straita

Records & Access

What is a section 184 certificate?

Short answer

A section 184 certificate is an official statement the owners corporation must issue, on request, about a particular lot and the scheme. It sets out the levies for the lot and any arrears, the scheme’s insurance and financial position, and certain by-law and governance information. It is issued under section 184 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) for a prescribed fee, and is a standard due-diligence document when a lot is being bought or sold.

What it shows

The certificate gives an official snapshot of a lot within its scheme, including:

  • The levies payable on the lot and any arrears owing.
  • The scheme’s insurance — insurer, policy and sum insured.
  • The scheme’s financial position — fund balances and any special levies.
  • Certain by-law and governance details.

Because it comes from the owners corporation itself, it carries more weight than an informal summary.

Who requests it, and why

The certificate is usually obtained by a buyer or their conveyancer before settlement, to confirm the lot’s levy position and the scheme’s financial health before committing. Owners and mortgagees can also request one. It is the same document now commonly called a strata information certificate — see what is a strata information certificate?

The fee and timeframe

The owners corporation must issue the certificate on request, and a prescribed fee set by regulation applies. The exact fee amount, and any timeframe within which the certificate must be provided, are set by the regulations and updated from time to time — confirm the current figures with NSW Fair Trading or the strata manager before relying on them. (Fee and timeframe flagged for confirmation.)

Producing an accurate certificate on request

A section 184 certificate is only as good as the records behind it — the levy ledger, arrears, insurance and fund balances all have to be current. A system such as Straita keeps a scheme’s levies, arrears, insurance and financials in order continuously, so when a buyer’s conveyancer requests a certificate the self-managed committee can produce an accurate one straight from the records rather than assembling it by hand under settlement pressure.

Primary sources