From 2026, two-lot schemes no longer need AGMs, committees or a 10-year works plan. You need someone to keep the paperwork legal — and not much else.
One fixed fee — $395 + GST a year for the whole scheme. Sign up online in about 15 minutes. No meetings, no commissions, no phone calls unless you want one.
Run by Alan Hunter, Class 1 licensed strata manager, Townhouse Strata. Prices ex GST.
Two questions. No email address needed.
About one in three NSW strata schemes is just two lots. Until now they carried the same rulebook as a 50-unit tower. The 2026 reforms create a "small strata scheme" category and strip most of it away.
No AGM, no general meetings, no strata committee. Decisions are made by a written resolution both owners sign — online.
Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, new s7A (commences on proclamation)Every decision needs both owners in writing. That is the whole governance model. We keep the record and chase the second signature.
s7A(4)–(6); records kept under s180(1)(b1)Two-lot schemes stop lodging the annual Strata Hub return. The duty to insure the building and keep it repaired stays.
NSW Fair Trading, "Changes to strata laws", updated 25-08-2026Both owners take part — the law requires it. Nobody has to talk to anyone. If you'd rather, there's a "book a 10-minute call" button on every page.
Address, whether the homes are attached, who manages it now. You see your price straight away.
2 minutesWe email the second owner an invitation. Nothing proceeds until you've both signed.
Same dayEach owner fills in the strata roll and uploads the plan, by-laws and insurance certificate. Anything the law needs that you don't hold, we order at cost (usually $20–40) — you approve first.
10 minutesThe agreement, our disclosures and the resolution appointing us arrive in one e-sign envelope. Pay by card — split 50/50 if you like.
10 minutesDocuments, insurance status, resolutions waiting for signature and your annual statement, all in one place.
Live within a weekWe take no insurance commission and never will. Anything outside the fee is a listed price you agree to before we start.
For two-lot schemes where the owners pay the bills themselves and want the legal side done properly — with nothing to attend.
If you'd rather a manager held the scheme's money, issued levies and paid the bills, that's full strata management — and it's what Townhouse Strata does.
| Only when you need it | What happens | Fee ex GST |
|---|---|---|
| Sale certificate (s184) | Ordered and paid online by the conveyancer; issued within about 36 business hours (14 days is the legal limit) | $119.90 inc GST — fee set by Regulation |
| Repair coordination | We get the quotes, brief the trade, check the work. Trades invoice the scheme directly. | $165 / job |
| Can't agree? Mediation session | A neutral, licensed manager works through the deadlock with both owners | $330 / session |
| By-law registration | Coordination and lodgement with NSW Land Registry (solicitor's drafting billed separately) | $550 |
| NCAT or Fair Trading matter | Preparation and representation, quoted before we start | Fixed quote |
Do it yourself with software, have a big firm manage it like a tower, or have the legal side done for you and nothing else.
| DIY strata software | Duplex Strata | Large firm (typical) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You do | We do | They do — at tower prices |
| Pricing basis | Per unit, per month, plus setup | One flat fee per scheme | Per lot, plus disbursements |
| Built for | Committees of 5–50 lots | Two owners, no committee | Apartment buildings |
| AGM, minutes, committee, CWF plan | Tools to run them yourself | Not needed after the 2026 reforms | Charged — no longer required |
| Insurance in the scheme's name, checked yearly | Your job | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insurance commission taken | — | Never | Often — ask them |
| Licensed strata manager accountable | No | Yes — Class 1 | Yes |
| Sale certificate (s184) | You prepare it | Online order, ~36 hours | ✓ |
| Typical cost per year for a duplex, ex GST | ≈ $180–280 (+ setup) | $395 | ≈ $1,800 |
DIY software figures from a leading Australian self-management platform's published per-unit pricing, September 2026, for two units. Large-firm figure is a market observation.
Attached duplexes must have one building policy in the owners corporation's name for full replacement value, with $20 million public liability. Beyond that, it's your call — a direct insurer's strata policy is fine if it meets those tests.
Two detached homes on one plan? You can resolve in writing not to insure jointly (s160(4)) and each insure your own. We record the resolution and both certificates.
The reporting exemption starts 1 October 2026. The "small strata scheme" rules (no meetings, written resolutions) are in a Bill that has passed the Legislative Assembly and is before the Legislative Council. Until it's proclaimed, we still run a short online meeting for you where the law requires one. You can join the waiting list now and pay nothing until we start.
Legally, no. But you do need insurance in the right name, records of your decisions, and a certificate when one of you sells. Most self-managed duplexes have none of those. Duplex Strata exists for exactly that gap.
Then nothing happens — under the new rules every decision needs both owners. That's why we chase the second signature for you and why mediation is a fixed-price option, not an hourly one.
Yes. Once both owners have signed with us, we issue the termination notice and request the books from your former manager. Check your current agreement for notice periods — we'll read it for you as part of sign-up.
Townhouse Strata — a small NSW firm run by Alan Hunter, a Class 1 licensed strata manager. Duplex Strata is our fixed-fee service for two-lot schemes. Same licence, same trust account rules, same person accountable.
We don't hold any. You pay the insurer and any trades directly, and upload the receipts to your vault. If you want a manager to hold funds and pay bills, that's full management with Townhouse Strata.
We'll email both owners the day the new rules commence, with your price locked in.
No sales calls. One email when it's time, and one reminder.