What strata records are committees generally required to keep?
Quick answer
Committees generally need to keep minutes, financial records, correspondence, by-laws, insurance details and notices for a period set by their state's legislation. Exact retention periods vary by state, so confirm yours rather than assuming a fixed number of years.
Key takeaways
- Record-keeping obligations come from state legislation and vary in their specifics
- Owners generally have some right to inspect or request scheme records
- Confirm your state's exact retention periods rather than assuming a fixed number
Record-keeping obligations for strata schemes come from state legislation, and while the general categories are broadly similar across Australia, the specifics — retention periods, what must be produced on request, and to whom — vary by state.
Categories generally expected to be kept
- Meeting minutes and notices (AGM, EGM, committee)
- Correspondence with owners and relevant authorities
- By-laws and any registered amendments
- Insurance policy details and certificates
- Financial records (though full financial record-keeping, including levies and the cashbook, sits with the full Strata Pages product rather than Flex Strata)
Why retention periods matter
If a dispute arises — a by-law enforcement challenge, a query about a past decision, an insurance claim referencing historical maintenance — the ability to produce the relevant record can materially affect the outcome. Discarding records too early can leave a committee unable to defend a decision it made in good faith years earlier.
Owners' access rights
Most states give owners a right to inspect or request copies of certain scheme records, sometimes for a fee, within a defined timeframe. Exactly what must be provided, and how quickly, depends on your state's legislation — check this rather than assuming a general practice applies uniformly.
How Flex Strata supports this
Because minutes, notices, by-laws, insurance details and documents all live in the same portal and aren't tied to an individual's inbox or personal files, records naturally persist for as long as the committee chooses to keep them, rather than depending on someone remembering to archive things before leaving.
What to check with your manager or a lawyer
Specific retention periods, and the exact process for responding to an owner's request to inspect records, are worth confirming against your own state's current legislation or your strata manager's advice — this varies enough between states that a general answer risks being wrong for your specific scheme.
Common follow-up questions
Want this handled for your building? See what Flex Strata costs or ask us directly.