NSW Strata Hub Annual Reporting: What Owners Corporations Need to File
The deadline is tied to your AGM
- NSW strata schemes report each year within three months of the AGM.
- Contact changes and strata renewal committee formation need updates within 28 days.
- The report is a committee responsibility even if the strata manager does the typing.
Strata Hub annual reporting is easy to ignore because it feels administrative. It is not a dramatic vote, not a special levy, not a defect report and not a noisy neighbour dispute. It is just the government asking for scheme information.
That is exactly why buildings miss it.
In NSW, all strata schemes must complete annual reporting through Strata Hub each year within three months of the annual general meeting. That includes two-lot schemes, such as many duplexes. Schemes still within the initial period are treated differently, but for ordinary operating schemes the obligation is now part of the yearly calendar.
The report does not replace minutes, financial statements or the strata roll. It is a separate statutory reporting requirement.
Who Should Do the Reporting?
Only one person needs to complete the report for each scheme. It may be the secretary, chairperson, another committee member, or the strata manager if the owners corporation has delegated the task.
Delegation does not remove committee responsibility. If the strata manager says it is done, ask for confirmation. If the scheme is self-managed, the committee needs to decide who is responsible and record that decision.
The person reporting must register for Strata Hub, enter the required information and pay the administration fee. NSW Government guidance lists the fee as $3 per lot.
The fee is not the issue. Missing the report is.
What Information Is Needed?
The exact fields can change as Strata Hub evolves, but committees should prepare the following categories before starting:
- Strata plan number and scheme details.
- Number of lots.
- Most recent AGM date.
- Secretary and chairperson contact details.
- Strata managing agent details and licence number, if any.
- Building manager details, if any.
- Emergency contact details.
- Building and occupation certificate information where available.
- Fire safety information, including whether the scheme has an Annual Fire Safety Statement.
- Insurance details.
- Whether a strata renewal committee has been formed.
The details are not always sitting neatly in one place. Older schemes may need to check records, contact council, review insurance certificates or confirm committee roles before the report can be completed.
Do that work before the deadline week.
The 28-Day Update Rule
Annual reporting is not the only obligation. If certain information changes, the scheme must update Strata Hub within 28 days.
The common examples are contact changes. A new secretary, chairperson, phone number or email address should not sit wrong for the rest of the year.
Another important trigger is the formation of a strata renewal committee to sell or redevelop the whole strata scheme. That needs to be updated promptly.
This matters because Strata Hub is used to contact schemes about law changes, safety issues and reporting obligations. A stale contact record means the building can miss important information and then claim it did not know.
Penalties
NSW Government guidance says fines of up to $5,500 may apply if schemes do not complete annual reporting on time. Penalties of up to $2,200 may apply if a scheme becomes aware that reported information is incorrect and does not update it within 28 days.
Most schemes will never see the maximum penalty. That is not the point. Annual reporting is a basic governance test. If a building cannot complete a short yearly report, owners should ask what else is being missed.
What Owners Can Learn From Strata Hub
Strata Hub is not a full open book on every building. Some information is protected for privacy and security reasons. But the platform is part of a broader shift toward more visible strata data.
For owners, annual reporting helps answer a simple question: does the scheme know who is responsible for what?
A scheme that has current contacts, clear emergency details, proper insurance information and fire safety records is easier to run. A scheme that cannot answer those questions has a governance problem before anything breaks.
For buyers, Strata Hub should not replace a strata report or certificate. It can, however, give an early signal about whether a scheme is meeting basic reporting obligations.
A Practical Reporting Calendar
The clean way to manage annual reporting is to tie it to the AGM.
At the AGM, confirm who will complete Strata Hub reporting. Within two weeks, gather the records. Within one month, submit the report. Do not wait for the three-month mark.
Add a standing committee agenda item after every AGM: "Confirm Strata Hub annual reporting completed." Attach the confirmation to the meeting records.
Add another standing item when committee office bearers change: "Update Strata Hub contacts within 28 days."
Those two habits prevent most reporting failures.
Common Mistakes
The first mistake is assuming the strata manager has done it. Many strata managers do, but the committee should still verify.
The second mistake is using old committee contact details. If the previous secretary sold three years ago, the scheme has a problem.
The third mistake is guessing. If the building's occupation certificate details are not known, follow the NSW guidance rather than inventing a date.
The fourth mistake is treating two-lot schemes as exempt. Most are not.
The fifth mistake is ignoring access control. If someone who should no longer have edit rights still has access, the secretary or strata manager should remove that access through Strata Hub.
What UnitBuddy Tracks
UnitBuddy can record the AGM date, reporting deadline, responsible person, submitted confirmation, contact changes and 28-day update triggers. It can also keep the insurance, fire safety and emergency contact records that make the report easier to complete.
The best compliance systems do not make volunteers remember dates. They make the date visible.