Line 05 of 07 · Getting strata records
Getting strata records
A current owner in an NSW strata scheme can ask to see the strata roll, the financial records and the scheme’s other records at any time, by contacting the strata committee secretary or the strata manager. The owner pays a fixed fee for the time it takes to prepare them: as at October 2026, $31 for the first hour and $16 for each extra half-hour.
General information. This page explains NSW strata law in plain words. It is not legal or financial advice. NSW Fair Trading’s strata pages hold the current rules, and a solicitor can advise on a particular scheme.
What the scheme must keep
The records belong to the owners corporation, whoever happens to hold them. Records created since 11 June 2024 must be kept electronically, though a scheme may keep paper copies as well.
| Record | What it includes | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Strata roll | The list of owners, with the scheme’s details, its strata manager, unit entitlements, insurance and by-laws | The whole life of the scheme; records of changes, seven years |
| Financial records | Receipts, invoices, bank statements and a record of levies | Seven years |
| Communications | Letters, emails, reports, contracts with strata agents or building managers, meeting documents | Seven years |
| Agent’s records of its work | The records a strata managing agent gives the owners corporation about the jobs it has done | Seven years, as one of the scheme’s records |
| Secret ballot results | The result, without voters’ names | 13 months |
| Approved minor renovations | A record of each minor renovation approved | 10 years |
What the roll holds
The strata roll is the list most requests start with. It must include:
- the strata plan number and the scheme’s address
- each owner’s name, address and contact details, how they own their lot, and the date they took possession
- any agent of an owner, and any tenant with the date the tenancy began
- the original owner, usually the developer
- the strata manager’s name and address, if there is one
- the scheme’s total unit entitlement and each lot’s share
- insurance details, and all the by-laws
The secretary keeps the roll up to date, or the strata manager if there is one, and new owners and landlords must usually give their details to the secretary within 14 days of a change.
How a request runs
The request
To the strata committee secretary or the strata manager. A person other than an owner, such as a prospective buyer or a strata searcher, needs the owner’s authority.
The arrangement
The scheme must let the person see the records, in person, by secure electronic means, or another agreed way.
If no time is agreed
If three days pass without agreement on when and where, the owners corporation may fix the time and place itself by written notice, with the date no later than 10 days after the request.
The inspection
The person may copy documents but must not take originals without the owners corporation’s permission.
The fee
Paid to the owners corporation, which must put it in its administrative fund.
The fee, worked through
As at October 2026, the fees are fixed, and the same whether the inspection is in person or electronic. Owners pay the lower rate; anyone else authorised by an owner pays the higher one, which rose on 1 July 2025 without changing the rate for owners already in the scheme.
Say preparing the records takes two hours: the first hour plus two extra half-hours.
An owner: $31 + (2 × $16) = $63, including GST.
A person authorised by an owner: $60 + (2 × $30) = $120, including GST.
When records don’t come
When a strata manager isn’t reappointed, it must hand the records to the new manager or the owners corporation, and may be in breach of the law if it doesn’t. The owners corporation can apply to the Tribunal for an order that the former manager produce them, and then lodge a complaint with Fair Trading attaching the Tribunal’s orders.
Most strata applications to the Tribunal need Fair Trading mediation first, but two record matters can go straight there: an order for a former strata managing agent to provide records to the owners corporation, and an order about inspecting the owners corporation’s records. Secret ballot papers stay closed unless the Tribunal or a court orders otherwise.
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