Victoria

This page covers everything happening with owners corporations in Victoria. Bookmark it if you want to keep up with Victoria's strata news as it happens.

Check the tabs for the latest on Victorian legislation and owners corporation rules. New information about updates to the Owners Corporations Act 2006, plus articles and Q&As covering readers' questions about Victorian owners corporation law, are added regularly.

Have a question about strata in VIC? Ask a VIC strata question and we'll do our best to answer or source a response from our network of strata guidance partners.

What tier is my owners corporation?

Every Victorian owners corporation falls into one of five size-based tiers, and the tier decides which rules apply.

• Tier one: more than 100 lots. Must prepare annual financial statements and have them audited, elect a committee at each AGM, have an approved maintenance plan, and appoint a manager unless the owners corporation opts out by special resolution.
• Tier two: 51 to 100 lots. Must prepare annual financial statements and have them reviewed by an accountant, elect a committee at each AGM, and have an approved maintenance plan. Appointing a manager is optional.
• Tier three: 10 to 50 lots. Must prepare annual financial statements and elect a committee, but a maintenance plan is optional.
• Tier four: 3 to 9 lots. Must prepare financial statements only in years fees are levied, and can choose whether to elect a committee or prepare a maintenance plan.
• Tier five: two-lot subdivisions, such as duplexes, or owners corporations that only manage shared services rather than common property. The lightest touch of all five tiers, with a committee and maintenance plan both optional.

That is why a two-lot duplex and a 200-lot apartment tower can both be owners corporations under the same Act, but with very different rules depending on size.

VIC Owners Corporations: What's Happening Right Now

Why is the Owners Corporations Act under review?

An independent expert panel reviewed the Owners Corporations Act 2006 in 2025 and made 51 recommendations. The government released its response in June 2026. It supports 17 in full, three in part and 26 in principle, with three under review and two not supported.

What has changed so far?

The Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 8 September 2026. It gives owner occupiers in owners corporations with more than two lots a right to request a hardship payment plan of up to 12 months for overdue fees, with protection from debt recovery while the plan is followed. It also lets an owners corporation start legal proceedings over non-monetary matters, such as rule breaches, by ordinary resolution, and stops a single owner blocking changes to subdivision plans.

Separately, new education rules for registered owners corporation managers require initial training by 30 June 2027, with annual continuing professional development from 1 April 2028. Start dates vary by provision, so check Consumer Affairs Victoria for when each change takes effect. Read the full report and the government’s response on the Review of the Owners Corporations Act 2006 page.

What’s still to come?

The government said further changes are coming, including a licensing scheme for owners corporation managers and stronger enforcement powers for Consumer Affairs Victoria. 

What's changing with insurance and buyer protections?

The Building Legislation Amendment (Buyer Protections) Act 2025 began operating on 1 July 2026. For buildings of three storeys or fewer, domestic building insurance is now a first resort scheme, so owners can claim when a defect is first identified rather than only after a builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent. For apartment buildings over three storeys, developers must lodge a bond of 2% of the build cost before an occupancy permit is issued. The Building and Plumbing Commission holds the bond for about two years to pay for fixing defects.

What's happening with short-stay accommodation?

The Short Stay Levy Act 2024 has applied since 1 January 2025. It charges 7.5% of the total booking fee for stays of less than 28 days.

Are owners corporation managers regulated in Victoria?

Yes. Managers must be registered, and the education requirements and planned licensing scheme described above will add to that.

Strata Living in VIC: The Numbers

• Victoria's owners corporation properties are insured at a combined value of $471 billion
• 18% of Victorians (more than 1.27 million people) live in a strata-titled dwelling
• Victoria has around 128,896 owners corporations, more than any other state, comprising over 1,044,400 lots
• Almost three-quarters of schemes (73%) have five lots or fewer
• Figures from the Australasian Strata Insights 2024 report (City Futures Research Centre, UNSW, and Strata Community Association)