Committee Member Handbook
A comprehensive guide for committee members covering roles, responsibilities, and how to be an effective committee.
Published 1 August 2026 · Updated 24 August 2026
When your building needs a committee
An owners corporation with 13 or more lots must elect a committee; smaller ones may choose to. In buildings under 10 lots, the "committee" is often the whole ownership acting at general meetings, which is legally simpler but relies on owners actually turning up.
A committee of between 3 and 7 members can act on behalf of the owners corporation for most day-to-day decisions, which prevents small buildings from stalling every time a quote needs approval.
Duties and personal exposure
Committee members must act honestly, in good faith, and with due care and diligence. They must not make improper use of their position. Done properly — decisions minuted, conflicts declared, spending within approved budgets — committee work carries limited personal risk.
Problems arise when committees act outside their delegated powers, commit the owners corporation to spending without approval, or let insurance lapse. Professional indemnity cover held by a licensed manager does not cover a committee acting alone.
Running effective meetings
The essentials: circulate an agenda in advance, keep minutes that record decisions (not debates), confirm a quorum, and distinguish ordinary resolutions from special and unanimous resolutions — using the wrong type is one of the most common procedural failures in small buildings.
This handbook is being expanded
Further chapters on financial oversight, working with your manager, and handling difficult owners are in progress. Contact us if you would like an early copy of any section.