Minor Renovations: When the 3-Month Deemed Approval Applies

Reviewed and updated 14-10-2026. We corrected this article. The 3-month deemed approval applies only where a by-law of your scheme delegates minor renovation approvals to the strata committee. Without that by-law, approval is by ordinary resolution at a general meeting and there is no deemed approval. Cosmetic work needs no approval and no notice. We also removed a list of examples we could not verify.

Under the 2025 reforms, if your scheme's by-laws let the strata committee decide minor renovation requests, the committee must give written reasons if it refuses — and if it doesn't respond within 3 months, the renovation is taken to be approved. But that rule only applies where the decision has been delegated to the committee.

Three kinds of owner works

• Cosmetic work (s109) — no approval and no notice is needed, unless a by-law of your scheme says otherwise.
• Minor renovations (s110) — for example, a rainwater tank is a minor renovation (Regulation cl 28). If you're not sure whether your work counts, ask us before you start.
• Alterations to common property (s108) — structural work, work that changes the external appearance, or waterproofing. These need a special resolution at a general meeting, and the resolution must say who will maintain the altered common property.

Who approves a minor renovation?

The starting point is an ordinary resolution at a general meeting (s110(1)). The strata committee can approve minor renovations only if a by-law delegates that function to it (s110(6)(b)). So the first step is always to check your scheme's by-laws.

Where the committee has the power — the 3-month rule

• If the committee refuses, it must give written reasons.
• If it gives no written refusal within 3 months of receiving the request, the renovation is taken to be approved (s110(6A)–(6B)).
• A record of each approval must be kept for 10 years (s110(6C)).

Where there is no such by-law, the request goes to a general meeting and there is no deemed approval.

What the owner should do

• Submit the request in writing with enough detail — description, materials, contractor, dates.
• Keep your own copy with the date you sent it.
• Ask whether your scheme's by-laws delegate the decision to the committee, so you know which process applies.
• If the committee does have the power and 3 months pass with no written response, confirm in writing that the renovation is approved.

NCAT has power to approve work on common property (s126), including after the event — but only where the owner first asked the owners corporation. Ask first: approval is far cheaper than a dispute.

Where to get the form

You can submit a renovation request to us using our online form or PDF — head to our forms page for the Renovation Application.