FitScore is Local Strata Manager's 0–100 weighted best-fit score. It compares managers using eight factors — fees, experience, communication, compliance, location, technology, references and culture fit — and you can adjust the weights to match your committee's priorities.
FitScore is a transparent 0–100 weighted comparison score calculated for every strata manager in a Local Strata Manager shortlist. It compares each manager against the building information and priorities in the committee's brief using eight factors: fees, experience, communication, compliance, location, technology, references and culture fit. The score is intended to make a complicated comparison easier, but it is not simply a ranking of the cheapest manager.
Strata management quotes are difficult to compare because managers can structure their fees, inclusions, staffing and service promises differently. A low base fee may exclude meetings, document preparation, after-hours support or project work. A more expensive quote may include stronger service, greater experience or technology that reduces administration for the committee. FitScore places these different signals into one structured comparison while still allowing the committee to inspect the underlying details.
The platform publishes the factor names, while the detailed calculation is presented transparently within the comparison. Committees should review the component information rather than relying only on the final number.
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Not every owners corporation values the same things. A small self-managed block may place more emphasis on low all-in fees and practical communication. A high-rise with defects may place more weight on relevant experience, technology and project capability. Weighting allows each factor to contribute according to the committee's priorities. When the priorities change, the order of the shortlist may also change. This helps avoid a one-size-fits-all ranking in which every building receives the same answer.
Yes. Local Strata Manager states that users can adjust the factor weights to match what their committee values most. For example, a committee may prioritise experience with major works, fast communication, a local office, stronger technology or a lower expected annual cost. The score should then be interpreted as a measure of fit against those selected priorities, not a universal quality rating.
No. Fees are one factor, but FitScore is expressly designed not to be only a fee comparison. Two managers with identical fees may receive different scores because one has stronger experience with the property type, a better communication model, more suitable technology or more relevant references. Similarly, a manager with a higher quote may still rank strongly if the proposal provides better value and a closer match to the brief.
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Yes. FitScore is calculated against an individual building brief, so the same manager may be an excellent fit for one scheme and a weaker fit for another. A manager specialising in boutique residential buildings may score strongly for a 12-lot walk-up but less strongly for a 200-lot mixed-use tower. A large firm may have excellent technology but may not match a committee seeking a highly personal local service. This is why FitScore should be understood as a matching score rather than a permanent public rating of the company.
Not necessarily. Local Strata Manager explains that the display order of managers can be influenced by FitScore, response time, verified reviews and compliance signals. FitScore focuses on how well a manager matches the brief. Other live performance or verification signals may also help users sort and compare the shortlist. The platform states that payment for prominence does not influence ordering and that sponsored placements are not sold.
Local Strata Manager states that managers do not receive sponsored placement and that ordering is never paid for. Managers may pay the platform under its disclosed business model, but the platform states that payment does not influence ranking or visibility. Committees should still review the platform's current ranking and payment disclosures, which explain how the service is funded and how managers are displayed.
No. A FitScore is a comparison aid, not a legal, financial or professional guarantee. The appearance, prominence or order of a manager does not guarantee future performance. The owners corporation remains responsible for making its own enquiries, reviewing the proposal and appointing the manager through the required process. A high score should lead to closer consideration, not automatic appointment.
A FitScore alone cannot confirm whether the final agency agreement matches the quote in every detail, whether the specific person assigned to the building is the person interviewed, the assigned manager's current portfolio size and workload unless disclosed, how the manager will perform in every future emergency or dispute, whether every optional service or disbursement is included, whether the committee will work well with the manager over the full contract term, or whether a quoted service is suitable without checking the scheme's legal and operational needs.
Use it to identify the managers most closely aligned with the brief, then open the component breakdown and understand why each manager scored as they did. Test different committee priorities and see whether the shortlist order changes. Compare the full annual cost rather than only the headline base fee. Review verified compliance information and references. Interview the strongest two or three managers. Request the draft agency agreement before making the final decision. Record the committee's comparison and reasons for its recommendation.
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Ask which factors increased or reduced the manager's score, whether the fees were assessed on a comparable all-in basis, what building experience was treated as relevant, how communication was assessed, which verification or compliance information was available, whether the manager actively services your location, what technology or owner portal functions are included, whether the references are from buildings similar to yours, and which committee priorities are currently weighted most heavily.
No. A lower score may simply mean that another manager is a closer match to the particular brief. For example, a reputable high-rise specialist may score lower for a small regional scheme because its experience, location, service model or pricing is less aligned with that property. FitScore should not be used to make broad claims about a manager outside the context of the specific shortlist.
Local Strata Manager states that the score is transparent and that users can see how each component is calculated. Transparency allows a committee to challenge an assumption, change its priorities or investigate a component that materially affected the result. This is more useful than a single unexplained star rating because the committee can see which aspects of the proposal create the match.
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