What Landlords Need to Know (Effective 1 July 2025)
Important changes to NSW Strata Laws are now in effect. Here’s a quick overview of what Landlords should be aware of…
Repairs & Renovations
- Minor renovations must be approved or declined within three (3) months, or they’re automatically approved. Declines must include a written reason.
- Schemes can’t delay repairing common property if access, use or safety is impacted.
- Owners now have six (6) years (up from two (2)) to claim damages for failure to maintain common property.
Accessibility
- Upgrades to improve disability access can be approved with a simple majority.
- By-laws must now clearly state who is responsible for ongoing maintenance when common property is modified.
Assistance Animals
- Residents only need one (1) form of approved evidence when applying to keep an assistance animal.
Committee Responsiblities
- Strata Committee members must act fairly and lawfully and respect other owners’ rights and privacy.
- Chairpersons have new duties to maintain order and fairness in meetings.
Sustainability
- Sustainability upgrades can’t be blocked for changing a building’s appearance (unless Heritage-Listed).
- All Annual General Meetings (AGM’s) must now include sustainability planning discussions.
Embedded Utilities
- Embedded networks (e.g. exclusive electricity providers) must be disclosed before sale.
- These contracts are now capped at three (3) years.
Legal & Financial
- Legal spending motions must now shoe an upper limit or clearly state if costs are uncapped.
- Record search fees have increased to $60 per hour for non-owners.
- Owners’ Corporations can remove abandoned goods from lots – with owner consent.
Developer Obligations
- Developers must now include accurate Capital Works forecasts, or risk fines of up to $11,000 plus $220 per day.
Final Thoughts
For further information, please contact Ben O’Brien on 0457 433 510, or the team at Rose & Jones today.
