Who is responsible for pest control in NSW strata?

In a strata building, "who pays for pest control?" comes down to a single line: is the problem on common property, or inside a lot? This guide explains where that line sits under theStrata Schemes Management Act 2015, who pays for termites, how by-laws can change things, and the resident-notification rule that trips up a lot of schemes. It's written as a reference for owners, committees and strata managers across NSW.

What does the owners corporation have to maintain?

Section 106 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 imposes a duty on the owners corporation to properly maintain and keep in a state of good and serviceable repair the common property. Pest management of common property falls squarely within that duty. So where a pest problem affects common property — external and structural walls, the roof space, common gardens, shared plumbing, slabs and shared areas — dealing with it is the owners corporation's responsibility, funded through strata levies.

Where's the line between common property and my lot?

The dividing line is common property versus lot property. Responsibility for pest control follows the location or structure affected:

• Affects common property (structural walls, roof space, common gardens, shared plumbing, slabs) → owners corporation.
• Confined inside a lot (a lot's internal fittings and non-common areas) → lot owner.

A precise point worth knowing, because it's where a lot of advice online gets it wrong: the NSW Fair Trading Common Property Memorandum — the standard document schemes adopt to allocate maintenance item by item — does not list "pest control" or "termite inspection" as a line item at all. Responsibility for pests therefore isn't "assigned" by that document; it follows the property affected. If pests damage or occupy common property, it's the owners corporation's; if the issue is confined within a lot, it's the lot owner's — unless your scheme's by-laws or a special resolution say otherwise.

Who pays for termites in a strata building?

Termites are the clearest case. They attack structural timbers, which are almost always common property, so in most schemes termite inspection and treatment fall under the owners corporation's section 106 duty to maintain the common property. That's why block-wide termite inspections are typically arranged and funded by the owners corporation rather than individual owners.

The caveat is the same as always: by-laws or a special resolution can allocate things differently, so check your scheme's registered by-laws. See ourtermite inspections page for what an inspection covers.

How are treatments funded?

Pest treatment of common property is funded through strata levies — the regular contributions owners pay into the scheme's administrative and capital works funds. That's part of why getting the common-property-versus-lot question right matters: it determines whether a cost comes out of the scheme's funds or an individual owner's pocket.

What notice do residents get before common-area spraying?

This is the compliance step schemes most often miss. For pesticide use in the common area of a multiple-occupancy residential complex, whoever organises the treatment must give residents at least 5 working days' notice before application, under the NSWPesticides Regulation 2017. Notice can be given personally, by letterbox drop, under the door, or by notices on the main noticeboards and entrances. An emergency exceptionapplies, and there's an $800 on-the-spot penalty for applying pesticide in a common area without notifying residents.

Southern Pest Co handles this notification for the schemes we service, so it's one less compliance headache for the strata manager.

What should strata managers put in place?

The practical answer for most schemes is a scheduled program rather than reactive one-off calls: common-area and garbage-room treatments, subfloor and roof-void checks, block-wide cockroach programs where shared walls are an issue, and annual termite inspections. One accountable technician, one report per scheme, and the resident notification handled for you. Ourstrata pest control service is built exactly for this across the Sutherland Shire and St George.

References

These are the primary NSW sources this guide relies on:

• Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — section 106
• NSW Fair Trading — Common Property Memorandum (PDF)
• NSW EPA — Prior notification for pesticide use in common areas

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For advice on a specific scheme, check the registered by-laws and seek strata-law advice.

Managing a scheme? Get a per-scheme proposal for the Sutherland Shire and St George —request a quote or seestrata pest control.