changing strata manager

Hi, great website. I have already learned a lot from the past hour browsing.

Our EC (of which I am a member) wants to change SM companies at the end of the current contract, and I am looking for tips to make this process go as smoothly as possible.

As I understand it, Section 11 of the Victorian OC act gives the EC power to terminate and appoint SMs. However, our current SM contract says the contract (after the initial term) needs to be terminated by an ordinary resolution “at a general meeting only”. Getting a majority vote of all owners will be a fair bit of work, because a) most owners are blissfully unaware of what keeps the building ticking along and may prefer to “leave well enough alone” and b) getting any form of response from some of the owners is difficult. So I am wondering if it is possible to inform the SM of the EC’s decision to now renew their contract, and only involve the rest of the owners if the current SM decides to play hardball.

Can you please share your experiences with changing SMs, and any tips you have?

If there is any more info which would be useful to understand the situation, just let me know.

Thanks,

Simon