Specialist Certificate in Strata Property Management

1.  Course Background
Strata-titled properties give individuals ownership of units (termed a strata lot/unit) in a multi-unit development and shared ownership of common areas in the development (such as car parks, swimming pools, club house etc in condominiums).  The Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA) provides the framework for the envisaged collaborative and cooperative self governance of the shared common areas by Subsidiary Proprietors (SPs) or Individual Owners, via a Management Corporation (MC) / MCST.

The growth in strata developments has fueled the growth of Managing Agents (MAs) who are appointed to manage the common areas by MCs.  Strata management is a specialist area of property management; it is more complex and demanding particularly in mixed use developments where there is likely to be greater differences in the vested interest of SPs.

RECA’s Specialist Certificate in Strata Property Management provides Legislative-Technical-Administrative knowledge and skills training to fill the current gap in the provision of a certifiable training course to level up service standards. It forms one of two parts of BCA’s specified training for accreditation (https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/accreditation-schemes-for-managing-agents) as an MA individual (the other part being the ‘Legislation Course for Managing Agents’ conducted by the BCA Academy.

MA individuals with a minimum of two years relevant full-time work experience in strata property management who pass both parts of the training can apply to be an Accredited MA individual with relevant professional associations such as Association of Strata Managers (ASM) and Association of Property & Facility Managers (APFM).  The decision to accept the applicant for accreditation is at the sole discretion of the Association/s concerned. To date, 367 holders of the RECA Specialist Certificate in Strata Property Management have been accredited since the course was first offered in June 2020.

2.  Course Objectives
The RECA Specialist Certificate in Strata Property Management addresses one of the key initiatives spelt out in the Real Estate ITM launched on 8 February 2018, viz. ‘Build up local FM talent and raise professionalism and attractiveness of FM industry’.  It fills the current gap in the provision of a certifiable training course for the strata property management in-employed to level up service standards and a training avenue for those seeking to join the industry which currently faces manpower shortages. The course will also serve the needs of other parties who provide built environment services.

The course will provide Legislative-Technical-Administrative knowledge and skills training interweaved with social skills training for operational level management of strata-titled properties. Learning outcomes will comprise in the main of knowledge and skills to apply defined/established techniques, methods, operations and routines.

3.  Course Structure
The course comprises three modules as shown in the table below:

4.  Course Duration
49 hours (excluding exams)

5.  Mode of Delivery, Assessment & Certification
The mode of delivery will comprise lectures delivered either face to face or by live streaming/video conferencing via RECA’s ELearning Hub.

Assessment will be in the form of examinations. There will be two examinations in total, one combining the content of Module 1 and 2, and one on Module 3. Each examination will comprise short questions and longer problem-based essay questions testing practical application of the knowledge imparted.

The total number of marks for each exam is 100; participants must achieve a mark of 50 to pass. The RECA Specialist Certificate in Strata Property Management will be issued upon completion and passing of both examinations of the course.

6.  Entry Requirements
Applicants are expected to have:
• GCE ‘O’ or ‘N’ Level with credits in English and Mathematics or equivalent and
• Basic IT proficiency in the use of MS Office software.

7.   Progression and Lifelong Learning
Provisions for Lifelong Learning for Specialist Certificate in Strata Property Management holders designated as ‘Accredited MA Individual’ is in place:

7.1  Deep Skilling
Acquire deeper/specialist skills through the Specialist Diploma in Strata Property Management after attaining the  ‘Accredited’ status.

7.2  Lateral/Up-Skilling
Acquire lateral and/or improve knowledge by progressing onto the range of courses on the RECA Real Estate/Facilities Management and Maintenance Lifelong Learning Roadmap such as the Specialist Certificate in Building Inspection, Advanced Diploma in Property and Facilities Management and the Diplomas in Real Estate Management / Facilities Management to enhance their employability to take on extended roles in the wider realm of the Facilities Management Industry.

8.  Course Fees & Funding Support
$1,900 nett.  Course fee funding is available; see details below:

i. SSG Funding: Visit this website
https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/portal/en/training-exchange/course-directory/course-detail.html?courseReferenceNumber=TGS-2021003543.

ii. SkillsFuture Credit:
All Singaporeans aged 25 and above can use their $500 SkillsFuture Credit to offset the unfunded portion of the course fees. Visit https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/portal/en/training-exchange/course-directory/course-detail.html?courseReferenceNumber=TGS-2021003543 and login using your Singpass.

9.  Registration & Enquiries
Please call 6563 4176 or e-mail: enquiry@reca.edu.sg for other information you may require.

Please note:
It may be necessary for reasons beyond RECA’s control, to change the content and timing of the programme and the identity of the course leader/s.