For more that a year now the Unit Owners Association of Queensland (UOAQ) has been running a helpline of the state’s apartment owners.

This wee they released a survey of the kinds of calls they’ve received and it makes some very telling points about how the whole body corporate system in Queensland is stacked against the owners

It’s not just the legalised corruption of the trade in management rights and the fact that owners can’t get these  grossly unfair contracts renegotiated or revoked, there are issues with dispute resolution, insurance scams and sweetheart deals for contractors.

The following is a summary of their findings.  You can read the whole report HERE.

The Helpline evidence exposes serious weaknesses.

From July 2025 to July 2026, UOAQ recorded 663 contacts, including 428 substantive strata problems. Only 16% were low severity. More than four in five were moderate, high or critical, and more than two in five had already reached high or critical severity. Owners seek help because their scheme’s normal processes have failed.

Management rights is the largest problem.

The 67 enquiries described decades-long contracts, repeated extensions, rising remuneration, uncertain duties and poor performance controls. Committees face enormous cost and delay when they attempt to enforce, renegotiate or terminate these arrangements. Owners lack an affordable mechanism to measure performance, test value and replace an unsatisfactory contractor.

Dispute resolution has become part of the problem.

UOAQ recorded 63 enquiries involving conflict and legal processes, with more than 80% rated high or critical. Owners reported years of correspondence, conciliation, adjudication and approaches to managers, insurers, regulators and elected representatives without resolution. Queensland’s system entrenches disputes instead of delivering prompt, authoritative and affordable outcomes.

Financial and governance pressures are widespread.

Insurance generated 62 enquiries involving escalating premiums, unavailable cover, commissions, fees, excesses and claims administration. Property rights and by-laws produced another 63, while body corporate managers accounted for 45 and committee governance for 42. Owners repeatedly struggled to obtain records, understand decisions, enforce by-laws, manage conflicts and test service providers.

BCCM Act Reform for Queenslanders

The Act must strengthen prevention, transparency and accountability. Owners need timely access to records, reasons for major decisions, transparent insurance procurement, measurable service standards and competitive testing of long-term contracts. Committees need stronger professional support, and dispute processes must provide proportionate remedies before legal costs become prohibitive. The 428 cases form an early-warning system: when something goes wrong, ordinary owners cannot reliably obtain information, hold decision-makers accountable or secure a timely remedy. BCCM reform must correct that failure.

UOAQ have also issued a call to action, inviting owners to articipat participate in the body’s financial study by sending their latest AGM notice of meeting to he**@******rg.au, so that owners can review a comparison of their scheme’s finances with other similar schemes.

The body also suggests owners should send an email to the Attorney General at at******@*****************ov.au and request that the reform program of the BCCM Act should require input from owners