What to know as a Condo Owner

The council members are generally elected at annual general meetings (AGMs) and up to 14 council members can be elected. Voting in the election is on a one vote-per-unit basis. All council members will retire from office at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting (AGM), but a retiring council member will be eligible for re-election based on the eligibility criteria.

›   Who can run for the management council?

To be eligible for election, you have to be at least 21 years old and:

• A unit owner (i.e. subsidiary proprietor ‘SP’); or
• A nominee who is an immediate family member of a unit owner (i.e. subsidiary proprietor ‘SP’) that nominate him or her; or
• A nominee of a unit owner (i.e. subsidiary proprietor ‘SP’) that is a company.

Nonetheless, the management council is still subject to any restrictions placed upon it by unit owners (i.e. subsidiary proprietors ‘SPs’) in a general meeting. For instance, the unit owners (i.e. subsidiary proprietors ‘SPs’) in a general meeting can decide that for certain matters, only the Management Corporation (MC) (and not the management council) can determine such matters.

• Chairperson:
  Runs all the meetings of the Management Corporation (MC) and rules whether a particular motion is in order. The Chairperson also oversees council meetings and general meetings.


• Secretary:
  Arranges meetings by providing notice of the meetings, prepares and distributes meeting agendas and minutes, and maintains the strata roll. In addition, the secretary enables the inspection of documents, answers communications addressed to the Management Corporation (MC), convenes meetings of the council and of the Management Corporation (MC) and attends to matters of an administrative or secretarial nature.


• Treasurer:
  Notifies unit owners (i.e. subsidiary proprietors ‘SPs’) of contributions levied; receives, deals with (e.g. deposits into banks) and accounts for any money paid to the Management Corporation (MC), and keeps accounting records and prepares the financial statements of the Management Corporation (MC).

The Management Corporation (MC) may in writing delegate to a managing agent (MA) part or all its powers, duties, and functions. This can be done via voting at a general meeting. These duties may include performing the functions of the chairman, secretary, treasurer, or the whole council.

However, the Management Corporation (MC) cannot allow the managing agent (MA) to further delegate its duties to others or make a decision on a restricted matter that can be determined only by the Management Corporation (MC) in a general meeting.

›   What are accredited managing agents (MAs)?

These accredited managing agent (MA) individuals have gone through a structured training program and have passed an examination conducted by either the Association of Property and Facility Managers (APFM) or Association of Strata Managers (ASM), and the BCA Academy, among other requirements set by the respective associations. The skill sets developed through the accreditation training program are aimed at equipping managing agents (MAs) with the capabilities to carry out duties professionally.

Besides a managing agent (MA), the Management Corporation (MC) may also need to engage service providers to maintain common property facilities and features such as the swimming pool, landscape, tennis courts, lift etc.

Apart from the COB, there are other government agencies that oversee various aspects of the estate:

• Agency for Integrated Care (AIC): AIC coordinates and supports efforts in the area of healthcare in the community. AIC reaches out to caregivers, clients and seniors with information on staying active and aging well, and connects them to healthcare services and support that they might need.
• Silver Generation Office (part of Agency for Integrated Care) (SGO): SGO is the outreach arm for AIC. Their volunteers, called the Silver Generation Ambassadors (SGAs), conduct house visits to engage seniors and help them better understand their healthcare needs. SGAs also share various active ageing programmes, government policies and schemes available to help seniors live well and stay active in the community.
• Building and Construction Authority (BCA): Oversees additions and alterations within a unit that require approval of the Commissioner of Building Control.
• Land Transport Authority (LTA): LTA regulates the street works and car parks constructed by developers to ensure that they are safe for all users. LTA also ensures that the proposed development works and restricted activities do not pose any safety risk of rail and road infrastructure, or cause disruption to their operations. LTA may be reached at LTA_DBC_Registry@lta.gov.sg for queries regarding the aforementioned areas of interest.
• National Parks Board (NParks): NParks is responsible for enhancing and managing the urban ecosystems of our City in Nature. NParks is the lead agency for greenery, biodiversity conservation, and wildlife and animal health, welfare and management. For feedback regarding greenery matters outside of the condo estate, please see here. For animal and bird-related matters, please see here.
• People’s Association (PA): Through the Residents’ Networks and Neighbourhood Committees, the PA collaborates with the residents to curate activities to promote neighbourliness, to strengthen the social bonds among residents, and to build the community spirit within MCST communities.
• PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency (PUB): Regulates the standards of plumbing and water supply maintenance undertaken by the MCST.
• Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF): Owners or tenants who wish to erect any fire safety works e.g. canopies / awnings over PES, are required to engage a Qualified Person (QP) to make a plan submission to seek approval from SCDF before they commence their works. For more details on plan approval, please see here. For fire safety at common areas, MCSTs and residents can refer to the Fire Safety Guidelines on usage of common areas which are applicable to condos.
• Singapore Land Authority (SLA): The Management Corporation (MC) is constituted upon registration of the Strata Title Plan (STP) at SLA. The STP and the plan for individual units must be submitted to and approved by the Chief Surveyor before lodgement of the application for registration of the STP.
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA): URA evaluates proposed works within the condo estate that requires planning permission. Please refer to the following for more information - Residential Handbook for Flats and Condominiums, Exemptions from Planning Permission.