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Whether you are moving to a new manager or taking the scheme in-house, changing your strata manager in NSW follows a clear path. The key is timing it to your agreement and getting a clean transfer of the scheme’s records. Here is how.
Know your agreement’s term
Start with your current agency agreement. Under section 50 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, a management agreement can run for a maximum of three years (or 12 months if it was entered into at the scheme’s first AGM). You are generally bound until it expires unless the contract allows earlier termination — so the first thing to establish is your end date and any termination rights in the contract.
Notice and timing
Timing matters. For a three-year agreement, if you do not want to reappoint, give the manager written notice that you will not be reappointing at least three months before the end of the term — that prevents the agreement’s automatic three-month extension option. Managers themselves must give you notice of the expiry between three and six months out. The cleanest, lowest-friction switch is one timed to the natural expiry of the agreement.
The vote required
Only the owners corporation — not the committee alone — can appoint or end a strata manager, and it is done by ordinary resolution (a simple majority) at a general meeting. The same applies to terminating the current agreement (in accordance with its terms) and to appointing a replacement or resolving to self-manage. If the manager will not go and the contract is in dispute, you can apply to NCAT for orders to terminate.
Stand up self-management in an afternoon
OneStrata’s onboarding wizard sets up your building, units and funds quickly — so you are operational from the handover date, not weeks later.
Getting your records back
This is the step that trips schemes up. When the manager leaves, the scheme’s records and funds belong to the owners corporation, not the manager — so make sure you get them all: the strata roll, financial records and fund balances, bank account details, the levy register and arrears, insurance policies, contracts, by-laws, and meeting minutes. Agree a handover date and confirm the funds are transferred to accounts in the owners corporation’s name.
Standing up self-management
If you are self-managing rather than moving to another manager, you take on the administration yourself from the handover date: set up (or take over) the bank accounts and funds, load the strata roll, confirm insurance, issue the next levies, and make sure you are registered to lodge the Strata Hub report. The scary part is usually rebuilding the admin from scratch — which is exactly where a system that is ready to go makes the switch painless.
Doing it the easy way with OneStrata
- Set up fast. The onboarding wizard stands up your building, units and funds in minutes.
- Load the roll and go. Add owners, issue the next levies per unit entitlement, and pick up exactly where the manager left off.
- Records that belong to the scheme. Store the documents you got back, and keep an immutable trail from day one.
- Stay compliant. Levies, funds, AGM and Strata Hub details all in one place, so nothing slips in the transition.
The hardest part of leaving a manager is the fear of the admin landing on you. OneStrata is built so a small committee can pick it up the day the manager hands over.
Switching checklist
- Find your agreement’s end date and any termination rights
- Give written notice you will not reappoint at least 3 months before a 3-year term ends
- Put the decision (terminate / appoint / self-manage) to a general meeting vote
- Get back the roll, financial records, fund balances and bank access
- Collect insurance policies, contracts, by-laws and minutes
- Transfer funds to accounts in the owners corporation’s name
- Register to lodge the Strata Hub report
- Set up your system and issue the next levies on schedule
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This guide is general information for NSW strata committees, not legal advice. The appointment, term and termination of strata managing agents are governed by the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (including sections 49 and 50); always confirm current requirements with NSW Fair Trading (nsw.gov.au) and check your specific agreement. OneStrata is record-keeping and management software for small to medium size strata schemes; it is not a licensed strata managing agent and never holds your funds.
Frequently asked questions
Can you change your strata manager in NSW?
Yes. The owners corporation can end the agreement (in accordance with its terms) and appoint a new manager or self-manage, by ordinary resolution at a general meeting.
How much notice do I give to not reappoint a strata manager?
For a three-year agreement, give written notice that you will not reappoint at least three months before the term ends, to prevent the automatic three-month extension.
Can the strata committee change the manager on its own?
No. Only the owners corporation, by resolution at a general meeting, can appoint or terminate a strata managing agent.
What records do we get back when a manager leaves?
All of the scheme’s records and funds — the strata roll, financial records and balances, bank access, levy register, insurance, contracts, by-laws and minutes — because they belong to the owners corporation.