damages. Hiring a property manager can mean alleviating the burden of having to maintain property yourself, but note a few differences between a strata manager and a property manager so you can determine the right choice and know what to expect from this professional.

One owner versus several

A property manager works for one individual; if you own an apartment complex or rental home, you would hire a property manager and they would take their direction from you in particular. A strata manager, however, works for a body corporate, meaning a group of persons who own the property jointly.

This is vital to understand because having one person hire a property manager for a jointly owned property can cause a conflict of interests; that property manager is being paid by one person but needs to ensure the decisions of the body corporate are carried out, which can mean conflicting direction. A strata manager will work for, and is paid by, the body themselves; they carry out decisions made by votes, as opposed to taking direction from the one person who signs their paycheck.

Peacekeeping

One difference between a property manager and a strata manager, when it comes to working for one person versus several, is that a strata manager will work to keep the peace between owners of a property. When one person hires a property manager, they may communicate certain concerns of residents back to an owner, but the owner has the final decision about how the property is maintained. However, when there are several owners, there can be conflict about decisions. A strata manager will be better able to keep the peace between those various owners by suggesting compromises, various timetables so that everyone's wishes are considered as the budget allows over time, and the like. Having a go-between for property owners so that decisions of the body corporate can be communicated by someone else rather than face-to-face can also help keep the peace between owners, and this too is part of the job of a strata manager.