Help Centre
All information is general of nature and should not be taken as advice. Legislation varies by state and territory. If you are unsure, please contact us.
Committee
What is a Committee?
The Committee are the people in your community who have been elected to make general decisions throughout the year. Big decisions are made at meetings with everybody, smaller decisions can be made by the committee, on behalf of the community.
Responsibilities of the Committee
The committee needs to act in good faith on behalf of the community. This includes things like:
- Acting with honesty and fairness
- Using good judgement and take their role seriously
- Representing the interests of all residents, not just their own
- Avoiding using their position for personal gain
It's as simple as being a good person and improving things together.
All decisions made by the committee need to be recorded and reported back to the community at every Annual General Meeting. It is very important to record all decisions made, this is very easy to do with Loma Strata.
Should we have a committee?
If you are self-managing, absolutely. This helps clarify expectations of who is doing what in the community. This also allows the committee to make smaller decisions on behalf of the community throughout the year, instead of involving everybody at every step, which can be very counterproductive.
For example, if some graffiti needs to be painted over, this $300 job can just organised and fixed by the committee very quickly.
Who can be on the committee?
Anyone who is a lot owner in the community can be on the committee. Most states and territories only allow one owner per lot to be on the committee.
How is the committee elected?
Owners nominate themselves and then at an upcoming annual general meeting the community votes on whether to elect this person to the committee.
In most states or territories, a nominee requires 50% of the vote to be elected to the committee.
A typical motion may be worded as below for a committee role:
<name> from lot number <lot number> has nominated themselves for the role of <committee role> and would like the community's approval to hold this role until the next Annual General Meeting.
Different Committee Roles
Generally speaking, the three committee roles are:
But a community can increase committee membership as well forming sub-committees if there is a desire or need to do so.
Running Committee Meetings
Quorum
A ‘quorum’ is the minimum number of members needed to transact business at a meeting. A quorum for a committee meeting is at least 50 per cent of the committee members.
With Loma Strata it is easy to vote at any time, so even if a committee member hasn't attended the meeting, they can still vote on agenda items from wherever they are. Making it easy to achieve a quorum
If a quorum is not achieved, all decisions made in the meeting are interim until confirmed at the next committee meeting when a quorom is achieved.
How To Run Them
A committee meeting may be called by members of the committee, or at the request of the community.
The secretary must give notice of the owners corporation committee meeting, it should:
- be sent out at least three days before the meeting
- set out the time and place of the meeting
- include an agenda
Voting
Vote any time using the app. Voting should be open for 14 days from when the meeting was held. If a majority is achieved beforehand then the motion is passed and voting can be closed.
Replacing or removing committee member
Most committee members generally want a break after a year or several years in the role, which results in vacancies in the committee.
Depending on the length of the membership, it should be possible at every Annual General Meeting to vote a person in or out of the committee.
If there are serious circumstances which may warrant immediate action, check your local resources to find out more
Secretary Role
The secretary is the 'go-to' person in the community. The secretary cannot make decisions in isolation, it always has to be done with the community / committee.
The general role
- Organise meetings
- Prepares meeting agendas
- Acts on instructions from the meetings (getting quotes, managing tradies, etc.)
- Sends notices to the community
Skills of a good secretary
- Loves organisation and administration
- Good interpersonal skills for speaking with the general community
- Great writing skills, for writing up notices and meetings (though a lot of this is automated in Loma Strata)
Powers
- Convene meetings (Annual General Meeting, General Meetings, Committee Meetings)
- Open voting for meetings
Tips for being an effective secretary
- Keep accurate records! This is easy with Loma Strata to do, so put it in all in there
- Prepare documents for meetings well ahead of time
- Always give more notice than necessary for meetings
Treasurer Role
The treasurer's job is to manage the funds, the incoming and outgoing. The treasurer cannot make decisions in isolation, it always has to be done with the community / committee.
The general role
- Making sure money is coming into the account
- Making sure invoices are paid
- Recording everything in Loma Strata so that information is easily accessible
- Politely work with the community if levies are late, or
Skills of a good treasurer
- Very transparent and accessible. You are managing a community's funds, so keep things clear for everyone
- Detail orientated
- Good communicator
Powers
- Convene meetings (Annual General Meeting, General Meetings, Committee Meetings)
- Open voting for meetings
Tips for being an effective treasurer
- Double check numbers before you input them into Loma Strata
- Require at least two sign offs on all outgoings from the bank account
- Allow view access to everyone for the bank account, if possible.
Chairperson Role
The chairperson's job is to run meetings well that encourages discussion. The chairperson cannot make decisions in isolation, it always has to be done with the community / committee.
The general role
- Is the chairperson for both the community as well as committee, so runs meetings for both
- Stick to the agenda
- Encourage discussion, keep the mood open and helpful for meetings
Skills of a good chairperson
- Public speaking - You will be organising a group of people often, and they will be looking to for instructions.
- Time management - Keep that meeting ticking along, especially if it gets stuck.
- People management - Give everyone a chance to speak, and if a voice gets too loud, politely encourage others to share their thoughts.
Powers
- Convene meetings (Annual General Meeting, General Meetings, Committee Meetings)
- Open voting for meetings
Tips for being an effective chairperson
- Set the tone for the meeting early, which is one of community and respectful debate.
- Encourage diverse voices at meetings.
Legal Protection for Committee members
As committee members are elected to run things on behalf of the community, the community has the right to litigate in the event of a major loss. So, to make sure that committee members are safe from this, here are some rules to follow:
- Always act in good faith (simple one)
- Include Office Bearers Insurance in your community insurance policy (read about this in insurance)
- Only make large decisions at Annual General Meetings that include the entire community
- Record all decisions (incredibly easy with Loma Strata)
- Make all decisions easily accessible (again, very easy with Loma Strata)