NSW Strata Reforms 2025: Easier Accessibility Upgrades for People with Disability
In 2025, New South Wales introduced important changes to strata laws through the Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment Act 2025. These reforms make it significantly easier to install accessibility infrastructure — such as ramps, handrails, or other modifications — in strata schemes. The updates support fairer access to homes and common property for residents living with disability.
Key Changes to Accessibility Approvals
Before the 2025 reforms, major changes to common property (like adding a ramp) usually required a special resolution — meaning at least 75% of votes in favour at a general meeting. This high threshold often made accessibility upgrades difficult, even when they were reasonable and necessary.
From 1 July 2025, the approval threshold for accessibility infrastructure has been lowered dramatically. These works can now be approved with a simple majority vote (over 50% in favour). This mirrors the approach already used for sustainability infrastructure like solar panels or EV chargers.
The Act defines accessibility infrastructure as any changes to common property that help a person with a disability access:
- the common property (e.g. entrances, paths, lifts), or
- their own lot (apartment/unit).
This broad definition covers practical upgrades like ramps to improve mobility access.
What the Owners Corporation Must Consider
Before approving an accessibility infrastructure resolution, the owners corporation must now consider important factors, including:
- The cost of installation, plus expected running and maintenance expenses
- Financing options (who pays — the individual owner, the strata fund, or a combination?)
- Who will own, install, and maintain the infrastructure
- How widely the upgrade will benefit lots in the scheme
- The impact of refusing the works on people with disability
These requirements ensure decisions are balanced, transparent, and fair.
Interaction with the Disability Discrimination Act
The strata changes complement federal obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth). Owners corporations must avoid indirect discrimination by making reasonable adjustments where access is unreasonably difficult due to mobility needs. While the strata laws don’t force automatic funding of major works, the lower approval threshold makes it much easier to get permission for modifications. Refusals that cause unjustifiable hardship can still be challenged.
In practice, many schemes are now more willing to approve, and sometimes contribute to, accessibility upgrades, especially when they benefit a resident directly and comply with the new rules.
Why These Reforms Matter
These changes recognise that over time, more NSW residents will live in strata buildings. By making accessibility easier to achieve, the reforms promote inclusive communities, reduce barriers for people with disability, and help owners corporations respond practically to individual needs.
If you're considering accessibility improvements in your strata scheme, whether a ramp for your lot or broader upgrades, the 2025 reforms provide a clearer, faster pathway forward.
Next Steps for Owners and Committees
- Review your scheme’s current by-laws for any conflicts with accessibility works
- Prepare a clear proposal with cost estimates, design details, and benefits
- Request a general meeting motion under the new majority-vote rules
- Seek professional advice from an architect, access consultant, or strata lawyer to ensure compliance and feasibility
The Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment Act 2025 is a positive step toward more equitable strata living in NSW. If you need help navigating these changes or preparing an accessibility proposal, feel free to get in touch.