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In 2026, strata maintenance is moving toward documented, lifecycle-based planning rather than reactive fixes. In New South Wales, that means a new standard form for 10-year capital works plans from 1 April, mandatory AS 1851 fire-system inspection and testing for covered buildings from 13 February, retained maintenance evidence, and annual committee training from 1 October. Nationally, the direction of travel includes better energy performance, water management and climate resilience, but each state or territory decides when building-code provisions take effect.
The legal details below are NSW-specific unless a section says otherwise. For a particular building, confirm its strata plan, by-laws, building class, fire safety schedule, local council requirements, warranties and the current legislation before authorising work.
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What “emerging trends” actually means for strata in 2026
The most defensible 2026 trend is not a sudden requirement for smart sensors or artificial intelligence. It is a shift toward four disciplines:
- Planned funding: major repairs and replacements are mapped over a 10-year horizon instead of being funded only after failure.
- Evidence: committees keep inspection reports, quotations, approvals, warranties and statutory records that show why a decision was made.
- Lifecycle thinking: a cheaper repair is weighed against repeat call-outs, damage escalation, disruption and the next renewal date.
- Safety, energy and resilience: fire systems, water use, operating costs and climate exposure are considered alongside appearance and immediate price.
These practices do not mean every scheme must retrofit solar, install electric-vehicle chargers or adopt predictive-maintenance software. They mean a committee should be able to explain the condition of common property, the risk it presents, the funding path and the compliance evidence.
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Who is responsible for a strata repair in NSW?
Common property versus an individual lot
Under NSW strata guidance, the owners corporation generally repairs and maintains common property, while a lot owner generally handles repairs inside the lot. The boundary is not always obvious: a pipe, waterproof membrane, window, balcony element or service may sit within a lot but serve the building or be defined as common property by the strata plan. Check the registered strata plan, by-laws and the facts of the failure before assigning responsibility.
Record the decision in the committee or owners-corporation minutes. A short description of the affected element, its location, who uses it and whether it serves more than one lot will help the scheme defend its allocation later.
When a delay creates a safety or access risk
NSW Government guidance poses the practical question: “What if there’s a delay in a common property repair that’s a safety risk or affects a person’s use or access?” Treat that as an escalation trigger. Make the area safe first—such as isolating a hazard, stopping an active leak or arranging temporary access—then obtain the technical diagnosis and approvals needed for permanent work. Emergency action should be documented with the reason, time, contractor and cost, followed by a report to the owners corporation.
Separate an urgent response from the later scope. A temporary barrier or emergency leak repair may prevent injury or further damage, but it does not establish whether the underlying issue is a construction defect, a maintenance failure or a renewal project.
The NSW 10-year capital works plan changes on 1 April 2026
When the standard form is required
From 1 April 2026, a NSW owners corporation preparing a new 10-year capital works fund plan or revising an existing plan must use the standard form. An existing plan that is neither being revised nor replaced does not need to be converted immediately solely because the form has changed.
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The plan forecasts repair, maintenance and replacement costs for major common-property items. A useful plan identifies each asset, its current condition, the expected intervention year, an estimated cost basis, the source of the estimate and the levy or funding assumption. Update the forecast when an inspection changes the expected life or when a project is deferred, accelerated or re-scoped.
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New developments and handover information
For a new strata development, the developer’s initial maintenance schedule informs the first plan. Multi-storey schemes also have independent quantity-surveyor review and certification requirements for specified handover documents. The committee should obtain those documents at handover, check that asset descriptions match what was built and preserve the certificates with the plan.
Sustainability must be considered at the AGM
NSW schemes must place environmental sustainability on each annual general meeting agenda. Owners are to consider common-property annual energy and water use and expenditure, and the costs of sustainability infrastructure—such as electricity meters, solar panels or sustainable building materials—when estimating the capital works fund. This is a consideration and budgeting duty, not a blanket order to install any particular technology.
