Strata Committee Training is coming

 

Compulsory Strata Committee Training will launch in NSW on 1 October 2026. The new training requirement recognises the significant decisions committee members make affecting people’s homes and finances and has been introduced to support strata committee members in NSW.

The aim of this training is to help strata committee members feel confident navigating varied issues such as managing repairs and maintenance and resolving disputes within their scheme. It will also support committee members to make informed decisions, manage risks and contribute to a well-run and financially sustainable strata scheme, while strengthening trust and confidence in the strata sector.

Strata committee members play important roles in managing their scheme. The annual training will give committee members, whether new or long-standing, the essential knowledge, skills and capabilities they require to meet their responsibilities.

The training will also support strata managing agents, as committee members will gain essential knowledge and skills required to perform their roles and contribute to well-run strata communities. Strata committee members will need to complete online training starting from 1 October 2026. The training will comprise of a free one-hour, self-paced course, which will provide foundational knowledge on key strata concepts such as budgets, repairs, strata committee governance, recording keeping and resolving common strata issues. The training will be annual, and all strata committee members are expected to continue to complete the training each year, or they will be unable to serve as a member on their strata committee.

Who is required to complete the training?

Committee members appointed on or after 1 October 2026 must complete the training within 3 months of being appointed, except for:

• committee members in two-lot schemes
• members of the Australian College of Strata Lawyers
• committee members filling a temporary vacancy for less than 3 months

Strata managing agents who are committee members are also exempt from doing the training.

If a committee member is appointed before 1 October 2026, they do not have to do the training unless they are appointed to the committee again after this date. However, they can still take advantage of the free online training once launched to best support them in their role. The training only applies to strata committees in strata schemes; it does not apply to association committees in community land schemes.

Once the training is launched, anyone can do the training including:

• people who are interested in joining their strata committee, and want to learn more about what is involved before nominating to join
• strata residents and owners who do not plan on joining their committee but want to learn more about how strata works and who makes the decisions
• committee members who were appointed before 1 October 2026 and are not required to complete the training, but still want to benefit from the practical skills and information the training provides
• members of a two-lot scheme who would like to learn more about strata on a voluntary basis only

Committee members must complete the training to fulfill their roles

When a strata committee member completes the training, NSW Fair Trading will issue them with a Certificate of Completion.  It is recommended that each committee member give a copy of their Certificate of Completion to the committee secretary, within the training period, so that the committee knows they have completed training.  

Committee secretaries are encouraged to keep copies of Certificates of Completion for at least 1 year for record-keeping purposes and to avoid uncertainty about who has completed training.  

If a Certificate of Completion is not provided by a committee member by the training deadline, the committee secretary is encouraged to issue the committee member a Failure to Complete Training Notice as soon as practicable. This notice will inform the committee member that they are no longer on the committee due to not completing training within the required 3-month period. Even if a notice is not sent, the committee member will still automatically cease to be a committee member.

NSW Fair Trading will publish a template for the Failure to Complete Training Notice closer to the 1 October launch date for the training.

How will strata communities be notified about the strata training?

• NSW Fair Trading will email strata committee members who have their contact details on Strata Hub. If you are a strata committee member and haven’t already registered, it’s free and easy to register on Strata Hub. or alternatively you can contact your strata managing agent.
• We have provided a link below to Strata committee training webpage on The NSW Fair Trading website. This webpage will be updated with a link to the training from 1 October 2026. Furthermore, NSW Fair Trading will send further guidance to strata managing agents before 1 October to prepare for the commencement of the new requirement. training for strata committee members

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