By Talk to a Lawyer · Published 19 September 2026 · 3 minute read
Strata issues can involve common property, repairs, levies, by-laws, meetings, management or disputes between residents. Start with your role and the state or territory: an owner, tenant, committee member and owners corporation may need different advice. Similar building problems can raise different questions about authority, responsibility and the available process.
Read. Prepare. Find an office.
Use this guide to organise your questions, then confirm the provider’s experience, availability and first-stage fee.
Find strata law providers →Identify the property and decision in dispute
Collect the strata plan, relevant by-laws, meeting notices, minutes and correspondence. Explain which part of the building is affected and who has made or refused a decision. Do not assume the boundary between a lot and common property from appearance alone. Ask what records or technical information are needed to assess responsibility.
Document the issue and attempts to resolve it
Keep dated photographs, repair reports, levy notices and a concise contact history. Separate recurring conduct from a single event, and an objection to a decision from a concern about the meeting process. Ask whether a complaint, mediation or tribunal pathway applies in your jurisdiction and what steps are required before using it.
Check authority to instruct and pay for advice
If acting for a committee or owners corporation, explain the authorisation already obtained and ask what else is needed. If seeking personal advice, clarify that the adviser represents you. Compare a document review, advice on a meeting or by-law, and representation in a dispute as distinct scopes with different likely costs.
Separate responsibility, approval and payment
A proposed repair or alteration can raise three distinct questions: who is responsible for the area, who must approve the work and who pays. A meeting discussion may address one without resolving the others. Collect the plan, by-laws and relevant resolution and ask the adviser to explain each question separately. If you want records or a meeting decision reviewed, identify the exact request and response. Keeping these issues distinct can make a complaint or mediation request much clearer than a general disagreement with the committee.
Compare the scope and cost of advice
Property advice is easier to compare when every quote uses the same property, documents and transaction stage. Identify signing, auction, settlement or response dates at the start. Ask which legal checks are included and which physical, planning, valuation or financial checks you must arrange separately. A low fixed fee is difficult to assess without the exclusions and the cost of changes.
- Before a commitment
- Confirm when the full documents can be reviewed, how advice is explained and what information must be obtained before you decide to proceed.
- During the matter
- Identify who tracks dates, requests searches, communicates with other parties and tells you about changes that require a new decision or additional work.
- If a problem emerges
- Ask whether the provider handles disputes or needs to refer you, what additional work costs and who manages any urgent obligation during that transition.
Read the guide to consultation fees and written quotes, or use the provider comparison worksheet.
Illustrative situation · not a client result
What a focused enquiry looks like
An owner disputes responsibility for water entering an apartment. They collect the plan, earlier repair records and dated photos, then ask for an assessment of responsibility before commissioning work based on assumptions about common property.
Your preparation checklist
Gather what you already have. Mark missing records and uncertain dates rather than guessing; ask the office what it needs before sending sensitive documents.
0 of 4 gathered · ticks reset when you leave this page.
A preparation aid, not confirmation that a legal requirement is complete.
A first enquiry you can adapt
I am [owner, resident or authorised committee representative] in a strata property in [state]. The issue concerns [repair, levy, by-law or decision]. I have the relevant records. Can you advise on responsibility, process and the scope of any representation?
Replace the bracketed details with accurate information. Keep the first message brief and confirm a secure channel for the full records.
Common questions about strata law
Can the committee's lawyer advise me personally?
Ask who the client is. Advice to the owners corporation may not cover your individual interests in a dispute.
Are strata procedures the same across Australia?
No. Provide the property's jurisdiction and use its current legislation, official guidance and dispute process.
Further reading and scope
NSW Government: strata disputes
NSW strata processes; other states and territories have their own rules.
This is general preparation information, not an assessment of your legal position. Requirements, dates and available remedies depend on the facts and jurisdiction. The linked resource has the scope described above; it does not verify an individual provider or this guide.