For new committee members
Just elected to the committee?
Your first 90 days, in the order you'll need them: the training deadline, the handover, your role, the first meeting, the budget and the AGM. Free guides and templates, no account needed.
Four dates to know
3 months
NSW
to finish Fair Trading's committee course after you're elected or re-elected. Miss it and you stop being a committee member.
14 days
NSW and Qld
for an outgoing member to hand over the building's records once the committee asks in writing.
7 days
NSW
to send committee minutes to members and owners. Queensland allows 21 days.
28 days
NSW
to update the secretary's and chair's contact details on Strata Hub.
The plan
Your first 90 days
Six steps, each with the jobs to tick off and the guide that explains them. Share it in the committee chat so everyone works from the same list.
01
Week 1
Do the training before you forget
Anyone elected or re-elected to a NSW committee on or after 1 October 2026 has three months to finish Fair Trading's course. Most committees are elected at the same AGM, so the whole committee is due the same week.
- Write down your due date: three months from the day you were elected
- Do the course on Strata Hub. It's free, online and takes about an hour
- Send your certificate to the secretary, who keeps the register
- Exempt? Give the secretary the evidence instead
02
Weeks 1–2
Get the keys, logins and records
Most of a handover is access, not paper. Until the bank, email and portals are in the new committee's hands, nobody can pay a bill or send a notice.
- Bank signatories and online banking for the new treasurer
- The building's email account, portal logins, keys and fobs
- Strata roll, minutes, contracts, the insurance policy and open quotes
- Self-managed? Move it all somewhere the building controls, not one person's inbox
03
Weeks 2–4
Get each role working
Each officer has a short list for the first month. Do these and the committee knows where the money is, who the owners are and what was left unfinished.
- Treasurer: reconcile the bank account against the levy register
- Treasurer: list every bill due in the next 90 days, including the insurance renewal
- Secretary: check the strata roll for missing or old service addresses
- Chair: read last year's minutes and list every carried motion nobody acted on
04
First meeting
Run it properly and write it down
Committee decisions only count if they're made at a properly called meeting and recorded. Minutes have a deadline and a minimum content in every state.
- Send the notice and agenda on time, with the motions worded in full
- Record each motion's wording and whether it carried
- Send the minutes within 7 days in NSW, 21 days in Queensland
- Check every decision is one the committee is allowed to make
05
Months 2–3
Plan the year
The budget, the capital works plan and the next AGM date set everything else. Doing them early means the AGM notice isn't a scramble.
- Set the meeting calendar, including the latest date for the next AGM
- Draft the admin fund budget from last year's actuals
- Check the capital works plan still matches the building
- Chase anyone who still hasn't finished the training
06
Before the AGM
Get the AGM notice right the first time
A notice that's late or missing a required item can put the whole meeting in doubt. Each state has its own list.
- Work back from the AGM date to the last day the notice can go out
- Include the accounts, the budget and every motion owners asked for
- Send proxy forms with the notice
Your role
Which seat did you get?
The officers are usually picked at the committee's first meeting. If you have a strata manager, much of this is delegated to them, but the officer still has to check it's done.
Secretary
Keeps the paperwork moving.
- Prepares and sends the minutes
- Gives the notices the law requires
- Keeps the strata roll up to date
- Answers mail sent to the owners corporation
Treasurer
Watches the money.
- Tells owners what levies are due
- Banks and accounts for money received
- Keeps the accounting records and statements
- Prepares strata information certificates
Chair
Runs the meetings.
- Chairs committee and general meetings
- Keeps carried motions from stalling
- Makes sure each item gets a decision
- Is the committee's usual contact for the manager
Member
Votes on the committee's decisions.
- Same legal duties as the officers
- In NSW: act honestly, fairly and with care
- In NSW: do the training too
- Can't use the role for personal benefit
Know the limits
What the committee can decide on its own
New committees get into trouble by deciding things that need a vote of all the owners. If it isn't on the left, put it to a general meeting.
The committee can
- Make day-to-day management decisions
- Spend within the budget the AGM approved
- Enforce the by-laws
- Approve minor renovations, where the by-laws allow
The committee can't
- Make or change by-laws. That takes a special resolution at a general meeting
- Spend beyond the approved budget, except for urgent safety repairs
- Approve major changes to common property
- Stop an owner seeing the records or going to the tribunal
Free templates
The new committee starter pack
Four files to edit for your building, built from the guides above.
- Committee handover checklistWord
- Committee minutes templateWord
- Admin fund budget templateExcel
- NSW AGM notice templateWord
Questions
What new committee members ask
I was re-elected. Do I still have to do the training?
In NSW, yes, if you were re-elected on or after 1 October 2026. Members appointed before that date don't need to do it until they're next appointed, which for most buildings is the next AGM. If you sit on two committees, you only do it once.
We have a strata manager. What's left for the committee to do?
The manager holds most records and does the work their agreement delegates. The committee still decides, and the officers still need to check it's done. Each quarter the treasurer should check the fund balances against the statements, the arrears report, invoices paid against the budget, and any line that's running over.
The old committee won't hand over the records. What can we do?
Start with a friendly reminder and a date. Most handovers stall because people are busy. If that fails, in NSW and Queensland the committee can give a written notice requiring the records within 14 days. Victoria has no equivalent notice: ask in writing, record the request in the minutes and get advice. The records belong to the owners corporation, not to whoever held the role.
Can one person be both secretary and treasurer?
In NSW and Queensland, yes. Victoria's Act doesn't address it. It's legal, but it puts the money and the paperwork in one person's hands, so have a second member review the bank statements.
Do committee members get paid?
Not by default. In NSW an AGM can vote to pay the officers. Most committees are volunteers.
Nobody wants to be treasurer. What happens?
In NSW, if the committee doesn't appoint a chair, secretary and treasurer, the Tribunal can order a meeting to fill the roles. In Queensland, an empty executive position means an extraordinary general meeting within a month. A clean handover and a shared record make the job smaller, which makes it easier to fill.
Does this apply outside NSW?
The plan works anywhere, and the guides cover Victoria and Queensland where the rules differ. The compulsory training is NSW only. No other state has an equivalent in force.
When you're ready
Hand the next committee a login, not a box of folders
UnitBuddy keeps the finances, minutes, notices and records with the building, so the next secretary or treasurer starts where you left off. It works alongside your strata manager. A one-page motion you can paste into the committee chat sets it out.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules checked against the NSW, Victorian and Queensland legislation in November 2026; the linked guides cite each one.