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An annual planning checklist for self-managed strata

By SimpliStrata · Sources checked

Start with your building’s actual dates and unfinished work. For each job, record the responsible person, the next step and where the evidence will be kept. This is a planning checklist: the requirements and exemptions that apply depend on your scheme and building.

General information for NSW strata owners. Check the linked official guidance and your scheme’s circumstances before acting.

Start with the records you already have

Gather the last AGM papers, current insurance schedule, financial records, capital works plan and any relevant safety records. Ask whoever manages the building about gaps. Keep an unknown date visibly unknown instead of guessing.

If you still have a manager, use the checklist to ask who is handling each job and where the completion record will be available. It is also useful when briefing a new committee member.

Prepare meetings and follow through on decisions

NSW owners corporations must hold an AGM each year. Plan the preparation as well as the meeting itself: collect papers, check the relevant notice and voting requirements, and make sure owners have the information they need.

After the meeting, connect decisions to actual work. A minute saying that a quote is approved should lead to an assigned next step, not disappear into a folder until next year.

  • Identify who prepares the agenda and supporting papers.
  • Keep a list of decisions that require action and the person following up.
  • File and distribute meeting records as required.

Review money, insurance and planned work together

Use current spending and planned maintenance to inform the budget discussion. Review upcoming commitments and the capital works plan, including when that plan needs attention. Check the insurance arrangements and renewal date against the scheme’s circumstances.

Give renewal and maintenance preparation enough room in the calendar for quotes, questions and decisions. A calendar reminder on the day something expires leaves little room to resolve a problem.

  • Check bills, balances and levy records regularly and follow up unexplained differences.
  • List contract and insurance renewal dates, with a preparation task before each one.
  • Identify building work or safety checks that need a qualified professional.

Check which reporting duties apply

For schemes required to report, the annual Strata Hub return is due within three months of the AGM. NSW guidance says two-lot schemes are exempt from annual reporting from 1 October 2026. Check the official guidance for other exemptions and any updates to reported details.

Keep reporting preparation separate from the AGM itself. Assign someone to confirm the information and retain the submission record. SimpliStrata does not lodge the return on the committee’s behalf.

Keep a short, repeatable committee routine

Choose a regular time to review new correspondence, unpaid items, open repairs and approaching dates. The frequency should suit the building’s activity; it is a working arrangement, not an extra statutory deadline.

For each item ask: what changed, who is acting and what will show it is complete? Keep the answer with the record so another person can take over. Review roles and access when the committee changes.

  • Record each job’s owner and next action.
  • Keep completion evidence with the task or decision.
  • Check that someone can cover important jobs when the usual person is away.

Turn the checklist into your building’s calendar

Use the free calendar to turn the dates you know into a starting plan. Check applicability and official sources for each item, including building-specific safety requirements. It is not a complete audit.

Keep the explanation here as a reference and use the calendar for dates. In the portal, guided tasks and shared records help the committee follow the plan through.

From reading to doing

Give the next job a shared home.

Explore tasks, meetings and records in a sample building. Demo access is requested first; once approved, a private link arrives by email.

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