Strata Manager: What They Do, What They Earn, How to Become One
The body corporate manager's job explained, the 2026 salary range from assistant to head of department, and why it's the calmest pay rise in property.
By Braydan Hartigan
A strata manager — a body corporate manager in Queensland — runs the shared affairs of an apartment building or townhouse complex on behalf of its owners: the levies, the meetings, the insurance, the by-laws, the maintenance of everything that is not inside somebody's front door. In 2026 the role pays $90k–$130k, and the senior and portfolio seats above it reach $130k–$180k+. It is the most consistently short-staffed corner of Australian property, which is why a good residential property manager gets a pay rise for moving into it.
What the job actually is
Every scheme has a committee of owners and a manager who does the work the committee is legally responsible for. That work is:
- Meetings — annual general meetings, committee meetings, the notices, the minutes, the motions.
- Money — levy budgets, collection, arrears, the sinking fund, the financial statements.
- Insurance — placing it, renewing it, running the claims.
- Compliance — the by-laws, the legislation, fire safety, the records that have to be kept.
- Maintenance — common property: lifts, roofs, pools, car parks, the contractors who look after them.
It is property management with the tenants taken out and the governance put in. The phone still rings, but it rings about a leaking roof over eighty owners, not one.
What it pays in 2026
| Role | Also called | 2026 salary (AUD base plus super) |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Strata Manager | Strata Administrator, Assistant OC Manager | $65k–$90k |
| Strata / Owners Corporation Manager | Body Corporate Manager (QLD), OC Manager (VIC) | $90k–$130k |
| Senior / Portfolio Strata Manager | Senior Strata Manager | $130k–$180k+ |
| Team Leader / Department Manager | GM Strata, Head of Strata | $150k–$220k+ |
Terminology is state-specific and it matters on your CV. Queensland says body corporate. New South Wales says strata. Victoria says owners corporation. Same job, three vocabularies — use the one the employer uses.
Portfolio size drives pay more than title. Exactly as in residential property management, the number of schemes and lots you run is the real measure. Ask for it before you accept a title.
The top of the ladder is repeat business. The national strata groups — PICA, Bright & Duggan, Netstrata, Whittles, Civium and their peers — are consolidating, and their department-head seats at $150k–$220k+ come up again and again.
How to become one
Two doors in:
- Assistant strata manager. The entry seat. You learn the meetings, the levies and the software under a manager, then take your own portfolio.
- The move from residential property management. This is the big one. Burnt-out property managers are strata's best recruits: the compliance instinct, the owner-handling and the trust-account discipline all transfer, and the pay goes up on day one.
Queensland does not licence body corporate managers the way New South Wales licences strata managing agents; the recognised professional path here is accreditation through Strata Community Association (Qld).Employers weigh experience and a clean portfolio above the certificate.
Is it worth it?
If you are a property manager doing $70k–$95k on a heavy portfolio, the strata equivalent starts at $90k and the phone is quieter. That is the trade, and a lot of people are making it. The bands above are 2026 figures, AUD base plus super, from the ANOTHR Salary Guide. The desk is at Strata & Owners Corporation.
Hiring, or thinking about a move? The first conversation is free and honest — 0483 938 694, or start below.