How to change your body corporate manager in Queensland

Six steps to change your body corporate manager

1. Check your current agreement

   Find the current manager’s written engagement. Note its start date and term (it cannot be more than 3 years), the duties it lists, and what it says about ending early. If the wording is unclear, get independent legal advice. The Queensland Government cannot interpret contracts for you.

2. Work out how the current engagement will end

   An engagement can end when its term expires, if the manager agrees, if the manager is convicted of an offence involving dishonesty, fraud or assault, or if the manager fails to perform its duties or comply with the Act or the code of conduct (through the remedial action notice process below).

3. Ask for proposals

   Ask two or three managers for a written proposal. Compare the services included, the fees, how each manager reports to the committee, and who your contact will be. Tell them the scheme name, CTS number, number of lots and regulation module.

4. Put a motion to a general meeting

   The committee cannot engage a manager on its own. Owners decide by ordinary resolution at a general meeting, and the terms of the proposed contract must go to owners with the notice. You can use the AGM or call an extraordinary general meeting with at least 21 days’ notice.

5. Sign the new engagement

   Once the motion passes, the new engagement is put in writing. It lists the manager’s duties, states the term and sets out how the manager is paid. The statutory code of conduct automatically forms part of it.

6. Hand over records and accounts

   After the committee passes a resolution and gives notice, the outgoing manager must return the body corporate’s records and property within 14 days. Electronic records can be required in an accessible form at the outgoing manager’s cost. The new manager then sets up bank signatories, insurance details, contractors and levy notices.

If the manager is not doing the job: the remedial action notice

If a manager fails to perform its duties under the engagement or breaches the code of conduct, the committee can decide to give it a remedial action notice. The notice must:

• state the duties not performed or the alleged breach of the code, with specific details
• give the manager at least 14 days to fix the problem
• state that the engagement may be ended if the problem is not fixed

If the manager does not comply, the body corporate can end the engagement by ordinary resolution at a general meeting. Where a scheme has no committee, owners of at least half the lots can decide to serve the notice.

Calling the meeting

You can put the motion on the next AGM agenda or hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The committee can call an EGM by majority of its voting members. Owners of at least 25% of the lots can also require one by signed written request, and the meeting must then be called within 14 days. Every owner must get at least 21 days’ written notice, including the terms of the proposed engagement.

Choosing the right time

Many bodies corporate change managers when the current term ends, because that avoids any argument about termination. If your term ends soon, start collecting proposals a few months ahead so the motion can go to the AGM or an EGM before the expiry date.

Changing to Estate Plaza

We manage around 200 schemes from our Mackay office. When you request a proposal we will:

• send a written proposal and our agreement terms that your committee can circulate with the meeting notice
• explain the changeover timetable for your scheme, including the records handover
• once engaged, set up the bank accounts, roll, insurance details, contractors and levy schedule, and write to every owner with our contact details

Frequently asked questions

Can the committee sack the body corporate manager?

Not on its own. The committee can decide to give the manager a remedial action notice. If the manager does not fix the problem within the time allowed (at least 14 days), the body corporate can end the engagement by ordinary resolution at a general meeting. The committee also cannot engage a new manager. Owners decide that at a general meeting.

How long can a body corporate manager’s contract be?

The written engagement must state a term of no more than 3 years.

Can we change managers before the contract ends?

Yes, in limited circumstances, for example if the manager agrees, or if there are grounds such as: a conviction for an offence involving dishonesty, fraud or assault, or a failure to perform duties or comply with the Act or code that is not fixed after a remedial action notice. Otherwise most bodies corporate change at the end of the term. Get legal advice for your contract.

How long does the old manager have to hand over records?

Records and property must be returned within 14 days of getting the committee’s notice, which the committee must first approve by resolution. Not complying is an offence.

What resolution is needed to engage a new body corporate manager?

An ordinary resolution at a general meeting, with the proposed contract terms sent to owners before the meeting. A different process, which needs a special resolution (by secret ballot unless owners have agreed by ordinary resolution to an open ballot), applies when a manager is engaged to replace the committee entirely.

Sources

1. Body corporate manager (Queensland Government)
2. Returning records to your body corporate (Queensland Government)
3. Calling an extraordinary general meeting (Queensland Government)
4. Body corporate and community management disputes (QCAT)
5. Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld)
6. Body Corporate and Community Management (Standard Module) Regulation 2020

Checked 22 October 2026. The law and official guidance change, so check the current source before relying on it. This page is general information about Queensland body corporate law, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, speak with a lawyer.