Since 1 October 2026, everyone appointed to a New South Wales strata committee has to complete a short online course within three months of their appointment. A member who doesn't stops being a committee member, automatically.
Last week's post covered everything that changed on 1 October. This one is about the training: who has to do it, by when, and what a committee should do about it.
The course
The course is NSW Fair Trading's Introduction to Strata Committee Rights and Responsibilities. It is free and self-paced, Fair Trading says it takes about an hour, and you do it on Strata Hub. If you haven't used Strata Hub before, you register first. If you used it before 1 October 2026, Fair Trading has emailed you about its new sign-in.
When you finish, Fair Trading issues a Certificate of Completion. Give a copy to your committee's secretary, so the committee knows you've done it.
You only do the introductory course once. Fair Trading says it will publish details of further training in 2027. If you sit on more than one strata committee, one course covers all of them.
Who has to do it, and by when
The deadline is three months from the day you are appointed. Fair Trading's examples:
- appointed on 1 October 2026: complete the course by 1 January 2027
- appointed on 1 June 2027: complete it by 1 September 2027.
That applies whether you are new to the committee, re-elected, or appointed to fill a vacancy for more than three months.
A member appointed before 1 October 2026 doesn't have to do it until they are next appointed. So for most schemes the clock starts at the next AGM.
You don't have to do it if you are:
- on the committee of a two-lot scheme
- a member of the Australian College of Strata Lawyers
- a NSW strata managing agent
- filling a casual vacancy for less than three months.
If you're exempt, give the secretary evidence of it. The training doesn't apply to the committee of a community land association at all.
Anyone else can do the course too, including owners thinking about nominating.
What happens if a member misses the deadline
They stop being a committee member when the three months run out. It happens by law, so no vote or notice is needed, and it can't be appealed. Fair Trading has said it won't take action against members who miss it. Keeping track is the scheme's job.
Once the committee knows, it should stop the former member taking part in committee decisions. Decisions they already took part in will generally stand if the committee acted in good faith, not knowing they had stopped being a member.
The committee then checks whether it still has enough members. A committee needs at least one member, and a scheme of more than 100 lots needs at least three. To fill the vacancy, the committee can appoint an eligible person for the rest of the term, or a general meeting can appoint someone. Update the strata roll when you do. The new member has their own three months.
Don't reappoint the former member unless they have completed the course since. If they held an office, appoint a new secretary, chairperson or treasurer. If they were the secretary or chairperson, update the scheme's details on Strata Hub within 28 days.
What the secretary can do
None of this is legally required, but Fair Trading recommends it:
- put information about the training in the AGM notice
- collect each member's Certificate of Completion, and keep copies for at least a year
- send each member a reminder at least a month before their training is due
- send a failure-to-complete notice to any member who misses it, and tell the rest of the committee
- find out whether anyone needs help getting registered or through the course.
Fair Trading publishes template wording for the reminder, for the failure notice, and for a note to put in the AGM notice. It also publishes a motion for schemes that want their strata manager to do this work. A manager may charge for it, so agree the tasks and fees first.
All of it is on Fair Trading's strata committee training page.
Where Quarter fits
Quarter keeps each member's certificate with their record. Every committee member's page under Contacts has a Strata committee training row. Press File a certificate, then attach the certificate and enter the day it was completed. Or send the certificate to the manager, in a chat or by email, and ask it to file it.
You can file your own, and anyone on the committee can file one for another member. Only the member and the committee can open a certificate. Ask the manager "who on the committee hasn't filed a training certificate?" and it will tell you.