What does a building manager actually do?
A building manager runs the physical side of a strata or residential tower. NSW Fair Trading describes the job as managing common property, controlling access for tradespeople and visitors, and maintaining and repairing common property. On a normal day that means letting contractors in, chasing lift, fire and plant servicing, logging defects, and handling resident complaints about noise, parking, leaks and bins.
In NSW the duties are written into strata law, and breaching them can attract substantial penalties. You must act in the owners corporation's best interest. You must raise any maintenance, repair or safety problem with common property that you know about, or ought to know about, such as overdue lift servicing. You must also propose how to fix it. You must disclose in writing any referral fee or commission you will receive on a contract you recommend.
How is a building manager different from a strata manager?
The strata manager handles administration, usually from an office that looks after many schemes. NSW Fair Trading lists their work as running meetings, collecting levies, arranging insurance, giving asset management advice and keeping financial records. Strata managers in NSW must hold a licence with Fair Trading.
The building manager is the person on site who deals with the building itself and the people in it. The two roles are hired separately. In NSW a strata manager cannot hire a building manager. The owners corporation appoints one by majority vote at a general meeting, and the appointment must be made in writing. If the expected fees are over $30,000, owners must see two independent draft agreements before the vote.
Caretaking and letting rights in Queensland
In Queensland, many on-site managers hold what the industry calls management rights. Under body corporate law, a caretaking service contractor is a service contractor who is also authorised as the scheme's letting agent, or is associated with that agent. They usually own or lease a lot and run the letting business from it. They sit on the committee as a non-voting member and cannot become a voting member.
The caretaking side covers services such as cleaning and grounds work under an engagement of at least a year, and the contractor is not an employee. The letting side requires a licence under the Property Occupations Act 2014. Caretakers must follow the codes of conduct in schedules 2 and 3 of the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997. Schemes under the Small Schemes or Specified Two-lot Schemes modules cannot engage a caretaker or authorise a letting agent.
How do people get into the job?
No single qualification leads into building management. Employers look for people who can read a maintenance schedule, manage contractors, keep records and stay calm with upset residents. Common starting points are trades, facilities coordination, hotel operations, concierge or security work, and residential property management.
A practical route is to start as an assistant or relief building manager in a large tower. Learn the building's fire, lift and plant contracts and keep a clean defect log. Then apply for a sole site. In Queensland, buyers of management rights also complete the licence training before taking on a letting pool.
Pay
AUD a year, before tax. These are facilities and building management estimates based on ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, moved to 2026 with a wage index. State figures are modelled, not official. Pay rises with the size of the building, the amount of plant, and whether you live on site or run the role as a contract business. Refer to the Facilities & Building Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Written appointment (NSW)The owners corporation must appoint you by a written building manager agreement, authorised by a general meeting resolution. If the developer signed it before the first AGM, it ends at that AGM.
- Disclosure (NSW)Before appointment, you must disclose any connection to the developer, any financial interest in the scheme, and any benefit that affects your fees. After appointment, you must keep disclosing supplier connections in writing.
- Resident letting agent licence (Qld)You need this licence to let and manage units and collect rent in a complex. Applicants must be 18 or older, be suitable, and pass training units from the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419) and the Diploma of Property (Agency Management).
- Body corporate approval (Qld)Licensees must hold current body corporate approval for every complex they manage and keep a registered office in one of them. You cannot sell units in the complex unless you also hold a real estate agent licence.
- Owners corporation manager registration (Vic)Anyone in business managing an owners corporation's functions for a fee, including maintenance and repairs, must be registered by the Business Licensing Authority. Registration requires at least $2 million of professional indemnity insurance.
- Practical skillsYou need to manage contractors and essential services, keep defect and maintenance records, and deal with residents. Trade, facilities or hospitality experience counts with employers.
State by state
| New South Wales | An owners corporation appoints building managers in writing by majority vote, on agreements of up to 10 years. Statutory duties cover best interest, prompt reporting of common property problems, and written disclosure of benefits and connections. |
|---|---|
| Queensland | A caretaking service contractor who also lets units must be licensed under the Property Occupations Act 2014, usually with a resident letting agent licence. That licence runs for 1 or 3 years and needs body corporate approval for each complex. |
| Victoria | Anyone carrying on business as an owners corporation manager for a fee must be registered by the Business Licensing Authority. The owners corporation functions listed include maintenance and repairs. |
How to get there
- Year 0-2Build hands-on experienceWork in a trade, facilities coordination, hotel operations, concierge or residential property management.
- Year 1-3Join a tower as assistant or relief managerLearn the building's fire, lift and plant contracts, how access works, and how defects are reported.
- Year 3-5Take a sole siteGet appointed under a building manager agreement and run contractors, budgets for minor works, and resident issues yourself.
- Before lettingGet licensed if you will let unitsIn Queensland, complete the required training and get a resident letting agent licence before buying or running a letting pool.
- Year 5+Move up or acrossManage several sites or a large mixed-use tower, or move into facilities, strata or asset management.
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Questions people ask
Do building managers need a licence in NSW?
The NSW Fair Trading building manager pages set out appointment rules and statutory duties, and they do not list a licence for building managers. Strata managers must hold a Fair Trading licence. If your work moves into strata management functions, such as levies, meetings or records, licensing becomes relevant.
How long can a NSW building manager agreement last?
Up to 10 years, after which the building manager can be re-contracted. If the developer appointed the building manager before the first AGM, the agreement ends at that meeting. The owners corporation can then rehire the same manager or choose a new one.
What is a caretaking service contractor in Queensland?
It is a service contractor for a community titles scheme who is also authorised as the scheme's letting agent, or is associated with that agent. They usually own or lease a lot and run the letting business from it. They are a non-voting member of the committee.
Can a Queensland resident letting agent sell units in the complex?
No, unless they also hold a real estate agent licence. A resident letting agent licence covers letting and managing units, collecting rent and operating a trust account.
Can a building manager be removed?
Yes. In NSW the owners corporation can choose not to reappoint, end the agreement at a general meeting, or apply to the Tribunal. A Tribunal application is one route where the manager acts unlawfully, for example by breaching a statutory duty.
Sources
- NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading): Appointing strata managers and other workers
- NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading): Who's who in strata
- NSW Government: Complaints about a strata or building manager
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) s 67
- Queensland Government: Role of a service contractor and letting agent
- Queensland Government: Apply for a resident letting agent licence
- ABLIS: Resident letting agent licence (QLD)
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: Owners corporation manager registration
