In short—yes. Strata and body corporate are the same thing.

In New South Wales, the term “body corporate” was the official name used for the collective owners in a strata scheme. That changed with the introduction of the Strata Schemes Management Act 1996, which formally replaced “body corporate” with the term “owners corporation.”

Why the Change?

The shift to “owners corporation” was intended to better reflect what this group actually is—a legal entity made up of all lot owners who share responsibility for the common property.

Today, the term owners corporation is the correct legal name, but you’ll still hear people say “body corporate” out of habit.

What Does the Owners Corporation Do?

The owners corporation is responsible for:

• Maintaining and repairing common property (lobbies, gardens, lifts, pools, etc.)
• Managing finances, including levies and budgets
• Enforcing by-laws and resolving disputes
• Electing the Strata Committee each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

In practice, many of these functions are delegated to a strata managing agent, like Metro Strata, to make life easier for owners and ensure compliance with legislation.

Metro Strata’s Advice

Whether you call it strata, body corporate, or owners corporation, the responsibilities are the same. What matters is having a proactive, professional management team to support your scheme.