What strata documents should you store—and who can access them?
Wondering what to keep for seven years vs what can be committee-only? Use retention guidance, folder discipline, and visibility rules that match typical Australian inspection and transparency expectations.
Ask a strata committee 'where are your scheme's documents?' and the answers range from 'in the cloud somewhere' to 'in a folder at Margaret's house' to 'I think the old manager had most of them'. Document management is one of those unsexy but fundamentally important aspects of strata governance — and it's an area where self-managed schemes are often the most exposed.
Good document control protects your scheme. It means records are available when needed (an NCAT application, a property sale, an owner dispute), they're accessible to the right people (but not the wrong people), and they're retained for long enough to satisfy your legal obligations. This guide covers what to store, how long to keep it, and who should be able to see what.
What documents does a strata scheme need to keep?
Australian strata legislation requires owners corporations to keep certain records. The categories vary slightly by state, but the core set is consistent:
**Governance records:**
- Minutes of all meetings (committee meetings, AGMs, EGMs) — typically required to be kept for at least 7 years (NSW) with similar requirements in other states
- Register of motions passed without meetings (where applicable)
- Current by-laws and all registered by-law amendments
- Committee member details and election records
**Financial records:**
- Financial statements (typically required for at least 7 years)
- Levy notices, receipts, and payment records
- Bank statements
- Invoices, quotes, and work order documentation for significant expenditure
- Capital works plan and budget documents
**Insurance:**
- Current insurance policies and certificates of currency
- Claims history (important for risk management and underwriting)
- Correspondence with insurers regarding significant matters
**Compliance records:**
- Fire safety certificates and essential safety measures records
- Lift registration and inspection certificates
- Pool compliance certificates
- Contractor service records for mandated maintenance items
**Correspondence and legal:**
- Significant correspondence about disputes or legal matters
- NCAT/VCAT/tribunal decisions affecting the scheme
- Solicitor's correspondence and advice
- Contracts with service providers and managing agents
Tip
When in doubt, keep it. Storage is cheap. The cost of not having a record when you need it — particularly during a dispute or property sale process — can be enormous.
How long to retain what
The general principle across Australian states is that governance and financial records should be retained for at least 7 years. Some states require longer for certain record types. NSW, for example, requires certain records to be retained indefinitely (by-laws, plans).
A practical approach is to apply a tiered retention policy:
- **Permanent retention:** by-laws and by-law amendments, strata plan, title documents, AGM minutes, key legal correspondence and tribunal decisions
- **7+ years:** all financial records, committee meeting minutes, insurance documents, compliance certificates
- **3–5 years:** general correspondence, contractor quotes (except for major works which should be retained longer), routine service records
- **Until superseded plus 12 months:** active contracts, current insurance policies (keep the most recent version permanently as part of the 7+ year set)
When records are superseded — an insurance policy renewed, a by-law amended — keep the superseded version for the required period rather than deleting it.
Visibility and access: who should see what
Access control is as important as retention. Not every document should be accessible to every owner, and not every owner document should be visible to the public. Getting this wrong creates privacy issues, governance problems, and sometimes legal exposure.
A useful three-tier access model:
**Committee / board only:**
- Draft minutes (before approval)
- Legal correspondence and solicitor's advice
- Active dispute records involving individual owners
- Financial records containing personal information (individual levy arrears details)
- Commercially sensitive tender documents
**Member resources (accessible to all lot owners):**
- Approved meeting minutes
- Current insurance certificates
- Current by-laws and by-law amendments
- General financial reports (without individual owner details)
- Current compliance certificates
- Owner guides and portal instructions
**Public:**
- By-laws (in some states, by-laws must be publicly accessible)
- General scheme information that non-owners might legitimately need
In practice, 'public' access is rarely used for anything substantive. Most document sharing happens at the member resources level.
Owners generally have statutory rights to inspect certain records. The exact scope varies by state — some states allow committees to charge a fee for access, others require free access to certain document types. Familiarise yourself with your state's requirements so you know what you're obliged to provide and what you can reasonably restrict.
Practical folder structure for a strata scheme
A consistent folder structure makes document retrieval fast and handovers straightforward. Here's a starting structure that works for most schemes:
- **Governance:** Minutes, AGMs, Committee Meetings, By-Laws, Elections
- **Finance:** Budgets, Levies, Financial Statements, Invoices, Bank Records
- **Insurance:** Current Policies, Previous Policies, Claims, Certificates of Currency
- **Compliance:** Fire Safety, Lifts, Pool, Other Assets, Certificates
- **Maintenance:** Completed Jobs, Active Contracts, Warranties
- **Legal:** Correspondence, Tribunal Records, Solicitor Advice
- **Correspondence:** Owner Notices, General Communications
Use date-first file naming (2026-03-15 AGM Minutes.pdf) so files sort chronologically. Avoid ambiguous names like 'Final', 'Latest', or 'Use This One'. Everyone who uploads files should follow the same naming convention.
Digital storage and backup
Cloud storage with proper access controls is standard for strata schemes today. The key requirements are: tenant-scoped access (your documents can only be accessed by your scheme's users), version control or deletion audit trails, and regular backup.
Avoid storing scheme documents in any individual committee member's personal accounts — Google Drive, personal Dropbox, personal email. When that person leaves the committee, the records risk leaving with them.
How Stratabody helps
- Folder tree with configurable visibility levels: committee-only, member resources, and public.
- Upload and store documents with tenant-scoped security and access controls.
- Download tracking and document activity logs for audit and governance purposes.
- Owner portal shows only member-visible folders and the documents owners are entitled to access.
- Search across the document library to find records quickly without manual browsing.
Frequently asked questions
- Can lot owners request copies of committee meeting minutes?
- Yes, in most states owners have a statutory right to inspect and obtain copies of approved committee meeting minutes. Draft minutes and confidential items may be restricted. The exact process for access requests varies by state — some require written requests, others allow informal access. Check your state's legislation.
- How long should we keep contractor quotes?
- Retain quotes for completed works for at least the standard retention period (7 years). For major works, retain indefinitely or at least for the life of any warranties. Quotes provide important context for budget management, future similar works, and any disputes about the quality or scope of work done.
- Should we use cloud storage?
- Yes — cloud storage with proper access controls is the recommended approach. The key requirements are tenant-scoped access (your documents aren't accessible to other schemes), reliable backup, and a clear audit trail. Avoid personal cloud accounts for scheme documents.
- What do we do with documents when we take over from a previous committee or manager?
- Request a complete handover pack in writing. Review what you receive against what you should have. For any gaps, request them formally — incomplete handovers are a common problem but the outgoing party typically has a legal obligation to provide records. Start a fresh document register from the date you take over.
Good document control is invisible when it works and very painful when it doesn't. Build your folder structure before you start uploading. Set access levels deliberately. Use consistent naming. Retain for the required periods. And make sure the documents live in the system, not on someone's personal device. StrataBody provides the structure — your committee provides the discipline.
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