You’ve just been elected to your owners corporation committee. Maybe you nominated because you wanted to help. Maybe another owner encouraged you to put your hand up. Either way, you’re now helping make decisions about shared property, expenditure and services that affect other owners and residents. Understanding your Owners Corporation committee member responsibilities is the next important step.
The role can be rewarding when you understand your responsibilities and the limits of your authority. You don’t need to be a lawyer, accountant or building engineer, but you do need to ask questions, consider advice and keep clear records.
This guide explains 5-things every new Victorian committee member should understand: legal duties, finances, maintenance, working with the manager and making valid decisions.
What Is an Owners Corporation Committee?
An owners corporation committee carries out functions and exercises powers delegated to it under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic). It helps manage the owners corporation between general meetings, within the Act, the OC’s rules and any limits imposed on its authority.
Under section 100 of the Act, an owners corporation affecting ten or more lots must elect a committee at each annual general meeting (AGM). Smaller owners corporations may choose to elect one.
A committee must have between three and seven members. The owners corporation can increase that number to a maximum of twelve by ordinary resolution. Members must be lot owners or hold proxies for lot owners, and no more than one committee member can represent the same lot.
The committee must appoint a chairperson from its members and a secretary, who may be a committee member or the owners corporation manager. A treasurer is optional.
Committee membership is generally undertaken voluntarily. Even so, it involves legal duties and decisions that can affect substantial shared assets.
Owners Corporation Committee Member Responsibilities
Your first task is to understand what your committee is authorised to do. Powers requiring a special resolution, unanimous resolution or resolution at a general meeting cannot simply be exercised by the committee or manager.
1. Understand Your Legal Duties
Section 117 of the Act requires committee and sub-committee members, when performing their functions, to:
- act honestly and in good faith
- exercise due care and diligence
- act in the interests of the owners corporation
- avoid improperly using their position to gain a direct or indirect advantage for themselves or anyone else.
Act in the interests of the owners corporation
Consider the owners corporation’s responsibilities as a whole. Your owner corporation committee member responsibilities is not to advance your own interests or those of a particular group.
This does not mean every decision must benefit every owner equally. Different parts of a property may need different work, and the law sometimes allocates costs according to who benefits. Your task is to consider the evidence, apply the relevant requirements and make a properly authorised decision.
Exercise due care and diligence
Read the material provided before voting. Ask for clarification if a quote, financial report or proposed resolution is unclear. Seek appropriate professional advice where the issue requires expertise.
A manager can coordinate advice, but technical building questions may require an engineer or building consultant, and complex legal questions may require a lawyer.
Identify and manage conflicts of interest
If you have a personal, financial or other interest that could affect your judgment, disclose it before the matter is considered and have the disclosure recorded.
For example, tell the committee if a proposed contractor is your business or belongs to a family member. Seek advice about how to handle your participation in the discussion and vote.
Disclosure and appropriate management of conflicts are sound governance practices that support your statutory duties. Section 117 does not impose a blanket rule requiring withdrawal from every discussion in which a member has an interest.
Understand liability protection and insurance
Section 118 provides protection from personal liability for acts or omissions done in good faith when exercising powers or carrying out functions under the Act, regulations or rules, or in the reasonable belief that this is what the member was doing.
That protection has limits. Avoid assuming that committee membership provides immunity for every action.
Office-bearers liability insurance is additional cover worth considering. It is not mandatory insurance under the OC Act, and its protection depends on the policy’s terms, limits and exclusions. Ask what cover exists and obtain appropriate insurance advice.
2. Understand Budgets, Fees and Maintenance Funding
The committee and manager commonly help prepare a proposed annual budget. The owners corporation considers and approves the budget and sets annual fees at the AGM. The committee then monitors finances and spending within its authority.
In Victoria, owners corporation contributions are commonly called fees or levies. Annual fees fund administration, insurance, routine maintenance and other recurrent obligations.
Distinguish operating expenses from planned capital works
Many OCs describe their operating account as an administrative fund. It pays for expenses such as management fees, cleaning, utilities, insurance and routine lift servicing.
A maintenance fund supports works under an approved maintenance plan, such as roof replacement, lift replacement or major refurbishment, and major facade repairs.
The legal requirements vary by OC tier. Tier 1 and Tier 2 OCs must prepare and approve a maintenance plan and have a maintenance fund. These tiers generally cover developments with more than 100 occupiable lots and 51 to 100 occupiable lots respectively, excluding services-only OCs.
