This article discusses your rights as an owner when lot work without consent is arranged by the owners corporation and you are asked to pay for it.
Question: What can I do if the owners corporation carries out work in my unit without my consent and now wants to charge me for it?
The strata arranged work inside my unit against my wishes and now want me to cover the cost. They did not provide me with an opportunity to source my own contractor, obtain quotes, or assess whether the work was necessary. What rights do I have to dispute this work and challenge the charge?
Answer: An owners corporation or its strata managing agent may only arrange work inside a lot without the owner’s consent in limited situations.
Without further information regarding the nature of the works, the circumstances under which they were carried out, when they occurred, or any prior communication, it isn’t easy to provide a specific response.
Generally, an owners corporation (OC) or its strata managing agent may only arrange work inside a lot without the owner’s consent in limited situations—typically where the work is required to address an urgent safety issue or to prevent damage to common property or other lots. In other situations, owners should be given the opportunity to arrange their own contractor.
Section 153 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) provides that an owner must not use or maintain their lot in a way that causes a nuisance, hazard or unreasonable interference to other lots or to the common property.
Section 110 of the Act provides that where works carried out by a lot owner or defects within a lot cause damage to common property, the owner is responsible for repairing that damage and ensuring that any required works are completed properly.
If an owner fails to carry out the required work, section 120 allows the OC to undertake the work and recover the full cost from the owner as a debt.
Section 106 places a duty on the OC to repair and maintain common property, and section 120 entitles the OC to recover from an owner the reasonable costs of rectifying any damage caused by that owner’s lot.
Jana Antelmann
Strata Life
E: jana@thestratalife.com.au
P: 02 9456 9917
This post appears in the February 2026 edition of The NSW Strata Magazine.
Have a question or something to add to the article? Leave a comment below.
Read next:
- NSW: Authorising works to the common property and the resolution is required
- NSW: Q&A Who signs off on regulated designs before strata defects work
- NSW: Going it Alone With Repairs and Maintenance
Visit our Maintenance and Common Property OR NSW Strata Legislation.
Looking for strata information concerning your state? For state-specific strata information, take a look here.
After a free PDF of this article? Log into your existing LookUpStrata Account to download the printable file. Not a member? Simple – join for free on our Registration page.
