$8.4m Taskforce to be the state’s new strata cop

Reforms to new strata laws passed in NSW this week will be enforced by an $8.4 million, “high impact” dedicated Strata and Property Services Taskforce within NSW Fair Trading, says the department.

The new task force will bring together “existing specialist staff” in a Building Commission-like body that targets the professional standards, training and behaviour of strata managers and real estate agents.

And while the Task Force will have a partially proactive remit, possibly akin to that developed by former Building Commissioner David Chandler, it is highly unlikely to be engaged in surprise visits to strata managers’ offices or strata committee meetings.

Enforcement and compliance

Instead, it will strengthen compliance and enforcement, dispute resolution, and regulatory reform within the strata sector, claims Fair Trading, with a focus on “raising professional standards and delivering better outcomes for consumers.”

For example, it will investigate inflated and unfair contracts and move to enforce local council fire safety orders, where they have been ignored by owners’ corporations. It will also respond to complaints about serious dysfunction in strata schemes that results in harm to the buildings and their residents, while helping to wrangle disputes between the disparate entities in strata.

And one of its major responsibilities will be the education and training of the whole strata community, especially in view of the proposed mandatory training that committee members will have to undergo under the new laws (although what form that will take is yet to be determined).

“Consumer confidence in strata is vital to the government’s housing agenda,” a press release issued this week says. “The Taskforce will be focused on high impact initiatives to support the 1.2 million people living in strata across NSW.”

“The number of strata schemes in New South Wales has grown from around 70,000 at the end of 2015 to more than 87,000 – creating a greater need for targeted, proactive regulation to ensure practitioners and businesses in the property industry are properly trained and supervised,” says Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann.

“The Strata and Property Services Taskforce is improving the NSW Government’s oversight of real estate and strata managing agents by bringing together new and existing specialist staff across Fair Trading to uplift its enforcement of NSW strata and property laws – restoring consumer confidence and lifting standards across the sector.”

Repairs and maintenance

Among the many reforms in the law there are new rules to help owners demand the repair and maintenance of common property, support the uptake of sustainability and accessibility infrastructure, and give owners more options to pay levies when facing financial stress.

This legislation is the Minns Labor Government’s third tranche of strata law reforms and builds on changes which came into effect on 3 February 2025, requiring strata managers in NSW to provide significantly more detailed information to owners’ corporations about their services and relationships, to increase transparency and accountability within the strata sector.

Some changes have already come into force. For instance, strata managers must now disclose any connections with suppliers and developers, provide detailed breakdowns of insurance quotes including commissions and broker fees, and report in real time if any new connections or interests arise.

“The family home is often the biggest financial investment most of us will make – when it is in a strata community the Minns Labor Government is making sure that there are protections in place to help owners make informed decisions on the future of the property,’ said Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong.

“Repairs to common property are the obligation of the owners’ corporation, and these reforms help to ensure the hard-earned money of individual owners invested in the property will prevent it from being run down, become a safety risk, or cause greater damage through neglect.’

You can find a summary of the new laws  oddly enough tucked away on Fair Trading’s web page called “serving on committees”.

And if you want to get into the nitty-gritty, you can access the Second Reading of the Bill here.

The new laws are unlikely to come into force before November this year but the new Task Force is already set up and running.