Tier 3, Tier 4 and Tier 5 OCs may choose to have a maintenance plan. An OC with a maintenance plan must establish a maintenance fund.
A statutory maintenance plan addresses major capital items requiring repair or replacement over the next ten years, including their condition, timing, estimated costs and expected life after the work. Where an approved plan exists, annual fees must include sufficient contributions to implement it.
Review financial reports regularly
As a recommended practice, review reports at least quarterly and more often if significant works, arrears or cash-flow pressures warrant it.
Look at income and expenditure, cash balances, unpaid fees, outstanding invoices and actual spending against the budget. Ask for explanations of material variances or unexpected movements in the maintenance fund.
A declining cash balance does not automatically indicate poor management. It may reflect approved works or the timing of payments. What matters is understanding the reason and whether the OC can meet its obligations.
Understand special levies before approving them
Unexpected expenditure may require a special levy. The resolution required, allocation of costs and any applicable exceptions depend on the Act and the circumstances.
Ask the manager to explain the proposed levy, its legal basis and the approval required. Obtain legal advice where the position is uncertain.
3. Make Maintenance Decisions Within Your Authority
The owners corporation has statutory responsibilities to repair and maintain common property and certain associated fixtures, fittings, equipment and services.
Start by checking the plan of subdivision. A problem occurring near or inside a lot is not automatically the lot owner’s responsibility, and a visible building feature is not automatically common property.
Where responsibility is unclear, obtain advice before allocating costs or directing work.
Check delegations and spending limits
The manager may be authorised to arrange routine work within an approved budget and spending limit. The committee may approve other work within its own authority.
Significant or unplanned expenditure does not always require committee approval: a manager may already have sufficient delegated authority. Conversely, some decisions require approval by the owners corporation at a general meeting or by special or unanimous resolution.
Check the instrument of delegation, relevant resolutions and management agreement. For urgent safety issues, use the available lawful authority promptly and record the action and reasons.
Assess the work and the contractor
A useful maintenance process is to:
- record the issue and assess urgency
- establish who is responsible
- obtain an appropriate scope of work and technical advice
- seek suitable quotes
- confirm the required approval and funding
- record the decision and check completion.
Prioritise safety and preventing further damage. A faulty fire exit or unstable handrail may require immediate action; cosmetic work can usually be scheduled.
Comparing quotes is good practice, but there is no general Victorian OC rule requiring two quotes for every maintenance job over $2,000. An OC can adopt its own purchasing policy with thresholds appropriate to its property and delegations.
Compare scope, qualifications, insurance, timing and warranties as well as price. For complex work, professional assessment may be more useful than simply collecting additional quotes.
Keep useful maintenance records
A maintenance register is recommended. Record reported issues, approvals, contractors, expenditure, completion dates and warranties.
Keep statutory meeting minutes and other required records as well. A maintenance register helps track work but does not replace those obligations.
Avoid unnecessary delays in essential maintenance. If more information is needed, identify who will obtain it and when the decision will return for consideration.
4. Work Effectively With Your Owners Corporation Manager
A professional manager can help administer finances, arrange maintenance, organise meetings and manage complaint procedures within their appointment and delegated authority.
If your OC has a manager, ask them to explain their responsibilities and the decisions reserved for the committee or a general meeting. Some OCs are self-managed, so these arrangements will differ.
Use the right expertise
Ask the manager to help identify compliance requirements, obtain advice and coordinate contractors. Do not assume their appointment makes them a legal or engineering expert.
Complex legal disputes, structural concerns and insurance questions may require appropriately qualified advisers.
Address unpaid fees through the correct process
Ask the manager to report arrears and explain the applicable recovery procedure. Any notices, interest, payment arrangements and proceedings must comply with current requirements and the manager’s authority.
Keep fee recovery consistent and properly documented.
Follow the internal complaints process
The committee retains a role in complaint handling. Appointing a manager does not remove the OC’s responsibility to follow its internal process.
Victorian OCs must use the applicable model dispute-resolution rule or their own validly registered rules. Formal complaints and breach notices should follow the relevant requirements.
The manager can help administer the process, maintain records and obtain advice. Depending on the dispute, assistance may be available from the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV), or an application may be made to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
DSCV participation is voluntary and requires the parties’ agreement. Seeking its assistance is not compulsory before applying to VCAT. An OC must follow its applicable internal complaints process before bringing a complaint to VCAT.
