New Annual Training Requirements Coming for NSW Strata Committees

New annual training requirements for strata committee members are on the way in New South Wales, part of the state government’s ongoing program of strata law reform.

Strata committees make decisions that affect people’s homes, finances and day-to-day living, often overseeing hundreds of thousands of dollars in levies and capital works each year. Yet most members take on the role with little to no formal grounding in their legal duties. NSW Fair Trading is introducing annual training to close that gap.

At its core, the training is a free, self-paced online course designed to give committee members, whether brand new to the role or long-serving, a clear understanding of their legal duties, the committee’s governance role, and how to keep proper records of meetings and decisions.

Under NSW Fair Trading’s draft guidelines, currently out for industry consultation, the requirement is proposed to step up over two financial years. In the first year, committee members would complete the short free foundation course, expected to take about an hour, plus a minimum of one hour of interactive training (or two hours self-paced) from an approved training provider. From the second year, that increases to a further free course on repairs and maintenance, plus a minimum of two hours of interactive training (or four hours self-paced) from a provider.

It’s worth noting this structure isn’t locked in yet. The strata industry has pushed back on the heavier second-year workload, warning it could discourage owners from putting their hand up for committees, so the final requirements may still be scaled back before they take effect.

The requirement won’t be limited to office bearers, either. Every committee member, not just the chairperson, secretary and treasurer, will need to complete it, and it will apply to both new and returning members.

Once the requirement takes effect, committee members will need to complete the initial training within three months of their appointment. It’s expected to become an annual requirement, so members will need to keep it up each year to continue serving on their committee. A formal notice process is expected to give members fair warning before falling behind affects their ability to remain on, or renominate for, the committee.

NSW Fair Trading expects the training to launch in late 2026, though an exact start date hasn’t yet been announced. Details on how to access the course will be released closer to that date, and committee members registered on Strata Hub can expect to be contacted directly once it’s live.

There’s nothing owners or committees need to do just yet, other than keep an eye out for updates. It’s a good idea to raise the upcoming training requirement at your next annual general meeting, so committee members aren’t caught off guard once it takes effect.

For the latest official information, visit the NSW Government’s strata committee training page, or read the broader guide to strata law changes for context on the wider reform program.

For more information on the new committee training requirements, contact your Strata Manager at Netstrata.