Short answer
A “minor renovation” is the defined middle tier of strata renovation work — sitting between cosmetic work that needs no approval and major work that needs a special resolution. In NSW it includes jobs like replacing carpet with timber or tile floors, kitchen renovations, changes to internal (non-structural) walls, and recessed light fittings. A minor renovation generally needs the owners corporation’s approval by ordinary resolution at a general meeting, though a scheme can delegate that approval to the committee.
What counts as minor
Under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), minor renovations are a listed category (around section 110). Typical examples include:
- Removing carpet or floating floors and laying timber or tile flooring
- Kitchen renovations — installing or removing cupboards
- Changes to internal, non-load-bearing walls
- Recessed light fittings and rewiring within the lot
A minor renovation must not involve structural change, changes to the external appearance of the lot, or waterproofing — if it does, it moves up into major-renovation territory. The exact list is defined in the Act and can be extended by a scheme’s by-laws, so check the current section and your own by-laws if a job sits on the edge.
How a minor renovation gets approved
The default rule is an ordinary resolution (a simple majority of votes cast) at a general meeting. Because calling a meeting for every renovation would be impractical, a scheme can pass a by-law delegating minor-renovation approvals to the committee. Where that delegation exists, you submit a written request with plans and any required certificates, and the committee decides. If the committee doesn’t respond within the statutory window, the request can be treated as approved — but always get the decision recorded rather than relying on silence.
Conditions that often come attached
Approval for a minor renovation frequently comes with conditions — most commonly for hard flooring, where the owners corporation will require certified acoustic underlay to limit noise to the lot below, backed by an acoustic certificate. Meeting those conditions is part of the approval, not an optional extra.
Keeping the request and its conditions straight
A self-managed committee assesses these requests itself. A system such as Straita tracks each minor-renovation request against the scheme’s by-laws and delegation, and records the decision and its conditions — such as acoustic underlay — so the approval is documented and enforceable if a dispute arises later.
Primary sources
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — minor renovations and the approval required.
- NSW Government — Strata renovation rules (Fair Trading) — minor renovation examples, ordinary resolution and committee delegation.