Who Does What? Comprehensive Guide on Strata Council Roles and Working with a Management Company

Serving on a strata council is an important volunteer responsibility, but the division of work is not always obvious. Owners may assume the president is in charge of everything, the treasurer personally manages the books, or the strata manager makes the final decisions.

In reality, successful strata governance is a team effort. Council provides direction and makes decisions, while the management company carries out the administrative and operational work assigned to it under the management agreement.

Understanding these roles helps prevent duplicated work, delayed decisions, conflicting instructions and frustration among council members, owners and the strata manager.

Strata Council vs. Strata Management Roles

STRATA COUNCIL

The Strata Council’s Collective Responsibility

The strata council is the elected governing body of the strata corporation. It manages the strata’s affairs between general meetings and exercises the powers and performs the duties of the strata corporation, including bylaw and rule enforcement. Council members must act honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of the strata corporation while exercising reasonable care, diligence and skill.

Council’s responsibilities commonly include:

• Making operational and financial decisions

• Reviewing and approving expenses

• Maintaining and repairing common property

• Preparing budgets and monitoring finances

• Obtaining insurance

• Enforcing bylaws and rules

• Maintaining the strata corporation’s records

• Entering into and overseeing contracts

• Responding to owner requests and hearings

• Planning for major repairs and long-term projects

Although individual council members may be assigned specific areas of responsibility, most council decisions must be made collectively at properly convened council meetings.

Holding an officer position does not generally allow someone to make decisions independently on behalf of the strata corporation. Authority should come from the bylaws, legislation or a decision of council.

Mandatory Council Roles

There are four mandatory roles that must be filled they are as follows:

President

The president is primarily responsible for helping council meetings and general meetings run in an organized and productive manner.

Under the Standard Bylaws, the president normally chairs annual and special general meetings. The president may also cast a second, deciding vote when there is a tie at a council meeting, except in a strata plan containing only two strata lots. A strata corporation’s own bylaws may modify some of the Standard Bylaws, so council should always review its registered bylaws.

The president will often:

• Chair council and general meetings

• Work with the strata manager to prepare meeting agendas

• Keep discussions focused on the agenda

• Encourage participation from all council members

• Help ensure council decisions are clearly stated

• Act as the primary liaison with the strata manager

• Assist with urgent or sensitive matters

• Represent the strata corporation when specifically authorized

The president is not the manager’s supervisor acting alone, nor are they the sole decision-maker for the strata corporation. A strong president facilitates council’s work rather than controlling it.

Vice President

The Vice President steps into the president’s role when the president is absent, unwilling or unable to act. This responsibility is specifically recognized in the Standard Bylaws.

The vice president may also be assigned another portfolio, such as:

• Major projects

• Building maintenance

• Insurance claims

• Landscaping

• Contractor oversight

• Owner communications

  
  

The position can provide continuity when the president is unavailable and can help distribute the workload more evenly.

The Secretary

The secretary generally focuses on records, notices and written documentation.

Depending on the services included in the management agreement, the secretary may work with the management company on:

• Council and general meeting minutes

• Meeting notices and information packages

• General correspondence

• Owner and tenant records

• Alteration applications and agreements

• Requests for strata records

• Registered bylaws and rules

• Strata forms and certificates

• Tracking decisions and follow-up items

  
  

In a professionally managed strata, the manager may prepare minutes, correspondence and notices. The secretary’s role then becomes one of review and oversight rather than personally producing every document.

Council should establish who reviews draft minutes, how quickly corrections must be submitted and who approves notices before they are distributed.

The Treasurer

The treasurer helps council understand and oversee the financial position of the strata corporation.

This does not necessarily mean the treasurer personally performs the bookkeeping. When a management company provides accounting services, the treasurer’s role is usually to review, question and report on the financial information being provided.

The treasurer may assist with:

• Reviewing monthly financial statements

• Monitoring the operating budget

• Reviewing bank reconciliations

• Monitoring accounts receivable and arrears

• Reviewing invoices and proposed payments

• Tracking special levy collections and expenses

• Monitoring the contingency reserve fund

• Participating in annual budget preparation

• Reviewing investment and cash-flow decisions

• Identifying unusual expenses or variances

• Reporting financial concerns to council

  
  

The treasurer should not be the only council member who understands the financial reports. All council members share responsibility for the financial decisions they approve.

Members at Large and Council Portfolios

Council members who are not officers still have an equal vote and an important role in council decisions.

Assigning portfolios can help divide the workload according to each member’s experience, interests and availability. Possible portfolios include:

Building & Maintenance

This council member may review matters involving:

• Building envelope components

• Roofing

• Plumbing and mechanical systems

• Elevators

• Fire and life-safety systems

• Security systems

• Waste removal

• Maintenance inspections

• Depreciation report projects

• Contractor performance

The role is generally to observe, gather information and report back to council, not to independently hire contractors or authorize work unless council has delegated that authority.

