What This Looks Like in Practice

Following on from the imbalance on how this model works…

Many people assume that if something goes wrong in the building, the committee knows about it — and can fix it.

In reality, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Most issues are raised directly with building management. Some get recorded. Some don’t. Some get resolved. Some don’t.

And unless residents copy the committee in, forward an email, or happen to mention it in the lift (which is often where the real information exchange happens), there’s a good chance the committee isn’t getting the full picture.

So committees are left trying to make decisions based on a handful of emails, a few conversations, and whatever information makes its way through.

So, a fairly common question arises — who is actually responsible for what here?

Between building manager, strata managers and committees, the roles are quite different — but not always well understood. This can lead to frustration being directed in the wrong place, expectations that don’t quite line up, and the assumption that the committee has far more control than it actually does.

Because while committees provide oversight, they often don’t have full visibility, and they don’t have full control.

The end result? Residents are frustrated, committees are overwhelmed, and everyone is working with slightly different pieces of the puzzle.

Without a clear, structured view of what’s actually happening, even the best intentions are hard to turn into effective action.