Joining a strata committee in New South Wales sounds like a community favour. In practice it is a position with real legal responsibilities. The moment you are elected, you take on duties under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, the law that governs how strata schemes are run in NSW.
Most committee members are volunteers. Few have a legal background. That gap is exactly why committees get caught out. This guide sets out the main duties a committee carries, in plain terms, so you know what is expected of you before you put up your hand.
One thing to keep in mind throughout. The Act sets the framework, but the precise rules, timeframes and thresholds can change and can depend on your scheme. For anything specific, confirm the current position with NSW Fair Trading or your strata managing agent.
Acting in the owners corporation's interests
The first duty is the simplest to state and the easiest to forget. A committee acts for the owners corporation, which is every lot owner in the scheme combined. Decisions should serve the scheme as a whole, not one owner, not a faction, and not the committee member making the call.
This matters most when a decision is contested. A new gate that suits the owners near the entrance may not suit owners at the rear. The committee's job is to weigh the scheme's overall interest, act in good faith, and make decisions for proper reasons. Acting honestly and reasonably is the standard members are held to.
Keeping proper records and financials
An owners corporation runs on its records. The committee oversees that the scheme keeps proper documentation, which generally includes minutes of meetings, financial accounts, the strata roll of owners, correspondence, and core documents such as the insurance policy and the registered by-laws.
Good records are not bureaucracy for its own sake. They protect the scheme. When an owner asks to inspect documents, when a dispute arises, or when a new committee takes over, clean and complete records are the difference between a smooth handover and a mess. They also make annual reporting at the AGM far easier. For how that reporting comes together, see our guide to the NSW strata AGM.
Maintaining and repairing common property
Common property is everything owned collectively rather than by an individual lot owner. Think of shared walls, the roof, common stairwells, lifts, gardens and external pipes. The owners corporation has a duty to maintain and repair common property, and the committee manages that work day to day.
This duty is active, not optional. Letting common property fall into disrepair can lead to safety issues, owner complaints, and orders through NCAT requiring the work to be done. The committee should plan for maintenance, respond to faults promptly, and keep a clear record of what has been done.
Managing the funds responsibly
An owners corporation holds money on behalf of all owners, raised through levies. There are generally two funds: the administrative fund for everyday running costs, and the capital works fund for major works over the longer term. The committee oversees how that money is collected, held and spent.
Responsible fund management means budgeting realistically, spending within what the owners have approved, keeping the accounts in order, and not letting the capital works fund run dry, which is what forces nasty special levies later. We cover that long-term planning in our guide to the capital works fund and 10-year plan.
Disclosing conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interest are part of strata life. A committee member might run a business that could do the scheme's gardening, or have a personal stake in a decision about a particular lot. The duty is not to avoid every conflict, which is often impossible, but to disclose it and manage it openly.
When an interest is on the table, the proper approach is to declare it so the rest of the committee and the owners can see the decision is being made in the scheme's interests, not for private gain. Hiding a conflict is what erodes trust and what gets decisions challenged. Confirm the exact disclosure rules that apply to your scheme with NSW Fair Trading.
Where the line sits with the strata manager
Many schemes engage a strata managing agent to administer the scheme. That does not transfer the committee's duties to the agent. The agent administers, the committee decides, and the duties stay with the elected owners. Understanding that split is one of the most common sources of confusion, which we unpack in strata manager vs strata committee. For the role in full, see our strata committee member guide.
When duties spill into disputes
Carrying these duties well does not stop every disagreement. Owners will sometimes challenge a decision or breach a by-law, and the committee then has to handle it fairly and in line with the Act. NSW has a clear pathway for that, from a direct conversation to NSW Fair Trading mediation to NCAT. We walk through it in resolving strata disputes in NSW.
How to carry these duties well
- Read the Act and your scheme's by-laws so you know the framework you are working within.
- Keep records as you go, not in a panic before the AGM.
- Treat the capital works fund as a long-term obligation, not a balance to run low.
- Declare conflicts early and openly.
- When you are unsure, ask NSW Fair Trading or your strata managing agent before you act.
Your next step
The duties are manageable once you understand them. The trouble is that most committee members are never shown what they are. Archer Institute's Strata Members CPD course walks through the role, the duties under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, and good governance in plain English. It is online, self-paced, and built for volunteers who want to get it right.