Landscaping & Grounds

This portfolio may include:

• Landscaping contracts

• Irrigation

• Tree care

• Seasonal planting

• Pest management

• Snow removal

• Drainage

• Fences and exterior common areas

• Grounds-related owner concerns

Bylaws & Rules

A designated council member may help:

• Review complaints

• Confirm the relevant bylaw or rule

• Organize supporting information

• Track correspondence

• Review proposed bylaw amendments

• Maintain parking or storage assignment records

However, the decision about whether a contravention occurred, whether a fine should be imposed and the amount of the fine cannot be delegated to an individual council member or the strata manager under the Standard Bylaws. Those decisions must remain with council.

Communications

A communications portfolio may help council provide owners with clear and consistent information through:

• Community notices

• Project updates

• Newsletters

• Website updates

• Welcome information

• Emergency communications

Council should approve significant communications before distribution, particularly when they involve legal, financial or enforcement matters.

STRATA MANAGEMENT COMPANY

What Does the Management Company Do?

A licensed strata management company assists the strata council with the work required to operate the strata corporation. The exact services depend on the management agreement.

Management services may include:

• Preparing and distributing minutes

• Maintaining strata records

• Collecting strata fees and other amounts owing

• Paying approved invoices

• Preparing financial reports and draft budgets

• Preparing Forms B and F

• Coordinating insurance renewals and claims

• Obtaining contractor proposals

• Arranging maintenance and repairs

• Communicating with owners and residents

• Assisting with bylaw complaint procedures

• Coordinating emergencies

• Providing procedural information to council

A strata management company provides its services through a licensed brokerage. The strata manager assigned to the property acts on behalf of that brokerage, and the client is the strata corporation, not an individual council member or owner.

What the Management Company Does Not Do

Hiring a management company does not transfer ownership of the strata’s decisions to the manager.

The manager does not replace council and generally cannot:

• Establish council’s priorities without direction

• Make major decisions simply because council has not responded

• Decide whether a bylaw or rule was violated

• Decide whether a person should be fined

• Determine the amount of a fine

• Conduct a council hearing on council’s behalf

• Spend strata funds without the required authorization

• Approve work outside the authority provided by the contract or council

• Provide legal, engineering or other specialized professional opinions outside their qualifications

Council may delegate many administrative and operational duties, but it remains responsible for ensuring the strata corporation’s obligations are fulfilled and that the delegated work is being performed.

How Council and Management Can Work Effectively Together

The strongest council-management relationships are built on clear expectations and consistent communication.

Review the Management Agreement

Council members should understand:

• Which services are included

• Which services cost extra

• Who has authority to provide instructions

• What spending authority has been delegated

• How emergencies are handled

• Which work remains council’s responsibility

• Expected response and reporting timelines

Provide Clear Decisions

The manager should receive clear motions and instructions rather than several conflicting opinions from individual council members.

For example, instead of asking the manager to “look into the landscaping,” council should clearly decide what it wants.

Council directs the strata manager to obtain three proposals for replacement of the irrigation controller, with the proposals to be presented at the next council meeting.

Clear direction reduces confusion and creates an accurate record of council’s decision.

Avoid Individual Instructions

Unless council has established otherwise, individual council members should not independently instruct the manager, employees or contractors.

A useful approach is to appoint one primary contact, commonly the president or another designated council member, while still ensuring that important matters and decisions are shared with the full council.

Review Information Promptly

Management companies cannot complete the work effectively when approvals are delayed. Council members should review financial reports, draft minutes, contractor proposals and correspondence within agreed timelines.

Let the Manager Manage

Council should oversee the work without becoming involved in every administrative detail. The manager should be given enough authority to complete routine tasks while bringing significant decisions, unusual expenses and policy matters back to council.

Revisit Roles Each Year

At the first council meeting following the AGM, council should confirm:

• Officer positions

• Individual portfolios

• The management company’s responsibilities

• The process for providing instructions

• The procedure for urgent decisions

• Expectations for reviewing reports and correspondence

The Standard Bylaws require council to elect a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer after each AGM, although one person may hold more than one office other than president and vice president.

A Partnership Built on Clear Roles

A management company should bring experience, systems and professional support to the relationship. Council should provide governance, direction and informed decision-making.

When everyone understands their role, council members can focus on the matters that require their judgment, while the management company handles the work it has been retained and authorized to perform.

Clear roles do more than improve efficiency. They reduce misunderstandings, strengthen accountability and create a better-managed strata community for everyone.

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