Being a trustee of a body corporate is often a thankless task, but also a position that is seldom occupied by someone deemed to be adequately qualified to carry such tremendous responsibility. Trustees have a fiduciary duty to administer the body corporate’s financials on behalf of its members.

What owners often do not realise is that all structural additions and extensions have to be approved, first by the body corporate (STSM Reg 30), and then by the municipality. Following construction, the alteration must then be verified by a land surveyor and approved by the Surveyor-General to make the amendments to the sectional plan official.

Some community schemes pride themselves in having ultra-low levies, while others struggle to garner the funding to keep themselves afloat. Both situations are undesirable from a financial viewpoint, and there is significant value in keeping a close eye on your sectional title scheme’s admin fund budget and 10-year maintenance plan at all times.

The cost of maintenance for a sectional title scheme is commonly determined by its size, the current state of repair and the extent of maintenance required. To gauge these costs, the body corporate needs to obtain quotes from the relevant contractors.