The Owners Corporation (OC) at 350 William Street, Melbourne operates across five related OCs.

As a Tier 1 building with a mix of residential apartments and commercial uses, the Committee was responsible for decisions affecting a large ownership base.

When the Committee decided to change OC manager, the process was more complex than a standard change and required careful handling across five separate OCs.

This is where we stepped in to assist.

Why a change of OC manager was being considered

The decision to change OC manager from Body Corporate Services (Vic) Pty Ltd (BCS) was not a simple administrative change.

350 William Street operates across five related OCs. Any transition would need to be carefully managed to ensure decisions, documentation and handover were handled correctly.

The Committee needed a structured process to manage the change across each OC and avoid errors during the transition.

What made this management transition complex

Several structural and procedural factors made this transition more involved than a standard change of OC manager.

Multiple OCs

The building operates across OC1-OC5. Decisions relating to termination and appointment needed to be made and documented separately for each OC.

This required alignment of:

decision-making processes
appointment documentation
commencement timing
handover of records and financial information

Governance and process requirements

Changing an OC manager required:

valid Committee decisions
correct use of Section 111 Committee ballots
properly executed termination and appointment documentation

The Committee sought to have decisions made and recorded correctly to avoid later uncertainty or challenge.

Financial and records handover

At the time of transition, the five Owners Corporations held separate administrative and maintenance fund accounts, supported by certified financial statements.

The handover process needed to address:

transfer of funds
delivery of financial and statutory records
continuity of supplier and contractor arrangements

Scale of the building

With hundreds of occupiable lots and a mixed-use profile, the Committee was managing decisions on behalf of a large ownership base.

Errors or delays in the transition process had the potential to affect building operations and financial administration.

How Strata Management Consultants supported the Committee

Our role was to guide the Committee through the full change process and manage each stage accurately.

Supporting a structured decision process

We progressed decisions through a structured and compliant framework across five related Owners Corporations. This included:

coordinating Section 111 Committee ballots
confirming voting requirements and timeframes
recording resolutions for each OC

This established valid termination and appointment decisions across all five OCs.

Managing the tender and appointment process

We conducted a Request for Tender process to assess alternative OC managers, enabling clear comparison and selection.

Once a preferred manager was appointed, we moved the Committee from selection to implementation in a controlled sequence.

Reviewing and coordinating contracts

We examined proposed contracts of appointment and worked with the Committee to:

identify provisions requiring clarification
raise queries with the incoming manager
confirm final terms before execution

We then coordinated contract execution across the relevant OCs so appointments were aligned across the structure.

Coordinating termination and commencement

We managed the termination and appointment sequence by:

issuing termination notices
arranging execution of new appointments
aligning commencement dates across OC1, OC2, OC3, OC4 and OC5

This prevented overlap or gaps in management authority.

Following up handover of records and funds

During implementation, we monitored and pursued outstanding handover items, including:

delivery of records and documentation
transfer of financial materials
resolution of delays
updates to the Committee as matters progressed

This allowed building operations to continue without interruption during the change of management.

Outcome of the successful OC manager transition

The transition from the previous OC manager to the newly appointed manager was completed in line with the agreed process.

Appointments took effect as scheduled and management responsibility transferred without disruption to building operations.

Following completion, the Chairperson of the OC wrote:

“Thank you for following up, and please pass on my thanks to the team for the support and professionalism throughout the process.
Your assistance has been greatly appreciated.”