What Is a Strata Committee? A Guide for NSW Strata Buyers

If you are buying an apartment, townhouse or villa in NSW, you will be buying into a strata scheme, and the strata committee is the small group of people who run it day to day. You will see it mentioned in the strata report, the meeting minutes and the contract, and once you settle its decisions will affect your levies, your building and sometimes your lifestyle.

This article explains what a strata committee is, what it can and cannot do, what is expected of its members, whether members can be removed, and whether they can be paid. It reflects NSW law as at October 2026, including the new mandatory training for committee members that began on 1 October 2026.

What is a strata committee?

A strata committee is a group of people elected by the owners to manage the strata scheme between general meetings. It is a creature of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), and it was called the "executive committee" before 2016.

To understand it, start with the owners corporation. Every strata scheme has one, and it is made up of all the lot owners together. The owners corporation owns and must maintain the common property, such as the roof, external walls, lifts, driveways and gardens. When you settle on your purchase, you automatically become a member of it.

An owners corporation with dozens or hundreds of owners cannot easily make every decision at a general meeting. So, at each annual general meeting (AGM), the owners elect a strata committee to make many of those decisions on their behalf.

Who sits on it? Committee members are usually owners, or a person nominated by a company that owns a lot. In some cases a non-owner nominated by an owner can stand. The strata manager, building manager and leasing agents are not eligible unless they are also owners.

How big is it? A committee has up to nine members. It must have at least one member, or at least three in a large scheme of more than 100 lots. The owners decide the number at the AGM.

Office bearers. The committee appoints a chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer from among its members. Many schemes also hand some of these administrative tasks to a professional strata manager.

A note on two-lot schemes. Small schemes such as duplexes are treated differently, and recent reforms have reduced their compliance obligations. If you are buying in a two-lot scheme, ask us how the rules apply to you.

What powers does a strata committee have?

As a general rule, a decision of the strata committee is treated as a decision of the owners corporation. That gives the committee real authority over the day-to-day running of the building, such as:

• arranging repairs and maintenance of common property;
• engaging and supervising contractors, the strata manager and any building manager;
• enforcing the by-laws, including issuing notices to owners or residents who breach them;
• dealing with owners' requests and approvals that the by-laws leave to the committee; and
• calling general meetings and setting their agendas.

There are important limits. The committee cannot make a decision that the law requires the owners to make at a general meeting, or by special or unanimous resolution. These "restricted matters" include:

• setting the budget and the levies owners pay;
• making, changing or repealing by-laws;
• approving legal services that will cost the owners corporation money; and
• anything the owners have decided, at a general meeting, should come back to them.

The owners always keep ultimate control. At a general meeting they can restrict what the committee may decide on its own, and they can replace committee members.

What obligations do committee members have?

Committee members are volunteers, but the law expects a lot of them, and those expectations have grown with recent reforms.

Statutory duties. Since 1 July 2025, committee members have had legally enforceable duties under the Act. In summary, they must:

• act for the benefit of the owners corporation as a whole, not for themselves or a particular group of owners;
• act honestly and fairly, and with due care and diligence;
• comply with the strata legislation; and
• use information they obtain as a committee member only for committee purposes.

Conflicts of interest. A member must disclose any interest that conflicts, or may conflict, with their role, for example a connection to the developer or to a contractor being considered for work.

Running meetings properly. Committee meetings must be properly called, with notice given to members and to owners. Owners can generally attend as observers. Minutes must be kept and made available to owners. A member who owes overdue levies is not entitled to vote on committee motions until those amounts are paid.

Mandatory training (from 1 October 2026). Every new or returning committee member must complete NSW Fair Trading's free online course, Introduction to Strata Committee Rights and Responsibilities, within three months of being appointed. The course takes about an hour on Strata Hub. A member who does not complete it on time automatically stops being a committee member. Members appointed before 1 October 2026 do not need to do it until they are next appointed. Exemptions apply to members of two-lot schemes, licensed strata managing agents, members of the Australian College of Strata Lawyers, and anyone filling a casual vacancy for less than three months.

Can committee members be removed?

Yes. There are three main ways a member can leave the committee before their term ends.

1. A vote of the owners. Since reforms introduced by the Strata Legislation Amendment Act 2023, the owners corporation can remove a committee member by anordinary resolution (a simple majority) at a general meeting. A member removed this way cannot be re-elected or reappointed to the committee for 12 months. Owners who want a member removed can ask the secretary to call a general meeting to vote on it.
2. Automatically. A member's position also ends in certain circumstances set by the Act, such as resigning or no longer being eligible. From 1 October 2026, failing to complete the mandatory training within three months of appointment also ends membership automatically.
3. An order of the Tribunal. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) can make orders about a strata committee where it is not functioning properly or a member has failed to comply with the Act or by-laws. NCAT expects clear evidence before it intervenes, so this is usually a last resort.

Can committee members be paid?

Yes, but only in a limited way, and only with the owners' approval. Committee work is generally expected to be voluntary.

Under section 46 of the Act, an owners corporation may pay an officer or committee member an amount decided at an annual general meeting, in recognition of services they performed for the owners corporation since the last AGM. In practice:

• the payment is approved after the work has been done, not in advance;
• the amount is set by the owners at the AGM, not by the committee itself; and
• a committee member cannot authorise or increase their own payment.

Separately, members can be reimbursed for genuine out-of-pocket expenses they incur on behalf of the scheme, such as the cost of materials for a small repair.

What this means for you as a buyer

A well-run committee is one of the best signs of a healthy strata building. A dysfunctional one can mean neglected repairs, surprise special levies and disputes between neighbours. Before you exchange contracts, it pays to look closely:

• Read the minutes. The committee and general meeting minutes show what the building is spending money on, which repairs are outstanding, and whether there are disputes or legal proceedings.
• Get a strata report. An inspection of the owners corporation's records will summarise the minutes, finances, by-laws and any defects or litigation.
• Check the capital works fund. A committee that plans ahead keeps this fund healthy, which reduces the risk of special levies.
• Look at the by-laws. These are the rules the committee will enforce, covering pets, renovations, parking and short-term letting.

Once you own your lot, you can nominate for the committee at the next AGM. It is one of the best ways to have a say in how your building is run, but remember the new training requirement if you are elected.

How Dott & Crossitt can help

Our team reviews strata contracts and strata reports for buyers across NSW every day. We can explain what the records reveal about the committee and the building, and flag any issues before you commit. Contact us to discuss your purchase.

This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Strata law in NSW has changed several times in recent years, so please speak with us about your particular circumstances.

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