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Upcoming reforms will change how developers hand over new buildings and how owners corporations plan for future maintenance. These changes particularly matter for the Northern Beaches, where strata properties represent a substantial portion of housing stock, from coastal apartment blocks to townhouse developments.
The NSW Government's strata reform program continues with significant amendments. From April 1, 2026, developers of new schemes face strengthened handover obligations and standardised documentation requirements. Later in 2026, mandatory training for strata committee members commences. Understanding these changes helps you make informed decisions whether you're buying into a new development or already own in an established scheme.
What are the April 2026 strata reforms? Legislative changes requiring developers of new strata schemes to use standard form Initial Maintenance Schedules (IMS), strengthening developer handover obligations, and requiring standard form 10-year capital works plans for newly prepared or reviewed plans. Mandatory training for strata committee members commences later in 2026 on a date yet to be announced.
When do they matter? If you're buying into a new strata development registering from April 2026, preparing or reviewing your scheme's 10-year capital works plan, or serving on a strata committee when training requirements commence later this year.
Key insight: The reforms strengthen governance of new strata schemes at the critical handover point and improve long-term planning standards, with training requirements following later in 2026.
Why guidance helps: The reforms interact with existing obligations under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) in ways that affect your rights and responsibilities as an owner, particularly around maintenance funding and committee governance.
Think through what these reforms mean for your position. If you're buying into a new development that is registered after April 1, 2026, you'll receive standardised handover documentation that previous buyers didn't receive. That documentation creates clearer expectations about maintenance funding that affect your ongoing costs. If you're already on a strata committee, training obligations commence later in 2026 on a date yet to be announced.
The standard form Initial Maintenance Schedule applies to new schemes. It establishes baseline expectations about what maintenance your building needs and when, which affects capital works fund planning and special levy risk. This matters more in schemes with significant common property like pools, lifts, or facade systems than in simpler townhouse arrangements.
Under current law, original owners of strata schemes must prepare an Initial Maintenance Schedule and provide it to the owners corporation at least 14 days before the first Annual General Meeting. From April 1, 2026, developers of new strata schemes registering on or after that date must use a standard form for the IMS.
The standard form requirement addresses a problem that's existed since strata schemes began: developers provided wildly varying quality and detail in their maintenance schedules. Some gave comprehensive, realistic projections. Others provided minimal information that left new owners corporations surprised by actual maintenance needs and costs. The standardised format ensures consistency about what information must be included and how it's presented for schemes registering from April 2026.
For multi-storey schemes, additional requirements apply. The reforms recognise that buildings over certain heights face different maintenance complexities than low-rise developments. Multi-storey schemes typically have more substantial common property infrastructure, lifts, fire safety systems, and building facade maintenance that requires specialist assessment and significant capital expenditure over time.
What this changes: buyers of new strata properties registering from April 1, 2026 will have clearer information about expected maintenance costs from day one. Owners corporations can plan capital works fund contributions more accurately from inception. The trade-off is that realistic maintenance schedules often reveal higher ongoing costs than buyers initially expected, particularly in buildings with substantial common property infrastructure.
When you're buying into a new development with registration scheduled for April 2026 or later, the IMS isn't optional reading. It tells you what the developer who built and understands the building thinks needs maintaining and when. That projection affects whether the proposed levies actually cover expected costs or whether the scheme faces special levies down the track.
From April 1, 2026, any newly prepared or reviewed 10-year capital works fund plan must use a standard form. Owners corporations that already have a current 10-year plan and are not yet reviewing or replacing it don't need to immediately switch to the standard form.
Most owners corporations already prepare some form of capital works plan, but quality and detail vary enormously. The standard form establishes clearer expectations for what these plans must include and how they should be structured. This particularly matters for schemes preparing new plans or reviewing existing plans, especially those with ageing infrastructure where previous committees deferred maintenance or failed to plan for major works.
The practical consequence for schemes preparing or reviewing plans from April 2026 is that they can't simply project based on current year expenses. They need to include realistic projections of major maintenance and capital works over a 10-year period, cost estimates based on actual building condition assessments, and funding strategies that connect projected works to capital works fund contributions. For schemes that have historically under-contributed to capital works funds, this means levy increases that some owners won't welcome but that reflect actual building maintenance reality.
When you're buying into an established strata scheme, ask to see their current capital works plan and how it's funded. The plan tells you whether the scheme is genuinely preparing for future maintenance or hoping nothing major breaks. Schemes preparing or reviewing plans from April 2026 face new standards that should result in more realistic long-term planning.
Later in 2026, on a date yet to be announced, strata committee members will face mandatory training requirements. This recognises that committee members make decisions affecting millions of dollars of property value and hundreds of thousands in annual expenditure, often without formal training in their governance obligations.
The training requirement will apply to all committee members, not just office bearers. It will cover legislative obligations, financial oversight responsibilities, conflict management, and proper decision-making processes. The reforms acknowledge that well-intentioned committee members can make poor decisions simply because they don't understand what they're required to do or how strata law actually works.
For existing committee members, this creates a compliance requirement that doesn't currently exist. The reforms haven't specified every detail yet, including the exact commencement date, but training will need to occur within set timeframes and meet certain content standards once the requirement commences.
What's less obvious is how this affects scheme culture. Trained committee members tend to recognise when professional advice makes sense, understand their fiduciary obligations to all owners, and spot problems earlier. The flip side is that mandatory training can discourage owners from joining committees, particularly in smaller schemes where owners already struggle to fill committee positions.
The Northern Beaches has particular strata property characteristics that make these reforms especially relevant. The area has high proportions of coastal apartment buildings facing salt exposure and weather-related maintenance issues, established schemes built in the 1970s-1990s now requiring major building works, and townhouse developments with varying complexity of common property.
