Short answer
An owner can generally rent out a strata lot as a normal residential tenancy — a by-law can’t stop an owner leasing their own lot outright. Your tenant is bound by the by-laws, you remain responsible for your levies, and you must notify the scheme of the tenancy. Short-term holiday letting (like Airbnb) is a separate question with its own by-law and planning rules, so check those before listing.
Long-term residential letting
Leasing your lot to a tenant on a standard residential tenancy is a normal part of owning in strata. The scheme’s by-laws govern how the tenant uses the lot and common property, so you should give your tenant a copy. Two practical points:
- You stay the owner for levy purposes — the levies remain your responsibility, not the tenant’s.
- You must notify the scheme — owners are required to keep the strata roll up to date with tenancy details (the tenant, and any managing agent).
Short-term and holiday letting is different
Short-term letting (holiday and platform lettings) is treated separately and is more restricted. NSW has planning rules on short-term rental accommodation, and a scheme can make a by-law about short-term letting in some circumstances — but there are limits, including that a by-law generally can’t prohibit short-term letting where the lot is the host’s principal place of residence. Because the exact position depends on your by-laws, the type of letting, and current planning rules, confirm both before you list rather than assuming either way.
Your obligations as a letting owner
Whether long or short term, letting doesn’t shed your duties: keep the strata roll updated, make sure your tenant or guests have the by-laws, and remember you can be answerable to the scheme for breaches by the people you put in the lot.
Keeping the tenancy side clean
Letting adds record-keeping — tenancy notifications, current by-laws to hand over, contact details to keep current. In a self-managed scheme run on Straita, lot and occupier details sit in one place and the current by-laws are ready to share, so an owner meets the notification duty without it becoming a paperwork chase.
Primary sources
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — leasing lots, tenancy notification, and by-laws on short-term letting.
- NSW Government — Short-term rental accommodation — planning and strata rules for short-term letting.
- NSW Government — Strata schemes (Fair Trading) — renting out a strata lot.