How to win work from strata and body corporate managers
One strata manager can look after dozens of buildings, and every one of them needs cleaning, gardens, repairs and painting. Here is how the buying works and how to get on their contractor list.
Who they are
A strata manager runs the shared side of apartment blocks, townhouse complexes and some commercial buildings for the owners. In Queensland the scheme is a body corporate and the manager is a body corporate manager. In NSW the owners corporation often appoints a strata managing agent. Victoria uses owners corporations too. The names change, the job is much the same.
The manager looks after common property: the driveways, gardens, stairwells, pool, roof, gutters and outside walls. They keep the records, call meetings, collect levies and arrange the work. What they usually can't do is decide alone on bigger spending. A committee of owners, elected at the annual meeting, approves quotes, and the largest jobs go to all owners at a general meeting.
That shapes how you sell. The manager is your way in and your day-to-day contact, but your quote is read by owners who live in the building. It needs to make sense to someone who isn't in your trade. Cleaners and landscapers often win regular contracts here; painters win the larger repaint jobs.
What they’ll ask a new supplier for
- Your ABN and business details
- Public liability insurance, with a current certificate of currency
- Workers’ compensation cover where you have workers
- Your trade licence, where your trade and state require one
- Safe work method statements for high risk construction work, such as work at height
- Registration on their contractor compliance system, if they use one
- A written quote with a clear scope, ready to put in front of the committee
What they buy, and what they pass on
Common area cleaning
Lobbies, stairs, bin rooms and car parks, on a regular schedule. Often a standing contract reviewed every year or two.
Gardens and grounds
Mowing, hedges, garden beds and tree work on a regular schedule, plus one-off clean-ups.
Repairs to common property
Plumbing, roofing, gutters, gates, lighting and doors. Steady small jobs from the manager, larger ones through the committee.
Painting and building upkeep
Exterior repaints, line marking, waterproofing. Big jobs that are planned years ahead and need more than one quote.
Pool, pest and safety servicing
Pool care, pest treatments and fire safety checks. Recurring and often contracted. Fire safety work has its own licensing in most states.
Window and gutter cleaning at height
Regular work for buildings over a couple of storeys. Expect closer checks on safety and insurance.
How they choose who to use
A quote the committee can follow
Plain scope, clear price, what’s included and what isn’t. Owners compare quotes side by side at a meeting.
Compliance up front
Insurance, licence and safety documents ready before they ask. Many managers won’t put a contractor in front of a committee without them.
Reliability over time
Regular work like cleaning and gardens is judged on months of turning up, not one good visit.
Low complaint load
Owners and residents complain to the manager. A contractor who generates fewer complaints is a contractor they keep.
Reports after each visit
A short note or photos after a service lets the manager answer the committee without a site visit.
Getting on their list
Most strata management firms keep a preferred contractor list or panel. Larger firms often check contractors through a compliance platform such as Cm3, where you upload your insurance, licences and safety documents once and firms that use it can see that you're cleared. Smaller firms keep their own list and ask for your documents by email.
Being on the panel gets you asked to quote. It doesn't guarantee the job. In Queensland, a body corporate spending over its major spending limit needs at least two quotes, and if the scheme hasn't set a limit the default is the lesser of $1,100 per lot or $10,000. So a manager on a bigger job needs more than one contractor to quote, which is a real reason they welcome a new name. Other states have their own rules: check yours.
In NSW, strata managing agents must disclose commissions they receive and any connection with suppliers they use for a scheme. Don't offer a manager a referral fee or kickback; it puts them in a bad spot. The guide to preferred supplier lists covers the paperwork in more detail.
How to approach them
Find the firms that manage near you
Strata firms often list the buildings or suburbs they cover. Start with those whose buildings you already drive past.
Write to a strata manager, not the general inbox
Each manager looks after their own portfolio. If the team is listed by name, pick the one whose area suits you.
Offer to quote, not to replace someone
Managers rarely sack a contractor because a stranger asked. They do need second quotes, and they do need someone when a contractor lets them down.
Get your documents in order first
Have your insurance, licence and safety documents ready to send, or register on their compliance platform before you follow up.
Quote in plain English
Write the scope so an owner who has never cut a hedge or painted a wall can follow it and compare.
A first email that works
Hi Priya, I run a small commercial cleaning business in Brisbane’s north and look after a few residential blocks around Chermside and Kedron already. I’m not asking you to change anyone. But if a committee needs a second quote for common area cleaning, or a current cleaner lets you down, I’d be glad to put a clear quote together. We send a short photo report after each visit, which committees seem to like. Would it help if I sent our insurance and safety documents so you have them on file? Thanks, Mel
An example only. The business is made up.
Three mistakes that cost the work
Quoting in trade shorthand
The committee reads your quote, not just the manager. If owners can’t follow it, the cheaper or clearer quote wins.
Offering the manager a commission
In NSW commissions must be disclosed to owners, and anywhere it looks like a kickback. It can cost the manager their client and you the panel.
Treating the first quote as the only shot
Losing one quote is normal. The manager remembers a tidy, fast quote and asks you again next time.
Businesses that work with strata managers
Part of More business relationships. See every kind of business we write to on Who buys from you.
Questions people ask
Does the strata manager decide who gets the job?
For small repairs within their delegation, often yes. For bigger spending the committee approves it, and the largest jobs go to all owners at a general meeting. Ask the manager how the scheme you’re quoting for works.
Why do they keep asking me to quote and then not choose me?
Two quotes are often required, so you may be the second quote by design. Keep quoting well; the regular work goes to whoever is reliable and easy to deal with when a spot opens.
Is strata work worth it for a small business?
Regular contracts like cleaning and gardens give predictable work you can plan staff around. The trade-off is paperwork and slower approvals.
Do I need to be on a compliance platform?
Only if the firm you want to work for uses one. Ask the firm whether it’s required, and check whether there’s a cost to register before you sign up.
What is the difference between strata and body corporate?
Mostly the name. Queensland uses body corporate; NSW, WA and others use strata; Victoria uses owners corporation. The work and the approval process are similar.
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