Strata Approval for Renovations: The Complete NSW Guide

For most apartment owners the build is not the scary part. The approval is. The rules live in the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, and they sort every renovation into three tiers. Get the tier right and you know exactly what vote you need, what it costs, and how long it takes. Get it wrong and you find out after you have started, which is the expensive way. This guide walks the whole path end to end, from working out your tier to who owns the waterproofing once the job is done.

The three tiers of strata renovation in NSW

Sections 109, 110, and 108 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 set out three categories. Work out which one your renovation falls into first, because it determines the approval you need and nothing else makes sense until you know it.

Tiers defined by the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), sections 108, 109 and 110, and the NSW Government strata renovations guidance.

Cosmetic work (section 109)

This is the low-risk surface work the Act lets you carry out without permission. The legislation lists examples: installing or replacing hooks, nails, or screws for hanging items, installing or replacing handrails, painting, filling minor holes and cracks, laying carpet, installing or replacing blinds and curtains, and the like. Your by-laws can require you to notify the owners corporation, but they cannot stop genuinely cosmetic work.

Minor renovations (section 110)

These change finishes and non-structural elements but do not touch common property in a way that needs a by-law. The Act names renovating a kitchen, changing recessed light fittings, installing or replacing wood or hard floors, installing or replacing wiring, cabling, or power and access points, and work involving reconfiguring walls. You need an ordinary resolution, a simple majority at a general meeting, and the owners corporation cannot unreasonably refuse. It can also delegate approval to the strata committee, which is how the well-run buildings keep it quick.

Major work (section 108)

This is the tier that catches people out. Section 108 covers any change to common property, including the structure, the external appearance, and the waterproofing membrane. In a strata building the waterproofing under your bathroom floor is common property, so the moment you strip a bathroom back and re-waterproof it, you are doing major work. It needs a special resolution at a general meeting, which passes only if no more than 25 percent of the votes cast are against it, plus a by-law registered against the title. This is why a bathroom, which feels like a simple room, carries the heaviest approval load.

The works application: what the owners corporation actually wants to see

For minor and major work you submit a renovation or works application to the owners corporation or strata manager. A thin application is the single biggest cause of delay, because the committee comes back with questions and you lose a full meeting cycle. A complete one gets approved first time. Here is what a strong application carries:

• • Detailed plans and a scope of works, room by room.
• • The draft special by-law, for major work, setting out the alteration and who maintains it.
• • Waterproofing details and a certificate that the work will meet AS 3740, signed by a licensed waterproofer.
• • Builder and trade licences, plus public liability and workers compensation insurance certificates.
• • A structural engineer's report, if any wall or slab is affected.
• • An acoustic plan showing the underlay meets the building's star rating, usually 4 or 5 stars.
• • A noise, work-hours, and common-property protection plan, plus how waste leaves the building.

The special by-law is the document that matters most. It is a registered change to the building's rules that records your renovation and, critically, makes you responsible for maintaining it from then on. We cover what the by-law says in detail in our guide to strata by-laws and renovation rules in NSW.

What strata approval costs

Cosmetic and minor renovations carry no statutory approval fee. The cost lands on major work, where you pay a strata lawyer to draft the by-law and NSW Land Registry Services to register it. These are real, separate costs on top of the build, and most cost guides leave them out.

By-law drafting is a market range from NSW strata lawyers; the registration fee of $175.70 is the NSW Land Registry Services fee for registering a change of by-law (2025–26 schedule), rising to $182.73 from 1 July 2026. Engineering and acoustic figures are estimates that vary by building.

How long does strata approval take?

For cosmetic work, no time at all. For minor work, as long as it takes to reach the next general meeting, or sooner if the committee holds delegated authority. For major work needing a by-law, plan for 6 to 12 weeks. The path looks like this.

Timeline assumes major work needing a by-law. Notice and meeting requirements follow the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW). Buildings with infrequent meetings or absent committee members sit at the longer end.

Who carries the liability after approval

This is the part owners discover too late. Approval is not the finish line. The by-law that gets your major work across the line also moves the long-term risk onto your lot. From the day the work is done, the waterproofing membrane you installed, the floor you laid, and the fittings you added are yours to maintain, even though the slab beneath them is common property. A failed membrane two years later that floods the apartment below is your problem to fix and your liability to wear. That is exactly why the documentation, the licensed trades, and the certificates are not box-ticking. They are the evidence that protects you for the next decade.

Frequently asked questions