An energy or water assessment can turn that agenda item into a decision-quality proposal. It should state the baseline consumption, expected savings, capital cost, maintenance implications, electrical or hydraulic constraints, cost allocation and whether the work affects fire strategy or other approvals.
Fire-system maintenance becomes more formal from 13 February 2026
Buildings and measures covered
From 13 February 2026, new and existing NSW class 1b and class 2–9 buildings must have essential fire safety measures inspected and tested under AS 1851-2012, unless a relevant performance-solution exception applies. AS 1851 sets routine inspection, testing, preventive-maintenance and survey procedures for fire-protection systems and equipment. Local councils enforce the requirement.
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Use the building’s fire safety schedule and annual fire safety statement to identify the measures that apply. The obligation concerns inspection and maintenance of listed systems; it does not automatically require every existing system to be replaced or upgraded.
Records, retention and the physical logbook
Owners must keep records in the manner required by AS 1851 for at least seven years and make them available for inspection. NSW strata safety guidance also says the inspector must leave a physical logbook onsite after fire-system inspections. An electronic document store can supplement the file, but electronic records alone do not satisfy that direction.
At each visit, check that the logbook identifies the date, inspected measures, tests performed, results, defects, actions, technician and any return visit. Keep related reports, certificates, photographs, quotations and work orders together so a council or future committee can trace the outcome.
Defects do not all have the same legal response
NSW guidance does not say that every non-conformance or non-critical defect must be fixed immediately. It also does not excuse an unsafe or inoperable system. Ask the strata manager or fire safety practitioner: “Are you carrying out maintenance activities in accordance with AS 1851?” Require the practitioner to explain the risk classification, interim controls, due date and whether a separate upgrade, approval or performance-solution assessment is necessary.
What NSW defect data means for maintenance priorities
Building Commission NSW reported the following results from its 2025 study of NSW residential apartment buildings:
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| Finding | Reported rate | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings with serious defects | 53% | Use a condition survey and defect register; do not treat the figure as a prediction for an individual building. |
| Buildings with serious defects reported to the regulator | 36% of buildings with serious defects | Check applicable reporting routes and statutory warranty deadlines for newer buildings. |
| Waterproofing defects | 22% | Prioritise roofs, balconies, bathrooms, podiums and façades where moisture evidence exists. |
| Fire-safety-system defects | 16% | Verify the fire safety schedule, inspection regime, logbook and defect close-out. |
Waterproofing was the most prevalent serious-defect category and fire-safety systems the second most common in that study; both category rates declined in 2025. These are NSW sample findings, not Australia-wide prevalence estimates.
A practical defect triage
- Make the area safe. Control access, isolate services or stop water entry where necessary.
- Classify the issue. Decide whether it is routine maintenance, a defect investigation, a renewal or an upgrade.
- Obtain evidence. Use an appropriately qualified building consultant, engineer or specialist trade where the cause is uncertain.
- Check rights and deadlines. Review warranties, contracts, by-laws and NSW Building Commission reporting options for serious common-property defects.
- Choose a durable scope. Specify preparation, materials, testing, access, warranties and the standard for acceptance—not just a surface symptom.
National building-code and low-energy direction
NCC 2025 is not automatically national law on one date
The Australian Building Codes Board’s NCC 2025 information describes provisions for water management and carpark fire safety in commercial and apartment buildings, condensation mitigation and commercial energy efficiency. State and territory governments choose adoption timing and transition rules. Before relying on a provision, confirm the jurisdiction, building class, approval pathway and commencement date for the project.
The national trajectory points to lower energy and greater resilience
The Commonwealth, states and territories’ updated Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings identifies energy efficiency, fuel switching and electrification, demand flexibility, embodied carbon, resilience, green finance and refrigerant emissions as drivers. Its objectives include lower energy costs and emissions, better management of grid demand, and safety and comfort during climate hazards.
