Quick answer: In Australia, "strata" and "body corporate" describe the same kind of shared-ownership property scheme, but the two terms aren't interchangeable everywhere. "Body corporate" is the legal term for the entity in Queensland and Tasmania; NSW and Victoria call the same entity an "owners corporation"; Western Australia calls it a "strata company"; South Australia uses "strata corporation" or "community corporation" depending on the title type. A strata manager is a separate, appointed professional who carries out the entity's decisions — the manager doesn't own the building or make governance decisions alone.
If you own a unit, sit on a committee, or manage a portfolio of strata properties, the terminology confusion is understandable: the underlying idea (owners of individual lots jointly own and manage the shared parts of a building) is the same nationwide, but the legal name for the governing body, the manager's exact powers, and the Act it all sits under change at the border.
| Body corporate / owners corporation | Strata manager | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The collective legal entity made up of all lot owners | An appointed professional or firm, engaged by the entity |
| Who's in it | Every owner in the scheme, automatically | Hired staff — not an owner (unless separately an owner) |
| Decision-making authority | Yes — votes at AGMs/committee meetings set the rules | No independent authority — acts under the entity's instructions |
| Typical responsibilities | Approving budgets, by-laws, major works, insurance | Administration, meeting coordination, levy collection, compliance paperwork, day-to-day communication |
| Who appoints them | Formed automatically when the scheme is registered | Appointed (and can be replaced) by the body corporate/owners corporation |
The short version: the body corporate (or owners corporation, depending on the state) is the "who decides." The strata manager is the "who executes." A strata manager can recommend, coordinate, and administer, but the committee or the entity as a whole holds the actual decision-making power.
The body corporate is responsible for the collective interests of everyone who owns a lot in the scheme. In practice, that means it:
Every owner is automatically a member. Day-to-day, most bodies corporate elect a smaller committee to make routine decisions between general meetings, with bigger items (major capital works, rule changes) going to the full ownership for a vote.
A strata manager is engaged — usually for an annual fee funded by levies — to handle the administrative load that would otherwise fall to volunteer committee members. That typically includes:
A strata manager doesn't own a unit in the scheme (unless they separately happen to), and doesn't get an independent vote on scheme decisions. Their role is to make sure what the body corporate or owners corporation decides actually gets implemented and documented correctly.
The entity, the manager's obligations, and even the vocabulary shift depending on which Act applies. Here's the current picture across six states and territories:
| State/Territory | Term for the entity | Governing Act |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Owners corporation | Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) |
| Queensland | Body corporate | Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld) |
| Victoria | Owners corporation | Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) |
| Western Australia | Strata company | Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) |
| South Australia | Strata corporation (older schemes) or community corporation (schemes registered since 2009) | Strata Titles Act 1988 (SA) or Community Titles Act 1996 (SA) |
| Tasmania | Body corporate | Strata Titles Act 1998 (Tas) |
Two live regulatory developments worth knowing about if you're operating across states in 2026:
NSW strata law changed materially in 2025: strata managers must now disclose commercial relationships with suppliers and developers, along with any commissions or training benefits received, with penalties of up to $110,000 for non-compliance, and the window for owners to pursue an owners corporation over unresolved common-property repairs was extended from two years to six (PBL Lawyers, February 2025). If your portfolio includes NSW schemes, both changes affect what your manager needs to disclose and how long a repairs dispute can stay live.
Victoria's Owners Corporations Act 2006 is currently under formal government review, with the Victorian government consulting on reforms that could reshape owners corporation governance (Engage Victoria, 2026). Nothing has been legislated yet, so the Act above remains current, but it's worth watching if you operate in Victoria.
ACT and NT aren't covered in this table; if your portfolio extends there, check with a local strata lawyer, since neither jurisdiction is reflected in the state comparison above.
Is body corporate the same as strata?
They describe the same underlying system of shared property ownership, but "body corporate" is the specific legal term used in Queensland and Tasmania, while other states use "owners corporation," "strata company," or "strata/community corporation." The concept is consistent; the label depends on where the property is.
What is the difference between strata and body corporate?
"Strata" typically refers to the title system itself (strata title, strata scheme), while "body corporate" (or its state equivalent) refers to the legal entity that governs the scheme. A strata scheme has a body corporate; the two terms describe different parts of the same structure rather than competing systems.
What does a strata manager do?
A strata manager handles the administrative and compliance work for a body corporate or owners corporation — levy collection, meeting coordination, contractor liaison, and record-keeping — under the instruction of the committee or the entity as a whole. See the full breakdown above.
What is a body corporate?
A body corporate is the collective legal entity formed automatically when a strata or community title scheme is registered, made up of every lot owner in that scheme. It holds the common property, sets levies, and makes governance decisions, either directly or through an elected committee.
Do all states use the same strata rules?
No. Each state and territory has its own Act, and the terminology, the manager's disclosure obligations, and dispute-resolution timeframes all vary. See the state-by-state table above for current terms and Acts.
Whichever term your state uses for the entity, the operational job is the same: keeping levies, maintenance, compliance, and owner communication running without it consuming a committee's or a manager's week. MYBOS supports strata managers and committees with a single dashboard for reporting, maintenance tracking, and owner communication, so raising something with the body corporate — or getting sign-off from it — doesn't mean chasing paperwork across three different systems. See how MYBOS supports strata management.