straita

Renovations

Can I renovate my strata bathroom?

Short answer

You can renovate a strata bathroom, but it almost always needs owners corporation approval. Because bathrooms involve waterproofing and connect to shared plumbing, the work usually reaches common property and structure, which pushes it into the higher approval tiers — often a major renovation needing a special resolution or a by-law, rather than the lighter approval used for minor work. Getting approval and using compliant, certified work first is what protects you if water later leaks into another lot.

Why a bathroom is rarely “just cosmetic”

Under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), work that involves waterproofing is specifically excluded from both cosmetic work and the minor-renovation tier. A bathroom renovation typically disturbs the waterproofing membrane and connects to common-property pipes and drainage, so:

  • Work touching waterproofing or the structure is generally a major renovation, needing a special resolution or a by-law (around section 108 for common-property changes).
  • Only genuinely superficial parts of the job — swapping a mirror or a towel rail on an internal wall — might be cosmetic (around section 109).

Because most real bathroom jobs cross into waterproofing, treat the whole renovation as needing approval and confirm the exact tier with your scheme before starting. Section numbers are given as a guide; check the current Act if you’re unsure.

The waterproofing risk

Bathrooms sit above other people’s ceilings. A failed membrane or a badly reconnected drain doesn’t just damage your lot — it can leak into the lot below and into common property, and the owner who did unapproved or non-compliant work can be left liable for the damage and for putting it right. This is why approval usually comes with conditions: licensed waterproofers, compliant certificates, and sometimes owners corporation inspection.

Get the approval before the demolition

The expensive mistake is starting demolition, then discovering the job needed a special resolution or a by-law. Unapproved work affecting common property or waterproofing can be ordered undone at the owner’s cost — and with a bathroom, “undone” can mean re-tiling and re-membraning from scratch. Approval and compliant documentation first is far cheaper than the fix.

Keeping the approval and certificates on record

A self-managed committee assesses bathroom requests itself. A system such as Straita tracks the request against the right approval tier and the scheme’s by-laws, and records the decision along with conditions and compliance documents — waterproofing certificates, tradesperson licences — so if a leak dispute arises later, what was approved and on what terms is documented.

Primary sources