theOCguide - The Owners Corporation Guide

Melissa was pivotal in guiding our fledgling OC through its early stages, when we lacked knowledge and experience. Her ability to provide clear and easily understandable advice, and swiftly identify and address pertinent issues was invaluable.

Without her assistance we'd still be losing money to an abysmal Strata Manager, and wouldn't have found our wonderful new management company. We can't recommend OC Guide enough.

If you're still not convinced, just have a chat with Melissa and you'll see for yourself!

We can't speak highly enough about Melissa. She helped us get rid of our appalling building managers, negotiate a contract with a new manager and organise ourselves in to a functioning OC. She is very straight-up, knowledgeable and trustworthy and has been absolute gold for us. If you need help sorting out OC or building manager issues then you are in the best hands possible with Melissa.

We have been very impressed by the professional service and guidance provided by TheOCGuide. Melissa and Merv have been helpful, knowledgeable and highly accessible in helping our OC understand our rights, under the OC Act of Victoria, and how to deal with the variety of challenges and issues that arise in OC complexes between lot owners and OC managers. They have given us unbiased and independent advice, and have helped us progress with some of the challenges we faced as a community. I highly recommend TheOCGuide to anyone who needs assistance within their OC.

Melissa at The OC Guide assisted our OC Committee to tender for OC and Facilities Management services when our 5 year contracts were coming up. Her knowledge of these industries is second to none and we valued her strong focus on bringing transparency and best practice into OC services. The tender process was clear, fair and took a significant workload off the committee. Melissa's final reports helped us easily compare providers' offers and she helped ensure we entered into fair contracts with the best interests of our owners and residents at their heart. I can't recommend The OC Guide highly enough to other OC Committees.

Melissa & Merv provided our OC much needed assistance during a tricky tender process. We were reviewing our current providers, along with new providers across OC, Building Management and Concierge contracts. They both were highly professional and helped us achieve the pest possible outcome from many perspectives. I was really happy with their service - fair and ethical. Thanks the OC guide!

Thank-you Mel and Merv for your wonderful advice on the issues raised from our Dorfler Lodge Questions over the Zoom meeting.
We appreciate your up to date advice and your expert advice with years of experience. It has clarified a lot of certainty moving forward. We were able to watch the recording overseas as we could not attend the meeting.
Warmest regards
Andrea F

I was the chairman of a large Southbank building that engaged theOCguide to run a tender process for us. The huge amounts of hard work and knowledge passed onto us by Melissa and Merv helped us enormously. Never once did they try and push us in any direction but provided us with so many comparisons and extra meetings that we were spoilt for choice.

Our Owners Corporation hired theOCguide as consultant to help and advise us in finding and appointing a new strata manager. This was due to poor performance and lack of due diligence by the strata management company we had been assigned to by a previous company. We've been with our new strata manager for six months now and are very happy with the new appointment. We're particularly grateful to theOCguide for its deep knowledge of the strata industry, for the fact that it works on behalf of owners corporations rather than strata companies and does so with integrity and efficiency at an affordable cost. We have no hesitation in recommending theOCguide to any owners corporation seeking help with a poorly performing strata company, or any other issue needing expert guidance.

We are a large OC that shifted from one Strata Manager to another one in 2022 that wasn’t much better. Then we found theOCguide. Melissa was outstanding at every step of process, explaining how it’d work to our 7 committees, supporting us to identify what was most critical to us, then guiding us to several great Strata Managers, with support to determine which was best suited to us. I’d highly recommend them if you are facing the possibility of trying to find a new strata manager. OC Chair

Melissa and the team at The OC Guide have been amazing in every regard, we came across them by accident being a lot owner on an OC that was in a terrible mess. Melissa took all of those issues on board and very promptly and professionally fixed all of the issues. We have since used The OC Guide for other properties we have and their assistance has been invaluable. I cannot recommend them enough, they are extremely professional, diligent, knowledgeable and down to earth. Most businesses these days don't provide great service any more, The OC Guide went above and beyond, and they are one of those businesses that we actually look forward to working with into the future, we cannot thank them enough for their efforts. Highly recommend!

