Prescribed Management Rules vs Conduct Rules: What's the Difference?

Management Rules: The Administrative Framework

Management rules govern how the body corporate itself functions – its internal machinery. They cover things like:

• How trustees are elected and how many may serve
• Meeting procedures, notice periods, and quorum
• Financial management, budgeting, and levy collection
• Insurance obligations and maintenance responsibilities
• Record-keeping and access to scheme documents

The Prescribed Management Rules (PMR) are set out in regulations under the STSM Act and apply automatically unless a scheme has adopted its own substituted management rules – which still require CSOS approval and can't contradict the Act itself.

Conduct Rules: Day-to-Day Behaviour

Conduct rules regulate how owners and occupiers use their sections and the common property – the practical, lived-in rules of the scheme:

• Noise, nuisance, and behaviour standards
• Pet ownership and restrictions
• Parking allocation and visitor parking use
• Use of common facilities like pools, gyms, or braai areas
• Rules on renovations, signage, and exterior appearance

Changing Each Rule Type

Why the Distinction Matters in Practice

Getting this wrong has consequences: trustees who try to solve a behavioural problem by tweaking a management rule (or vice versa) risk passing an invalid or unenforceable rule. Enforcement action based on the wrong rule category can also be successfully challenged at CSOS.