It is mandatory under the Rules of a Body Corporate that a Secretary be appointed. The Rules also govern the procedures for the removal of an incumbent Secretary. As an indication of good faith and of our confidence in our ability to properly perform the role of Secretary as intended and to the satisfaction of our Proprietor clients, we do not try to lock ourselves in forever. Instead, we offer ourselves for re-appointment every year.
We ensure that the Proprietors' Resolutions by which our Secretarial appointments and re-appointments are made specify (in detail) all of the duties and powers relating to our secretarial role. The duties include such things as the annual renewal of insurance; preparing and distributing Notices of Annual Meetings (and the Minutes of the Meetings) plus Annual Accounts and Budgets; Common Property inspections; preparing and dispatching Levy Accounts and ensuring payments are received by the due dates; banking the Levies proceeds; paying all accounts that have been budgeted for; maintaining the books of account and the Register of Proprietors & Mortgagees and dealing with all of the many events and enquiries that inevitably arise from time to time.
In fact, we perform all of the tasks, functions and roles that usually have to be undertaken by Committee member volunteers and this creates the often welcome scenario for removing the need to have an active Body Corporate Committee.
Essential attributes for a good Body Corporate Secretary are to be readily available; to be a good communicator; to have good leadership and people skills; to have access to good Contractors; to be always respectful and fair towards Proprietors and Occupiers of Units; to have a high level of broadly based commercial/business experience and to have the necessary specialist knowledge relating to Bodies Corporate and the laws under which they must operate.
The fundamental requirement, however, is to be free of all possible conflicts of interest so as to be able to act independently and impartially at all times in the best interests of all. Click here for more information on Conflicts of Interest.
No Body Corporate Secretary should ever be appointed before full details of his/her experience and qualifications have been notified to those making the appointment and every care needs to be taken to ensure there are no possible conflicts of interest. Click here for more information on Conflicts of Interest.
Pitcaithly Body Corporate Services Limited is one of only a very few Body Corporate service providers in the South Island of New Zealand that meets the necessary criteria to be a good Secretary as defined above.
Please contact us for further information.