Our Committee recently engaged the OCguide to assist us with a tender process which resulted in the change of our Body Corporate Management. Not only did they get us the best deal possible, but they also helped us through an incredible tense change over process. Their professionalism and expertise cannot be faulted, and Mel in particular went above and beyond to make the process as seamless as possible. I could not recommend their services highly enough.

As a new member of an Owners Corporation Committee I was very impressed with the knowledge gained by an online training session that OCGuide’s Melissa Harvey ran. She was clear, concise, evidence based and very knowledgeable about the role of an OCC and what the members are responsible for. I can’t wait for the next session and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her and her company for any training related to Owners Corporations. A five star experience!

The OC Guide is an excellent and comprehensive strata management resource that also provides a very affordable consultancy service. As it happened Melissa went above and beyond with free advice and recommendations that helped us navigate away from a poorly performing and expensive management company to a much more affordable and caring strata manager. They are their weight in gold.

The OC Guide have been fabulous to work with. A wealth of knowledge, professional, prompt with amazing communication. We sincerely could not have navigated this Tender without them. A huge thank you to the OC Guide

I was having a lot of issues with the owner’s corporation for our investment property. Basically, the block of townhouses had no building insurance because the management agents that were employed did not take one out, they were not responding to my calls or emails etc. I happened to come across the OC Guide while I was googling how to get help on my predicament. So, I made an online enquiry – that is when the heavens opened and gave me Melissa. Talk about outstanding customer service, quality communication and accuracy on her knowledge with the current legislation. With a few calls and emails, she was able to get my problem solved. Melissa was able to terminate the services of the rouge management company and was able to recommend a reputable management agent for the block of townhouses. I would recommend Melissa from The OC Guide for any issues you may have. Thank you, Melissa, for everything you did for us you were amazing.

The services provided by Melissa and Merv of The OC Guide were very valuable. The OC Guide were engaged to undertake the process of tendering for multiple OCs management contracts. The process was thoroughly planned and well executed resulting in the appointment of new managers.

Melissa has gone above and beyond to help myself and my neighbours move away from a company that were not acting in our best interests.

Thank you for your support, advocacy and knowledge!

I was referred to Melissa Harvey by someone who had dealt with her previously and had found her to be an excellent OC manager.
However, when I contacted Melissa to ask her if she would manage our small Owners Corporation as we were not happy with the incumbent manager, I found that she had started her own business advising OCs such as ours on how to find the right OC Management company.
Melissa has been incredibly helpful with identifying our needs, advertising for tenders, submitting proposals to us from the OC Management companies she thought most appropriate, and then reviewing and amending the contract with the OC Manager we selected
from Melissa's shortlist.
Her knowledge of OC rules and regulations is astounding - there wasn't a single question she couldn't answer! We put our complete trust in her and she guided us through the changeover every step of the way.
I cannot recommend Melissa and the OC Guide highly enough.
It has also cost us very little for the service and expertise The OC Guide has provided.
Thank you, Mel!!!
Arlene Green.

I found Melissa of The OC Guide very efficient and thorough in pursuit of the tasks that we set her, which were to review our current Owners Corporation management and to develop and review tenders received for a new contract. The OC Guide provided comprehensive reports for both reviews undertaken which allowed the Committee to easily understand the details and compare all proposals before making a decision on which way to go.

At all times Melissa was very responsive and to the point, a very important attribute for this type of contract.

I was very impressed with how she dealt with the presentation of outcomes to the OC committee and she was very helpful in answering all questions.

The fees charged by The OC Guide were extremely reasonable and the process worthwhile because our annual OC management fees were reduced extensively giving huge cost savings to our OC which has over 400 lots in total.

In summary, there is no hesitation on my part in recommending The OC Guide to anyone who needs services such as this.

Prompt and very knowledgeable. Our OC was really inefficient. Melissa not only helped us find a new one but helped translate all the legalities around moving. Highly recommended