No, it’s not an April Fools joke – there are more changes to strata law imminent and the next lot land on Tuesday, April 1.

The latest wave of NSW strata law changes, will see new obligations landing on developers, owners corporations and strata managers alike. And if you thought that was the end of it, a further reform bill is already before Parliament, promising some of the most sweeping changes to strata governance in years.

The reforms commencing 1 April cover three main areas: initial maintenance schedules, 10-year capital works fund plans, and strata information certificates.

According to our sponsors Bannermans Lawyers, who have been tracking reforms closely, developers of new strata schemes the first AGM of which falls on or after 1 April, must have an initial maintenance schedule prepared in the prescribed form at least 14 days prior to that meeting.

And, for multi-storey schemes, they must engage an independent surveyor to review and certify both that schedule and the adequacy of proposed contributions to the administrative and capital works funds.

Owners corporations implementing or reviewing a 10-year capital works fund plan must also ensure it complies with the newly prescribed form gazetted late last year. And strata information certificates issued to prospective purchasers must specify whether a scheme is subject to an exclusive supply (or embedded) network, covering not just electricity but a range of other utilities and services, and provide specified details of that network.

But the 1 April changes are only part of the story. The Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2025, introduced into Parliament in November, proposes a further round of sweeping reforms to be implemented in at least two stages.

Reforms taking effect on the bill receiving assent include enhanced disclosure obligations for strata managing agents relating to commissions and training services, new strata committee meeting timeframe requirements, changes to by-law enforcement allowing parallel actions for damages and prosecutions, and expanded powers for both Fair Trading and the Tribunal, including the ability to award damages for breach of statutory duty.

The changes to be proclaimed at a later date go even further. Building managers face a cap on contract terms of essentially three years, plus new disclosure obligations and enhanced duties of care.

Lot owners will find renovation approval categories restructured into cosmetic work (no approval needed, but narrowed in scope), minor work (general meeting resolution required) and major work (special resolution required).

Two-lot schemes, to be reclassified as “small strata schemes”, stand to have their governance requirements substantially streamlined, with AGMs, strata committees and special resolutions potentially replaced by written resolutions approved by all owners.

Exclusive supply networks (embedded networks) will be formally regulated under the bill, with providers barred from recovering capital costs or requiring an owners corporation to purchase infrastructure.

Electric vehicle charging stations will get their own legislative framework, allowing owners to install them essentially at their own cost even where common property works are involved.

Levy recovery and payment plan rules will also see major changes, and a new provision will regulate when owners corporations can require bonds or fees from owners or occupants, including mandating that any bond be reasonable in light of actual risk, and that it be released within a specified timeframe if no claim is made.

The government has indicated that further consultation is ongoing and that some matters will be addressed through regulation rather than the bill itself, meaning further adjustments are possible before the full package takes effect.

For apartment owners and residents, the message is clear: strata law is changing fast, on multiple fronts, and staying across the detail matters. The full Bannermans Lawyers analysis of the imminent April reforms is here, and their overview of the broader legislative deluge is here.