Strata manager roles and responsibilities

What is a strata manager?

In British Columbia, strata managers are licensed professionals who support a strata council in operating and maintaining a strata corporation under the Strata Property Act. The strata manager acts as the council’s agent, helping coordinate meetings, manage finances, oversee maintenance, enforce bylaws, and respond to owner inquiries.

The goal is not to replace the council’s authority, but to provide structure, expertise, and day-to-day support so the strata corporation runs smoothly.
 

Strata manager roles and responsibilities

Strata managers in BC can provide support across a range of areas:

1. Financial management: This may include preparing annual budgets, collecting strata fees, managing accounts payable and receivable, producing monthly financial statements, coordinating special levies, and supporting long-term planning for the Contingency Reserve Fund. Strata managers at FirstService Residential work closely with a dedicated accountant to help council understand financial reports.
    
2. Council meetings: Strata managers can coordinate council meetings, Annual General Meetings, and Special General Meetings. They assist with agendas, prepare and distribute minutes, issue required notices, and help maintain official records in accordance with the Strata Property Act.
    
3. Bylaw enforcement: Managers can support the council in administering bylaws consistently. This may include issuing bylaw notices, coordinating fine processes, documenting complaints, and guiding councils through procedural requirements to help reduce disputes.
    
4. Maintenance and vendor coordination: A strata manager can help coordinate routine strata maintenance, gather multiple vendor quotes, oversee contracts, and manage building site staff where applicable. They also support capital projects and preventive maintenance planning to help protect the building’s long-term value.
    
5. Insurance and risk management: Strata managers can coordinate insurance renewals, assist with claims, and work with insurance and risk specialists when needed. They can also help councils understand coverage requirements and identify potential risks before they become costly issues.
    
6. Owner communication: Managers typically respond to owner inquiries and distribute important notices. FirstService Residential offers 24/7 customer care support for residents.
    
7. Technology: Modern strata management includes access to secure online portals where council members and owners can review meeting minutes, financial statements, bylaws, forms, and amenity bookings. FirstService Residential Connect™ makes it easier for homeowners and council members to instantly access governing documents, notices, and records through an interactive community website and mobile application.
    
8. Transition support: When a strata corporation changes management companies, an onboarding team may oversee the transition process. This can include gathering records, meeting with council, inspecting the property, and setting up financial and operational systems before the first official day of management.

Want to learn more about strata properties? Discover everything you need to know in our guide, 'What is a strata?'
 

3 questions to ask about your strata manager

1. Does the strata manager have support?

   Even the best strata managers can’t do everything! The right support is critical for a manager to succeed in delivering the exceptional service your council and residents or tenants expect and deserve.
   
   Good managers are only as capable as the support they have. That support should include:
    
   • Assistance from accounting, purchasing, vendor relations and financial services specialists
      
   • Involvement of human relations professionals for all personnel matters to help you get the right level of on-site staffing
      
   • Ongoing training to develop and improve management skills, keep up with industry standards and be informed about regulatory changes
      
   • A 24/7 customer care team that can quickly provide them and your community with needed information
      
   • Administrative support
   
   In addition, an experienced regional director with a pulse on the community provides important support. Having that structure in place helps maintain institutional knowledge and consistency in management if the strata manager leaves for any reason. The regional director should know the building or community well enough to help replace a beloved manager with the right person.
   
   Sound like a team you'd want to be part of?
   
   If this is the kind of support and structure you're looking for in your own career, we'd love to hear from you. Explore open strata management roles with FirstService Residential and see what it's like to be backed by a team built to help you succeed.
    

2. Does your strata manager have the right personality?

   Caring can’t be taught. People who are naturally caring go above and beyond for the people around them and in the work they do. Caring managers take ownership of the communities and buildings they work in, doing their very best to serve the council and residents.
   
   Great managers have a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ), too, meaning they have an ability to read and assist people — including members of your strata corporation. Their empathy enables them to put themselves in others’ shoes and understand their perspective. Other traits of managers with high EQ are that they are forward-thinking, adaptive, resourceful, hospitality-minded, flexible, self-motivated and able to communicate clearly. As a result, they are trusted advisors to your council.
   
   Emotional intelligence should extend to regional directors. The regional director is the person who needs to match up the right manager to each strata community. This requires understanding the personality of the property and choosing a manager whose personality meshes with it. Even the most stellar manager won’t succeed if they aren’t the right fit.
    

3. Do your residents know what to expect from your strata manager?

   Residents’ awareness and understanding of the role of a manager can affect how they perceive their manager. Even a great manager won’t be seen as capable if residents have expectations that are outside a manager’s responsibility.
   
   The council is responsible for creating policies based on their vision for the community, while the management team simply executes those policies. However, a lot of residents mistakenly believe that the manager sets policy for the community. Therefore, when they are unhappy with a policy or rule, they respond by voicing dissatisfaction with the manager.
   
   Sometimes residents don’t understand what they are responsible for in the community. Does the community pressure wash their front walkway, or is that the residents’ responsibility? Is management responsible for helping with storm preparation or snow removal in their driveways? Who pressure washes and cleans balconies on high-rises?
   
   New residents need to be walked through the roles and responsibilities of everyone in the community so they have the right expectations of their management team. It doesn’t hurt to remind long-term residents of those responsibilities from time to time either!

Great management and exceptional service are essential to the harmony and success of your community. To get what you expect, you need a manager with the right support and the right personality. And, of course, you need to set the right expectations with residents about the role of management in your community.

To learn more about what makes an excellent strata manager, contact FirstService Residential today.

This information is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal, regulatory, financial, or operational advice, or as a representation or guarantee of any specific services, capabilities, or outcomes. Property management needs, regulatory requirements, market conditions, and available services vary by jurisdiction, property type, and community. FirstService Residential provides services through locally based affiliates and associates, and services and results may vary by community, region, contractual terms, and applicable law.