Committees ask us this more than any other question, usually because something has gone wrong and nobody is sure whose job it was to fix it. The short answer: a strata manager runs the scheme’s administration, money and meetings. A building manager looks after the physical building, the contractors who work on it and the people who live in it. Most well-run buildings of any size have both, and the two roles work best when each knows exactly where the other’s job starts.
What a strata manager does
A strata manager (formally a strata managing agent) is appointed by the owners corporation to carry out administrative functions that the owners corporation delegates to them. In NSW they must be licensed under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002 and act within the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015. Their work is mostly office-based, and a strata manager typically looks after many schemes at once.
Typical strata manager responsibilities include:
- Issuing levy notices, collecting levies and following up arrears
- Preparing budgets for the administrative and capital works funds
- Calling and minuting general meetings and committee meetings
- Keeping the strata roll and the scheme’s records
- Arranging and renewing building insurance, and managing claims
- Paying invoices from the scheme’s trust account and preparing financial statements
- Annual reporting to the NSW Strata Hub
What a building manager does
A building manager (sometimes called a caretaker or facilities manager) is engaged under a building management agreement with the owners corporation. Their focus is the building itself: making sure common property is safe, working and maintained, and that contractors turn up, do the job properly and leave the site in order. A building manager is either on site full time or attends on a structured roster.
Typical building manager responsibilities include:
- Regular inspections of common property to find maintenance and safety issues early
- Obtaining quotes, coordinating contractors and supervising work on site
- Coordinating essential services contractors — fire safety, lifts, pumps, access control
- Tracking defects and maintenance requests through to completion
- Managing keys, fobs, move-ins, move-outs and lift bookings
- Being the day-to-day contact for residents about the building
- Reporting to the strata committee on works completed and issues found
Building managers now also carry statutory conduct duties in NSW — including acting in the best interests of the owners corporation and disclosing commissions and conflicts of interest. The NSW Government’s guide to recent strata law changes sets out what changed.
Side-by-side comparison
| Strata manager | Building manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Administration, finances, governance | The physical building, contractors and residents |
| Where they work | Office-based, across many schemes | On site, full-time or on a weekly roster |
| Engaged under | A strata management agency agreement | A building management agreement |
| Licensing | Licensed strata managing agent (NSW) | Bound by the agreement and statutory conduct duties |
| Residents contact them about | Levies, by-laws, meetings, records | Leaks, lifts, lights, access, noise, contractors |
Where the two roles meet
The roles overlap most on repairs, compliance and money. The clearest way to see the split is to follow one ordinary problem from start to finish.
Fire safety works the same way. The strata manager makes sure the Annual Fire Safety Statement is arranged and lodged on time. The building manager gives the fire contractor access, makes sure every item in the fire safety schedule is actually inspected, and chases the defects the inspection turns up so the next statement isn’t a repeat of the last one.
How to tell which one your building is missing
You probably need a building manager, or more building manager hours, if:
- Committee members are meeting contractors, holding keys or chasing quotes themselves
- The same defects keep coming back after being “fixed”
- Residents email the strata manager about blown lights and blocked drains
- Nobody can say when common property was last inspected, or what was found
- Contractors attend without anyone checking the work before the invoice is paid
If the problems are late levy notices, missing minutes, insurance or financial reporting, that’s a strata management question — a building manager won’t fix it and shouldn’t try.
Not sure how many hours your building needs? Our guide to full-time vs part-time building management walks through the factors.
How TBPM works alongside your strata manager
TBPM is a building management company. We don’t replace your strata manager — we work with them. In practice that means our building manager is the single point of contact for contractors and residents on building matters, passes quotes to the committee with a recommendation, and provides monthly reports documenting completed works and open issues, with quarterly committee review meetings. The strata manager keeps the finances, meetings and records.
For larger buildings that means a full-time on-site building manager; for mid-sized schemes, a part-time or hybrid roster. If you’d like to talk through which fits, request a free site assessment.
Official sources
General information only, current as at the review date above. It is not legal advice. For specific matters, contact NSW Fair Trading or a qualified strata lawyer.
About the author
Ajit Shrestha — Director, Building Operations
Ajit has 10+ years managing residential and mixed-use strata buildings across Sydney, and leads TBPM's building operations — contractor coordination, preventive maintenance, AFSS and WHS compliance, and committee reporting.