The strata words committees keep tripping over

Owners corporation

The legal entity formed when a strata plan is registered. Every lot owner is a member, and the entity owns and maintains the common property.

Also called: body corporate (QLD/NT) · strata company (WA) · community corporation (SA)

Strata committee

The group of owners elected at the annual general meeting to make day-to-day decisions for the owners corporation between general meetings.

Also called: executive committee (QLD) · committee of management (VIC) · council of owners (WA)

Chairperson

The committee office holder who chairs meetings, keeps discussion to the agenda and rules on procedure. The chair has no extra power outside the meeting.

Secretary

The office holder responsible for notices, agendas, minutes and the scheme's records. In practice the busiest committee role, and the one Flex Strata takes the most work off.

Treasurer

The office holder who oversees the scheme's finances and reports to the committee. Levies and accounting sit with the strata manager or the full Strata Pages product, not in Flex Strata.

Quorum

The minimum attendance required before a meeting can make valid decisions. It is set by the legislation in your state and by the number of members entitled to vote.

Motion

A proposal put to a meeting for decision. Motions are ordinary, special or unanimous depending on what is being decided and what the legislation requires.

Special resolution

A decision needing more than a simple majority — typically reserved for by-law changes, major works and other significant matters. The exact threshold varies by state.

Annual general meeting (AGM)

The yearly meeting of all owners where the committee is elected, insurance and finances are presented, and owner-level decisions are made.

Also called: AGM

Minutes

The formal record of what a meeting decided — motions, outcomes, attendance and actions. Minutes must be distributed and kept with the scheme's records.

Proxy

A written appointment letting someone else vote on an owner's behalf at a general meeting, within the limits set by state legislation.

Ballot

A vote taken outside a meeting so a decision does not have to wait for the next agenda. In Flex Strata, owners vote from a secure link with the result recorded for the minutes.

Also called: vote out of session · written ballot

Common property

Everything in the scheme that is not inside an individual lot — usually structure, roof, lifts, gardens, driveways, hallways and external walls. Maintained by the owners corporation.

By-laws

The rules binding every owner and occupier — pets, parking, noise, renovations and so on. Changed by special resolution at a general meeting.

Also called: rules (VIC) · by-laws (NSW/QLD)

Work order

The instruction that authorises a contractor to carry out a specific job, with scope, price and approval recorded against the building.

Compliance register

The list of recurring legal and safety obligations for the building — essential services, fire, anti-slip, pool, insurance valuations — each with a due date and a responsible person.

Certificate of currency

Proof that a contractor's insurance is active for the period of the work. Expired cover is the most common reason a committee should not send a work order.

Breach notice

A formal notice to an owner or occupier that a by-law has been breached, and the first step in most enforcement paths before a tribunal application.

Strata manager

A licensed agent appointed under an agency agreement to administer the scheme. Flex Strata is designed to work with your manager, giving them a seat with the access the committee chooses.

Also called: body corporate manager · strata managing agent

Audit log

The immutable record of who changed what and when inside the portal — the evidence trail a committee needs when a decision is questioned later.