For buyers considering Northern Beaches strata properties registering from April 2026, request the standard form IMS and assess whether projected levies actually cover the maintenance schedule. For buyers in established properties or schemes registering before April 2026, review the quality of existing capital works planning and whether the scheme plans to prepare or review its 10-year plan.
Coastal location affects maintenance reality. Buildings near the ocean face accelerated deterioration of certain building elements compared to inland properties. A 10-year capital works plan for a beachfront building in Manly looks different from a plan for a building in Hornsby, even if they were built the same year with similar construction.
For existing owners, verify whether your scheme is preparing or reviewing its 10-year capital works plan, which would need to use the standard form from April 2026. Committee members should monitor announcements about when mandatory training requirements commence later in 2026.
This work involves understanding how the reforms affect your specific situation, whether you're buying into a new development or managing governance obligations in an established scheme. The value isn't just knowing what changed on April 1, 2026, but recognising how these changes interact with your scheme's existing obligations and what that means for your position as an owner or committee member.
I work with strata property buyers to assess whether the handover documentation and maintenance schedules they're receiving actually reflect the building's long-term costs, and with strata committees navigating new compliance requirements whilst maintaining effective scheme governance. Having seen both well-managed schemes and schemes where poor planning created problems, the difference usually comes down to whether people understood their obligations before issues arose rather than after.
Get advice before purchasing new strata property registering from April 2026 if you want to understand what the standard form IMS and handover documentation actually tell you about ongoing costs, or before taking on strata committee responsibilities if you're uncertain about governance obligations and upcoming training requirements.
Professional guidance is particularly valuable when you're buying into a development with substantial common property infrastructure, joining a committee in a scheme preparing or reviewing its 10-year capital works plan, or concerned about whether your scheme's existing planning adequately addresses long-term maintenance needs.
Can existing strata schemes ignore these reforms if they were established before April 2026?
It depends on the specific requirement. The standard form IMS applies to developers of new schemes registering from April 1, 2026. The standard form 10-year capital works plan applies to any scheme preparing or reviewing a plan from April 1, 2026, regardless of when the scheme was established. Mandatory training requirements will apply to all committee members in all schemes when they commence later in 2026, on a date yet to be announced.
What happens if our strata committee members don't complete the mandatory training once it commences?
The government hasn't yet detailed all compliance and enforcement mechanisms, but committee members who fail to complete required training may face removal from the committee or other enforcement action. Committee members already have certain obligations and potential liabilities under existing strata law. The training requirement, commencing later in 2026, aims to ensure committee members understand these obligations before making decisions affecting the scheme.
How detailed does the 10-year capital works plan need to be if we're preparing or reviewing one from April 2026?
Plans prepared or reviewed from April 1, 2026 must use the standard form. This form requires realistic projections of major maintenance and capital works over a 10-year period, cost estimates based on actual building condition, and funding strategies connecting projected works to capital works fund contributions. Schemes with complex common property infrastructure will need more detailed planning than simple townhouse arrangements. Schemes with existing plans that aren't yet due for review don't need to immediately convert to the standard form.
Does the new IMS standard form apply to schemes currently in development but not yet registered?
This depends on your scheme's registration timing. If the scheme registers after April 1, 2026, the standard form IMS applies. Developers of schemes registering before that date but selling after the reforms commence need to check whether transitional provisions apply to their obligations. This is why buyers in schemes nearing completion need to verify what documentation they'll actually receive.
Can our owners corporation amend the Initial Maintenance Schedule after receiving it from the developer?
Yes. The IMS establishes baseline expectations, but owners corporations can and should update it based on actual building performance and emerging maintenance needs. The schedule isn't locked in forever. What matters is having a realistic starting point that reflects the building as constructed rather than optimistic projections that bear no relation to actual maintenance requirements.
Published by Jackie Atchison, Principal | LexAlia Property & Commercial Law
Northern Beaches, Sydney | Serving NSW for property matters | Australia-wide for business law
It depends on the specific requirement. The standard form IMS applies to developers of new schemes registering from April 1, 2026. The standard form 10-year capital works plan applies to any scheme preparing or reviewing a plan from April 1, 2026, regardless of when the scheme was established. Mandatory training requirements will apply to all committee members in all schemes when they commence later in 2026, on a date yet to be announced.
The government hasn't yet detailed all compliance and enforcement mechanisms, but committee members who fail to complete required training may face removal from the committee or other enforcement action. Committee members already have certain obligations and potential liabilities under existing strata law. The training requirement, commencing later in 2026, aims to ensure committee members understand these obligations before making decisions affecting the scheme.
Plans prepared or reviewed from April 1, 2026 must use the standard form. This form requires realistic projections of major maintenance and capital works over a 10-year period, cost estimates based on actual building condition, and funding strategies connecting projected works to capital works fund contributions. Schemes with complex common property infrastructure will need more detailed planning than simple townhouse arrangements. Schemes with existing plans that aren't yet due for review don't need to immediately convert to the standard form.
This depends on your scheme's registration timing. If the scheme registers after April 1, 2026, the standard form IMS applies. Developers of schemes registering before that date but selling after the reforms commence need to check whether transitional provisions apply to their obligations. This is why buyers in schemes nearing completion need to verify what documentation they'll actually receive.
Yes. The IMS establishes baseline expectations, but owners corporations can and should update it based on actual building performance and emerging maintenance needs. The schedule isn't locked in forever. What matters is having a realistic starting point that reflects the building as constructed rather than optimistic projections that bear no relation to actual maintenance requirements.
