What's the difference between a body corporate and an owners corporation?
In this month’s Strata Q&A, we received a question from James K, a new owner based in QLD, regarding the difference between two terms used across the strata sector that may be unfamiliar to new owners - “body corporate” and “owners corporation”.
Q. What's the difference between a body corporate and an owners corporation?
I currently live in Sydney, New South Wales and recently purchased an investment property in Queensland, but as it is my first apartment, I’m unsure how strata works in different stats. Here in NSW, I hear people refer to the “owners corporation”, but all the paperwork from my QLD property refers to the “body corporate” instead. Are these actually different organisations with different responsibilities, or is it just the same concept with different terminology?
A. In NSW, strata managers are legally required to disclose any commissions or benefits they receive in the agency agreement and at each AGM
Congratulations on purchasing your first strata property. Being from NSW, you may be more familiar with the terms we use here, and learning how things work in other states can be confusing at first. The good news is that a ‘body corporate’ in QLD works the same way as an ‘owners corporation’ in NSW — it’s simply the name used in that state for the group of owners who manage the building together.
Body Corporate (Queensland)
In Queensland, the governing entity for a strata scheme is called the body corporate. It’s made up of all the lot owners and is legally responsible for managing and maintaining common property, setting and enforcing by-laws, arranging insurance, and running meetings.
Owners Corporation (New South Wales)
In NSW (and some other states like Victoria), the equivalent entity is called the owners corporation. Like the body corporate in Queensland, it is the collective group of all lot owners, with the same key responsibilities for maintaining common property, enforcing rules, and making decisions on behalf of the scheme.
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