How to change your strata manager in NSW

Your agency agreement has a fixed term

In NSW, a strata managing agent is appointed under an agency agreement, and that agreement cannot run longer than three years (Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, section 50). Many agreements are shorter. Yours will also set out a notice period and how it can be ended, so the first practical step is simply to read it, or ask us and we will read it with you. There is no cost to knowing where you stand.

The decision belongs to the owners corporation

Appointing a strata manager is a decision the owners corporation makes at a general meeting, by resolution, not something an individual owner or the outgoing agent controls. It can happen at the annual general meeting, or at an extraordinary general meeting called for the purpose. In practice that means getting the motion on the agenda, giving proper notice, and holding the vote.

If an agreement still has time to run, you usually wait for it to end or rely on its notice terms. If there is a serious problem, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal can order that an agent's appointment be terminated or varied (section 72). That is the exception, not the normal route.

What to check before you move

• The notice period in your current agreement. This sets your timing, and it is the single thing most committees overlook.
• Handover of records. A clean transfer includes the strata roll, financial records, the current insurance policy, meeting minutes, keys and access, and any contracts on foot. You are entitled to your scheme's records.
• Any fees on exit. Some agreements carry final invoicing or charges for producing records. Worth knowing before, not after.

What a good handover looks like

When we take over a scheme, we expect to chase the records, reconcile the financials, confirm the insurance is current and adequate, and read the last two years of minutes before we do anything else. A managing agent who cannot tell you the state of your capital works fund in the first month is not a managing agent who has read your file.

If you are thinking about it, the free quote comes back in writing, with our fee, the disbursements that sit alongside it, and a plain read of your last AGM papers. We will tell you your current agreement's notice period before you commit to anything, and there is no obligation to move. You may also find our guide to strata management fees useful. Get a free quote.

General information about NSW strata law, current as at August 2026. It is not legal advice for your specific scheme.