That policy direction is not proof that every strata scheme has a universal legal duty to install solar, electric-vehicle charging or smart controls. Commonwealth guidance instead presents an energy-efficiency assessment as a way to find where energy is used and which equipment or practices could reduce cost. For an EV-charging proposal, review electrical capacity, fire strategy, metering, cost allocation, resident access and local approvals before committing funds.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A committee decision framework for any 2026 project
Use the same questions for a leaking balcony, a failed pump, a fire-system defect or a proposed efficiency upgrade:
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| Question | Evidence to request | Decision consequence |
|---|---|---|
| How urgent is it? | Safety, security, water-ingress, access and escalation assessment | Emergency controls may precede normal procurement. |
| What exactly is the work? | Inspection report, photos, drawings and a clear scope | Prevents a defect, maintenance job and upgrade being confused. |
| What will it cost over its life? | Quoted price, repeat-work risk, access costs, warranty and operating impact | Feeds the capital works plan and levy decisions. |
| Is the contractor capable? | Trade licence, insurance, relevant accreditation and references for specialist work | Reduces safety, warranty and compliance exposure. |
| What records are mandatory? | Fire safety schedule, AS 1851 requirements, logbook, certificates and approvals | Sets the handover and retention checklist. |
| Does it improve resilience or efficiency? | Energy/water baseline, climate exposure, feasibility and maintenance plan | Shows whether an assessment should come before construction. |
Procurement, quotations and contractor controls
In NSW, at least two independent quotes are required for work valued at $30,000 or more, except emergency repairs. Confirm the current scheme-specific procurement rules and how the emergency exception applies before instructing a contractor. “Independent” should mean separate businesses preparing their own scopes and prices, not two documents generated by the same supplier.
For every quote, compare the same deliverables: access equipment, protection of occupied areas, demolition and disposal, testing, approvals, taxes, exclusions, programme, defects liability and warranty. Verify insurance and licences, and require specialist fire work to be performed by competent, appropriately qualified people. Keep the unsuccessful quotes and the reason for selection with the approval record.
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Committee capability is itself a 2026 compliance issue
From 1 October 2026, most new and returning NSW strata committee members must complete free online training each year within three months of appointment. Two-lot schemes and specified other groups are exempt. Training is intended to help members make informed decisions about budgets, repairs and long-term planning. A committee calendar should track appointment dates, the three-month deadline and evidence of completion.
Training does not transfer the owners corporation’s obligations to an individual member. Use professional advice when a project involves structural movement, hazardous materials, waterproofing failure, fire-engineering questions, complex electrical work or a dispute over responsibility.
What is not yet an established 2026 sector-wide trend
Official material available for 2026 does not establish that most strata schemes are using AI, digital twins, predictive-maintenance platforms, building-information modelling or sensor networks. Such tools may be useful in a particular building, but a committee should require a defined problem, data governance, integration plan, cost case and human oversight before treating them as a maintenance solution.
The reliable trend is simpler: better asset registers, condition evidence, planned funding, competent inspections and records that survive committee turnover. Technology can support those controls, but it cannot replace a sound scope, lawful approval or a qualified diagnosis.
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- January–March: review the strata plan, fire safety schedule, annual fire statement, warranties, defect register and current capital works plan; prepare for the 13 February fire-maintenance commencement and the 1 April standard-form requirement.
- April–June: adopt or revise the 10-year plan on the standard form, update condition and cost assumptions, and place sustainability data and options on the AGM agenda.
- July–September: audit physical fire logbooks and seven-year records, test contractor insurance and licences, and close or formally risk-accept outstanding defects.
- From October: track annual committee training within three months of each appointment and carry approved projects into the next budget and plan update.
- Every quarter: review urgent hazards, water ingress, access issues, contractor performance, budget variance, warranties and upcoming renewals.
This schedule keeps legal dates, asset condition and funding decisions in one management cycle while leaving room for jurisdiction-specific approvals and emergencies.
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