5. Run Effective Meetings and Use Ballots Correctly
Committees can make decisions at meetings or by ballot. A meeting is not the only lawful option, but informal conversations should not be treated as a substitute for a valid decision-making process.
Give the correct meeting notice
Under section 109, the secretary must give committee members notice at least three business days before a committee meeting, unless the owners corporation determines otherwise.
The notice must include the time and place, agenda, previous meeting’s minutes and a statement that a committee member who is a lot owner may appoint a proxy for the meeting.
General meetings have different notice requirements. The usual statutory notice period for an AGM or special general meeting is at least fourteen days.
Check quorum and voting
A committee meeting needs at least half its members for a quorum. Each participating member has one vote. Meeting resolutions are decided by a majority of participating members, with the chairperson having a casting vote if votes are equal.
Without a quorum, members present may make interim resolutions. These do not take effect until confirmed through a method permitted by section 112, such as a later quorate meeting or a committee ballot.
Use electronic ballots properly
Section 111 allows committee ballots. The chairperson or secretary must give each committee member written notice stating the resolution and closing date. Notice can be given electronically.
The closing date is normally fourteen days after the notice. If the matter is urgent, it can be shorter. A resolution passes only if a majority of all committee members indicate support before the closing date.
An email vote can therefore be valid when it follows the ballot requirements. A casual email or text exchange should not be assumed to satisfy them.
Keep clear minutes and voting records
Committee meeting minutes must record the date, time and place, members present, members voting, resolutions and voting outcomes. Retain ballot notices, responses and results as OC records.
Circulate minutes promptly as good practice, and remember that OC members may inspect committee minutes.
Use clear motions and record the exact decision. Moving and seconding motions can help organise discussion, but seconding is not a universal statutory requirement for committee resolutions.
Keep discussion focused, allow reasonable questions and assign responsibility for follow-up actions. The committee must report to the OC at each AGM.
Getting Started as a Committee Member
Before your first meeting, request:
- the OC’s registered rules and access to the current Act and regulations
- the plan of subdivision
- the latest financial statements, budget and fee schedule
- recent AGM and committee minutes
- current delegations and spending limits
- the management agreement, if applicable
- the maintenance plan and fund information, if applicable
- insurance schedules and relevant policy wording
- a list of outstanding maintenance, complaints and legal matters.
You do not need to understand everything immediately. Start by identifying urgent issues, checking your authority and asking sensible questions.
If your building uses SELECT Strata Communities, ask your manager what guidance and onboarding assistance are available to new committee members.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can you serve as a committee member?
The Act does not impose a general maximum number of terms. Members ordinarily hold office from election until a new committee is elected, subject to provisions such as removal or suspension.
Committees are elected at AGMs, and members can stand for re-election. The Act permits up to fifteen months between AGMs, so the term is not necessarily exactly one year.
Can you be removed before the next AGM?
Yes. The owners corporation can remove a committee member by ordinary resolution at an AGM or special general meeting. A special resolution is not required.
Other provisions can affect membership. For example, a member is suspended if the lot they represent falls into arrears, until the amount is paid. Check the applicable provisions and procedure before taking action.
Are committee members personally liable if something goes wrong?
Section 118 provides protection for qualifying acts or omissions done in good faith. It is not unlimited protection, and the circumstances matter.
Consider office-bearers liability insurance and understand its terms. This cover is additional insurance, rather than a statutory requirement under the OC Act.
Do committee members need training in Victoria?
There is no general mandatory training requirement for committee members under the OC Act.
Training and reliable guidance can nevertheless help. Consumer Affairs Victoria publishes information about OC responsibilities, and strata industry bodies and other providers may offer education. Check current availability and whether the material specifically covers Victorian requirements.
Can the committee decide without a formal meeting?
Yes. It can use a ballot under section 111, including an electronic ballot that complies with the statutory requirements.
Use the appropriate notice, resolution, closing date and voting threshold, and retain the records. Urgency may justify a shorter ballot period; it does not make every informal exchange a valid resolution.
Does every OC need a maintenance fund?
Tier 1 and Tier 2 OCs must have a maintenance plan and fund. Smaller tiers may choose to have a plan, and an OC with a maintenance plan must establish a maintenance fund.
Ask your manager to confirm your OC’s tier and obligations.
Further Information
For Victorian requirements, consult the current Owners Corporations Act 2006, the Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 and Consumer Affairs Victoria’s owners corporations guidance.
Information current as at 12 October 2026. This guide provides general information; seek advice about decisions where the legal position or the OC’s authority is uncertain.
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