Short answer
A strata committee can make most day-to-day decisions for the scheme, and its decisions generally count as decisions of the owners corporation. But some matters are reserved for the owners at a general meeting, and the owners corporation can overrule or restrict the committee. So the committee runs the scheme within limits set by the owners and the law.
What the committee can decide
Routine running of the scheme between general meetings — arranging repairs and maintenance, dealing with correspondence, day-to-day operational matters, and other functions of the owners corporation that haven’t been reserved.
What’s reserved for a general meeting
Certain decisions can’t be made by the committee alone — they must go to the owners at a general meeting. These include:
- Setting the budget and levies.
- Making, changing or repealing by-laws.
- Appointing or terminating a strata managing agent.
- Larger spending above the applicable limits (see committee spending limits).
The owners keep the upper hand
The owners corporation can overrule a committee decision, and can decide that certain matters must come to a general meeting rather than be left to the committee. (More on the split: owners corporation vs strata committee.)
Knowing where the line is
The hard part is knowing, in the moment, whether a decision is the committee’s to make or the owners’. A system such as Straita flags what needs a general meeting versus what the committee can decide, so decisions are made at the right level and don’t get challenged later.
Primary sources
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — functions and decisions of the strata committee, and matters reserved to the owners corporation.
- NSW Government — Strata schemes (Fair Trading) — committee powers and limits.