One of the most common questions from lot owners and committee members is how much a strata manager actually costs — and whether the service justifies the fee. The answer varies significantly depending on your building size, state and the scope of services.
Typical strata management fees in Australia
Strata management is priced in a few different ways, but the most common is a per-lot annual fee:
- Small schemes (under 20 lots): $600–$1,200 per lot per year
- Medium schemes (20–50 lots): $400–$800 per lot per year
- Large schemes (50+ lots): $300–$600 per lot per year
For a 20-lot building, you might be paying $8,000–$16,000 per year in management fees alone — before disbursements.
What's included (and what's not)
The base management fee typically covers:
- Running the AGM and committee meetings
- Preparing and distributing minutes
- Maintaining financial accounts and levy notices
- Responding to owner enquiries
- Arranging routine maintenance
What's often not included — and charged as extras:
- Attending additional meetings beyond the contracted number
- Preparing detailed financial statements or capital works fund plans
- Managing large building projects or disputes
- After-hours call-outs
- Photocopying, postage and other disbursements
State-by-state differences
NSW: Strata managers must hold a licence under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002. Fees are unregulated but disclosure is required.
QLD: Body corporate managers are licensed under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997. Fee structures can vary significantly.
VIC: Owners corporation managers are licensed under the Owners Corporations Act 2006. Management agreements must comply with the Australian Consumer Law.
When a strata manager is worth it
For larger, complex buildings — especially those with commercial lots, high owner-occupier ratios, or persistent dispute histories — a licensed manager brings genuine expertise and bandwidth that a volunteer committee can't replicate.
For smaller, stable schemes, the value proposition is much weaker. If your building doesn't have complex issues and has engaged committee members, you may be paying thousands of dollars per year for services you could manage yourself.
The cost of self-management
Self-managing a strata scheme isn't free — it takes committee time. But the software cost is a fraction of management fees. StrataView costs from $1 per lot per month ($12/lot/year) and handles the administrative layer that takes up most committee time — motions, minutes, maintenance tracking, owner communications and by-law questions via AI.
For a 20-lot building, that's $240/year versus potentially $12,000+ in management fees. Many committees find a hybrid approach works well: self-manage the day-to-day with StrataView, and engage a manager on a fixed fee for the AGM and financial statements only.