How do you become an owners corporation manager in Victoria?

Who has to register in Victoria?

Consumer Affairs Victoria describes an owners corporation manager as anyone an owners corporation appoints to carry out its functions in running the common property. In practice that covers repairs and maintenance, levy collection, insurance and financial records. Owners corporations used to be called bodies corporate. Any person or company carrying on this business for a fee or reward has to be registered by the Business Licensing Authority (BLA). Applications are lodged online through myCAV.

You can register as an individual or as a company. If a company is registered, its directors do not need registrations of their own. Partnerships work differently: every partner must hold a registration. Individuals must be at least 18. A company must not be under external administration. New education rules require the person in charge of the day-to-day operations of an owners corporation management business to register as an officer in effective control (OIEC) by 30 June 2027 (1 August 2027 if the business is already registered). Junior staff working under a registered firm still do not need their own registration.

Insurance, fees and keeping your registration

Professional indemnity insurance is the main test. Both individuals and companies need at least $2 million of cover. When an owners corporation appoints you, you must give it your insurance details and proof of registration. Your certificate of currency should describe the work as owners corporation management, body corporate management or strata management. If your cover lapses you must tell the BLA. Your registration is cancelled automatically 30 days after the cover stops, and you cannot apply for permission to keep it.

For 2026-27 the fee is $246.30 for a new application and $172.90 for the annual registration. Neither attracts GST, and the application fee is not refunded. Your annual statement and fee are due in the six weeks before the anniversary of your registration. Miss that date and you get a late notice and a $17.30 late fee. If nothing arrives within a further 21 days, the registration is cancelled automatically. The BLA keeps a public register showing your registration status, your business names and your PI insurer.

Which law applies, and what is changing?

The governing law is still the Owners Corporations Act 2006. Large amendments took effect on 1 December 2021, alongside changes to the Retirement Villages Act 1986 and Part 5 of the Subdivision Act 1988. Since that date, if you or a company director has been convicted or found guilty of certain offences in the last 10 years, the BLA must give permission before you can be registered. A conviction after you are registered means applying for permission within 30 days. If you don't, your registration is cancelled.

An expert panel has since reviewed the Act and found that the 2021 reforms did not fix unprofessional practice among managers. The panel described the registration requirements as light. It said Victoria has historically had no formal qualification or CPD requirement for managers. The panel's final report points to Housing Statement reforms that will require each management business to appoint a registered person with education obligations by 30 June 2027. If you are starting out now, plan on having to study.

How does the Victorian role differ from NSW strata management?

The day-to-day work is close to strata management anywhere: meetings, levies, budgets, insurance, repairs and handling owners. The regulation is what differs. Victoria has registered managers mainly on the basis of insurance cover and a clean record. From 30 June 2027, individually registered managers and officers in effective control must also complete 5 core units of the Certificate IV in Strata Community Management. The Victorian review notes that other jurisdictions already require qualifications, and NSW licenses strata managing agents under its own separate scheme. The names change too. Victoria says owners corporation and owners corporation manager. In NSW the work is managing strata schemes. Our NSW strata licence guide sets out the NSW rules.

Pay

AUD a year, before tax. These figures are modelled from Australian Bureau of Statistics Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025) and indexed to 2026. The state figure is an estimate, not an official rate. Actual pay depends on portfolio size, the number and complexity of lots, and whether you hold the registration or work under your employer's. Refer to the Strata & Body Corporate salary guide for figures from live adverts.

What you need

• BLA registrationNeeded by any person or company carrying on business as an owners corporation manager for a fee or reward in Victoria. You apply online through myCAV.
• AgeIndividual applicants must be at least 18 years old.
• Professional indemnity insuranceYou need cover of at least $2 million that describes the work as owners corporation, body corporate or strata management. Registration is cancelled 30 days after the cover lapses.
• Identity and evidenceYour application must include ID, such as a birth certificate, passport or driver licence, plus evidence of your PI insurance and the fee.
• FeesFor 2026-27 the application fee is $246.30 and the annual registration fee is $172.90. A late annual statement adds $17.30.
• Clean record or BLA permissionIf you or a company director has been convicted or found guilty of certain offences in the past 10 years, you must apply to the BLA for permission.
• PartnersEvery partner in a partnership must be registered. Directors of a registered company do not need their own registration.

How to get there

1. Year 1-2Join a registered management firmStart as an assistant or junior manager working under the firm's registration. You will learn levies, meetings, insurance renewals and maintenance work orders.
2. Year 2-4Take on your own portfolioRun your own set of owners corporations: budgets, AGMs, committee contact and contractors. Start the Certificate IV in Strata Community Management now. Individually registered managers and officers in effective control must complete any 5 core units by 30 June 2027, and annual CPD applies from 1 April 2028.
3. Before registeringArrange PI insuranceBefore applying in your own name or a company's, get at least $2 million of cover that names owners corporation, body corporate or strata management.
4. When going out on your ownApply to the BLA through myCAVLodge your ID, evidence of insurance and the $246.30 fee. If you have a relevant conviction from the past 10 years, apply for permission as well.
5. Every yearKeep the registration currentLodge the annual statement and $172.90 fee in the six weeks before your anniversary date. Keep your insurance in force without a break.

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Sources

1. Consumer Affairs Victoria: new education rules for owners corporation managers
2. Consumer Affairs Victoria: apply for registration, owners corporation managers
3. Consumer Affairs Victoria: professional indemnity insurance, owners corporation managers
4. Consumer Affairs Victoria: fees and forms, owners corporation managers
5. Consumer Affairs Victoria: annual statement and fees
6. Consumer Affairs Victoria: disqualification and permission
7. Consumer Affairs Victoria: public register of owners corporation managers
8. Consumer Affairs Victoria: changes to the Owners Corporations Act from 1 December 2021
9. ABLIS: Owners Corporation Manager Registration, Victoria
10. Parliament of Victoria: Owners Corporations Act 2006 statutory review final report