What should a duplex be paying for strata?
A realistic breakdown of what a two-lot strata scheme in NSW pays each year: insurance, maintenance, management or administration, and the one-off costs like Section 184 certificates. Includes what to challenge.
Owners who've inherited a strata manager from the developer often find they're paying tower-block fees for a two-lot scheme. Owners who've never had one sometimes discover the opposite — they've been paying nothing and are uninsured. Here's what a sensible two-lot budget looks like.
The unavoidable costs
| Item | Typical range (whole scheme, per year) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building insurance | $1,500–$4,000+ | Depends on rebuild value, location, claims history. The only line that must exist. |
| Common property maintenance | $0–$2,000 | Gutters, shared driveway, external painting cycle. Varies enormously. |
| Capital works fund contribution | $0 or an agreed amount | Optional for many two-lot schemes (s 74(5)) — see our guide. |
| Valuation for insurance | ~$300–$500 every 5 years | Required at least every five years (s 161). |
The optional cost: management or administration
| Service | What you get | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Full strata management | Trust account, levy notices, bill payment, financial statements, meetings | Often $1,500–$3,000+ a year for two lots — plus disbursements and, frequently, an insurance commission |
| Administration only (Duplex Strata) | Roll and records, annual insurance check, written resolutions drafted and chased, s184 certificates, compliance statement — owners pay bills directly | $395 + GST a year for the scheme |
| Self-managed | You do all of the above yourselves | $0, plus your time and the risk of missing something |
One-off costs
- Section 184 certificate when a lot sells — regulated fee, currently $109 + GST, paid by the requester.
- Title or plan search — $20–40 from NSW Land Registry if you don't hold the registered plan or by-laws.
- By-law registration — solicitor's drafting plus lodgement; budget $1,000–$2,000 all-in if you ever need one.
- Mediation or NCAT — only if things go wrong.
Three things to challenge on an existing management bill
- Insurance commission. Ask whether the manager or their broker is paid a commission on your premium and how much. It must be disclosed (ss 57, 60, 71) and it's negotiable.
- Disbursements. Printing, postage, "administration" and software fees can add hundreds a year. Ask for the schedule.
- Meeting fees. If you're being charged to convene an AGM that two people could hold over a kitchen table — or that the new rules will abolish — say so.
How the costs are split
By unit entitlement, as shown on the registered strata plan (s 83(2)). For most duplexes that's 50/50, but not always — a larger lot may carry 60 or 55 units. It isn't something the owners can vary by agreement without changing the plan.
- 1 October 2026: two-lot schemes stop lodging the annual Strata Hub report (NSW Fair Trading, "Changes to strata laws").
- Small strata scheme rules (no meetings, decisions by written resolution of both owners, new s 7A): in a Bill that has passed the Legislative Assembly and is before the Legislative Council. They start on a date to be proclaimed. Until then, where the law still requires a meeting we hold a short online one for you at no extra cost.
- Unchanged: the duty to insure the building for full replacement value in the owners corporation's name, to keep common property in repair, to keep a strata roll and records, and to provide a Section 184 certificate when a lot is sold.
No meetings, no commissions, no money handled. Both owners sign online.