How to Remove a Strata Committee Member: Your Rights as an Owner
Every strata building eventually faces the same question: what do you do when a committee member isn't serving the building's interests? Maybe they've been blocking essential maintenance, making decisions without authority, failing to disclose conflicts of interest — or simply refusing to engage.
The good news is that the 2025 NSW strata reforms have made removal significantly easier. Here's a practical guide to your options.
The Two Types of Removal
There's an important distinction between removing a committee officer (the chair, secretary or treasurer) from their office, and removing someone from the committee entirely.
Removing an Officer from Their Role
Prior to the 2025 reforms, removing the chair, secretary or treasurer from their officer role required a special resolution — meaning more than 75% of votes cast had to be in favour. This was a high bar that allowed entrenched officers to remain in power even when a majority of owners wanted change.
Under the 2025 reforms, officers can now be removed by ordinary resolution, which only requires a simple majority of votes cast at a general meeting. This single change has dramatically shifted the balance of power back to owners.
Removing Someone from the Committee Entirely
Removing a person from the strata committee itself (not just their officer role) can happen in several ways:
| Method | How It Works | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary resolution at a general meeting | Simple majority vote to remove the member | When there's clear majority support for removal |
| Failure to complete mandatory training | Once training requirements commence (2026), members who don't complete training can be removed by notice | When a member is not meeting their training obligations |
| NCAT order | The tribunal can order removal for misconduct, breach of duty, or failure to act in the owners corporation's interests | When the member is causing harm and won't leave voluntarily |
| Automatic vacancy | A position becomes vacant if the member ceases to be a lot owner, is absent from three consecutive meetings without leave, or is bankrupt | No action needed — the vacancy occurs automatically |
Step-by-Step: Removing a Committee Member by Resolution
Step 1: Document the Issues
Before you call for a vote, document the specific problems. This might include minutes showing inappropriate decisions, financial records revealing unauthorised spending, correspondence demonstrating a failure to act, or evidence of conflicts of interest. Concrete evidence is far more persuasive than general complaints.
Step 2: Talk to Other Owners
You'll need a majority to succeed. Speak privately with other lot owners to gauge support. Many owners don't attend meetings, so you may need to reach out proactively and explain why removal is necessary. Provide your documented evidence and be factual, not emotional.
Step 3: Request an Extraordinary General Meeting
Under section 20 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, owners holding at least 25% of unit entitlements can request the secretary to convene an extraordinary general meeting. The notice must specify the motions to be considered. If the secretary refuses or fails to convene the meeting within 14 days, the owners who made the request can convene it themselves.
Step 4: Prepare the Motion
The motion should be clear and specific. For example: "That [Name] be removed from the strata committee effective immediately." If you're also seeking to remove them from an officer position, include a separate motion for that.
Step 5: Vote at the Meeting
An ordinary resolution passes with a simple majority of votes cast at the meeting (in person or by proxy). Make sure owners who support the motion either attend or provide a proxy.
When NCAT Gets Involved
If the committee member refuses to accept the outcome of a vote, or if the situation is so serious that it can't wait for a meeting, you can apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for an order.
NCAT can make orders under several provisions:
- Section 232 — Orders to settle disputes or complaints about the operation or management of a strata scheme
- Section 237 — Orders relating to the conduct of a strata committee member who has failed to comply with their duties
Under the 2025 reforms, committee members now have statutory duties to act honestly, fairly, with due care and diligence, and in the best interests of the owners corporation. A breach of these duties provides stronger grounds for a NCAT application.
The Mandatory Training Safety Valve
Scheduled for later in 2026, all committee members will be required to complete prescribed training. If a member fails to complete the training after receiving a formal notice, the owners corporation will have the power to remove them automatically. This provides a non-confrontational mechanism for removing members who aren't taking their responsibilities seriously.
Warning Signs That Removal May Be Necessary
Not every disagreement warrants removal. But certain patterns should raise red flags:
- The member consistently votes against maintenance that the building clearly needs
- Financial decisions are being made without transparency or proper documentation
- The member has undisclosed business relationships with contractors used by the building
- Meeting minutes are being withheld or delayed
- The member is using their position to benefit their own lot at the expense of others
- Common property issues raised by owners are being ignored without explanation
What Happens After Removal
Once a member is removed, the vacancy can be filled by resolution at a general meeting. If the committee falls below the minimum number of members required to form a quorum, an EGM should be called promptly to elect replacement members.
The removed member retains all their rights as a lot owner — they simply no longer serve on the committee. They can still attend meetings, vote on resolutions and stand for election at the next AGM.
A Note on Proportionality
Removing a committee member is a serious step. These are volunteers who give up their time to manage complex assets. Before pursuing removal, consider whether the issue could be resolved through a direct conversation, mediation, or a request for the member to step down voluntarily.
That said, when a committee member is genuinely failing in their duties or acting against the building's interests, the 2025 reforms have given owners the tools to act decisively.
Your building is likely your most valuable asset. If the people managing it aren't doing their job, you have more options than ever to make a change. The 2025 reforms deliberately lowered the barriers to holding committees accountable — use them.