The Apartment Renovation Checklist (Sydney)

Almost every renovation checklist online is written for a freestanding house. It tells you to pick tiles and find a builder, then skips the things that actually go wrong in an apartment: the strata approval vote, the registered by-law, the lift booking, the work-hour rules, and the waterproofing sign-off that makes a future leak your problem. This one is apartment and strata only. For the general, house-and-apartment version, use our full renovation checklist. What follows is the strata-specific layer on top of it.

The apartment renovation checklist, in order

Work the phases in sequence. Each one has to finish before the next can safely start, and getting them out of order is what causes most of the delays and disputes in a strata renovation. Here is the whole path at a glance, then each phase in detail.

Phase 1: Before you start

Settle the approval pathway and the money before you fall in love with a single tile. In an apartment, what you are allowed to do is decided by your strata scheme and the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, not just by your budget.

• 1. Work out which approval tier your job falls into (cosmetic, minor, or major). The table in the next section maps the work to the rule.
• 2. Read your strata by-laws and the registered renovation or works by-law for your scheme. Order a copy of the scheme records if you do not have them.
• 3. Set the budget, then add a 15 to 20 percent contingency. Pre-1990 Sydney blocks routinely hide asbestos, old switchboards, and tired plumbing.
• 4. Check your builder holds a current NSW home building licence for the work. Fine Touch Group holds NSW Builder Licence 151772C.
• 5. Confirm any job over $5,000 has a written home building contract, and never pay a deposit above 10 percent. That cap is NSW law.

Which approval tier is your job?

The Act splits owner renovations into three tiers. The line that catches people is waterproofing: the moment a job touches the membrane, which covers most bathrooms, it becomes major work that needs a special resolution and a registered by-law.

By-law drafting is around $900 to $1,000 plus GST, plus $175.70 to register the change of by-laws with NSW Land Registry Services (2025/26 fee). Budget 6 to 12 weeks for major-works approval, as it has to go to a general meeting.

For the full approval path, including how to get a special resolution across the line without months of back-and-forth, see our Sydney strata approval guide and the deeper walk-through in strata approval for renovations in NSW.

Phase 2: Design and approvals

Lock the design and the external approvals before booking trades. Strata approval is separate from council approval, and a major job can need both. Sort the paperwork now so nothing stalls once the strip-out starts.

• 1. Finalise the design, layout, and a fixed schedule of finishes. Changes after the build starts are where budgets blow out.
• 2. If you are removing or altering a wall, get a structural engineer to confirm whether it is load-bearing and to provide drawings. Strata will ask for them.
• 3. Check whether the work needs development consent. Most internal apartment renovations qualify as exempt or complying development (a CDC via a private certifier), but layout and external changes can need a DA through council.
• 4. Prepare the strata works application: scope of works, drawings, the by-law, the builder's licence and insurance, and the waterproofing and acoustic specifications. Submit it and wait for the resolution before booking the build.

Phase 3: Book the building

This phase does not exist for a house, and it is the one most generic checklists miss entirely. A strata building controls access, and a renovation that ignores those rules gets stopped fast.

• 1. Book the lift two to four weeks ahead and arrange lift and common-property protection. Most buildings hold a refundable bond against damage.
• 2. Book the loading dock or designated parking for deliveries and skips. In a strata scheme you cannot just leave a skip on the street.
• 3. Confirm the work hours. Council noise rules in the City of Sydney allow construction from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 7am to 5pm on Saturday, with none on Sundays or public holidays, but your building's by-law is often stricter, commonly 8am to 4pm on weekdays only.
• 4. Give written notice to the building manager and the neighbours either side, above, and below. A short, polite note about dates and hours prevents most complaints.
• 5. Confirm the trades' insurance certificates are lodged with strata before anyone starts. Many schemes require this in writing.

Phase 4: The build sequence

Order matters more than anything here. The single rule that protects you is simple: waterproofing is inspected and certified before any tile is laid, never after. Get that wrong in an apartment and a failed membrane leaks into the unit below, and it becomes your liability.

• 1. Strip-out. Remove the old kitchen or bathroom, protect the lift and corridors, and remove waste through the booked route.
• 2. Rough-in. Plumbing and electrical roughed into the walls and floor by licensed trades, plus any approved wall changes and acoustic underlay.
• 3. Waterproofing to AS 3740 by a licensed waterproofer, then a cure period before tiling. This step is inspected and documented.
• 4. Tiling and wet-area finishes, laid only once the membrane is signed off.
• 5. Fit-off. Joinery, benchtops, fixtures, tapware, doors, then paint and the final clean.

Phase 5: Sign-off and handover

Close the job out properly so the paperwork protects you later. The certificates you collect now are what you will need if a leak or a sale ever puts the work under scrutiny.

• 1. Collect the waterproofing certificate from the licensed waterproofer. Keep it with your records.
• 2. Collect compliance certificates for the plumbing and electrical work from the licensed trades.
• 3. Do a final walk-through and defects list with the builder, and confirm everything on the schedule of finishes is done.
• 4. Notify strata that the work is complete, return the common areas to clean condition, and arrange the release of the lift and protection bond.
• 5. File the by-law, the certificates, and the warranties together. A future buyer's conveyancer will ask for them.

How long does the whole thing take?

Most of the timeline is the approval and booking phases, not the build. Major-works approval alone can run 6 to 12 weeks before a tool is lifted, then a single-room renovation is a few weeks of build and a full apartment is longer. For a realistic phase-by-phase timeline, see how long an apartment renovation takes.

Frequently asked questions