Selling a strata property is meaningfully different from selling a freestanding home. The title, the levies, the by-laws, the common property, and the owners corporation all enter the picture before a single buyer walks through the door. Sellers who treat it like any other listing often stumble at the contract stage, or lose buyer confidence early because the paperwork isn't in order.
What makes strata different from a standard sale
A strata title means you own your lot (the apartment, townhouse, or villa unit) together with a share of the common property. Common property includes things like driveways, foyers, gardens, lifts, and pools. You can't sell or alter common property independently, and a buyer is purchasing into a shared governance structure as well as a physical dwelling.
That structure comes with obligations. Owners pay strata levies (sometimes called body corporate fees) to fund the day-to-day administration of the scheme and a sinking fund for future capital works. Buyers want to know exactly what those fees are, whether the sinking fund is healthy, and whether any special levies are pending. A special levy for a major repair, a new roof or waterproofing works, can be thousands of dollars. Disclose it early or lose the buyer at contract review.
Get your strata records in order first
Before you start thinking about photography or open homes, pull together the documents a buyer's solicitor will request. You'll need the owners corporation certificate (or body corporate information certificate, depending on your state), which confirms your current levy balance and any outstanding debts against the lot. You'll also need the strata plan, the by-laws, recent meeting minutes, and the latest financial statements of the owners corporation.
Recent meeting minutes matter more than sellers realise. If the minutes reference a leaking roof, a disputed repair, or a brewing dispute between owners, a buyer's solicitor will find it. Better to know what's in there and prepare a straightforward answer than to be caught off guard.
Strata titles offices in each state hold the registered strata plan. In New South Wales, records sit with NSW Land Registry Services; in Victoria, with Land Use Victoria. Both allow you to order official title and plan documents directly.
How by-laws affect your presentation and marketing
By-laws govern what owners and tenants can do within the scheme. Common restrictions include pet ownership, renovation approvals, signage on common property, and short-term letting. Each of these can be a selling point or a liability depending on the buyer.
A buyer planning to rent the property short-term needs to know if that's permitted. A buyer bringing a large dog needs to know if pets are allowed. Don't leave these as surprises in the contract. Address the most relevant by-laws in your conversations with agents from day one, and make sure your listing copy reflects the scheme's character accurately.
One practical note on presentation: by-laws often restrict what you can do to common areas or hallways near your front door. If you want to add a pot plant or a doormat to improve first impressions, check the by-laws before you do it. An unapproved change in a communal space can become a sticking point.
Presenting and photographing a strata property
The photography brief for a strata property should include both the private lot and the best features of the common property. A well-maintained pool, a landscaped courtyard, a secure car park, a gym, or a rooftop terrace are all legitimate selling features and belong in the listing. Kitti Rivers Real Estate Photography photographs common areas as part of strata listing packages, because buyers decide on a scheme as much as on a unit.
Interior preparation follows the same principles as any other sale. Clear the clutter, style the main living spaces carefully, and make the bedroom and bathroom feel as calm and spacious as possible. For practical guidance on getting those rooms ready, the advice in our article on decluttering for a property sale applies directly to apartment-sized spaces where every square metre counts.
Exterior shots deserve the same attention. Capture the building entrance, the lobby if it's presentable, and any shared amenity that adds value. Drone photography can work well for strata blocks that sit on a large footprint or have a notable street presence. It's worth discussing with your photographer whether an aerial perspective would help buyers understand the scale of the common property and the location in context.
Pricing a strata property accurately
Comparable sales in a strata scheme are more useful than suburb-wide comparables. If your block has sold 3 similar lots in the past 18 months, that data is more instructive than a freestanding house two streets away. Work with your agent to pull those internal comparables first.
Factor the strata levies into your pricing conversation. High levies can suppress buyer appetite, particularly in a market where buyers are already stretched on mortgage repayments. If your levies are on the higher side, make sure buyers understand what they fund: a building with active management, a healthy sinking fund, and well-maintained common areas is a better asset than one with low levies and deferred maintenance.
Choosing the right agent matters here too. Not every agent sells strata well. Look for one who lists and sells within your specific type of strata scheme regularly, understands the documentation requirements, and can explain the owners corporation structure confidently to buyers. Our article on how to choose the right real estate agent covers the questions worth asking before you sign an agency agreement.
Disclosing defects and disputes
Strata sellers carry disclosure obligations that go beyond the standard vendor statement. Known defects to the lot must be disclosed, but so must known defects to common property if they affect the lot's value or usability. A water leak in the ceiling that traces back to common property plumbing is a defect you need to disclose even if the owners corporation is handling the repair.
Ongoing disputes, whether between owners, between the scheme and a contractor, or between the owners corporation and a local council, should be declared. Your solicitor will advise on the precise obligations in your state, but the principle is simple: disclose early and document everything. Buyers walk away from surprises far more readily than they walk away from disclosed issues with a clear resolution plan.
Settlement and the owners corporation handover
At settlement, your solicitor will notify the owners corporation of the change of ownership. The buyer becomes a member of the owners corporation from the settlement date and assumes responsibility for levies from that point forward. Make sure your levy account is paid to date before settlement, as any arrears will appear on the owners corporation certificate and can delay the sale.
Hand over all physical items related to the scheme: key fobs, swipe cards, parking permits, intercom codes, and any documentation the scheme has issued to you as an owner. A buyer who arrives on settlement day and can't access the car park or the building gym has a legitimate grievance, and it's an easy one to prevent.
Strata sales reward preparation. The sellers who move through the process without stress are the ones who sorted the paperwork, briefed their agent thoroughly, and presented both the lot and the common property at their best.