Strata, body corporate and owners corporation software by state
- Same idea, eight sets of words: owners corporation, body corporate, strata company, strata or community corporation.
- Every jurisdiction has its own principal Act and its own dispute pathway.
- Tasmania (Recorder of Titles) and South Australia (Magistrates Court) don't send most strata disputes to a tribunal first.
- Pick your state below for the Act, the local terms, a recent reform and how Watchdog Strata maps to it.
Which Act, entity and tribunal applies in each state?
| Jurisdiction | Principal Act | Scheme entity | Committee | Main dispute body |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) | Owners corporation | Strata committee | Fair Trading mediation, then NCAT |
| Queensland | Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld) | Body corporate | Committee | BCCM Commissioner (conciliation, adjudication), appeals to QCAT |
| Victoria | Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) | Owners corporation (tiers 1–5) | Committee | Internal process, then DSCV or VCAT |
| Western Australia | Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) | Strata company | Council | State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) |
| South Australia | Strata Titles Act 1988 (SA); Community Titles Act 1996 (SA) | Strata or community corporation | Management committee | Magistrates Court; SACAT for nuisance tenancies |
| ACT | Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011 (ACT) | Owners corporation | Executive committee | ACAT |
| Tasmania | Strata Titles Act 1998 (Tas) | Body corporate | Committee of management | Recorder of Titles, appeals to TASCAT |
| Northern Territory | Unit Title Schemes Act 2009 (NT); Unit Titles Act 1975 (NT) | Body corporate | Committee | NTCAT |
The pattern is clear: what matters most isn't the label but who decides disputes and what records they'll ask for. In every state, a dated record of issues, decisions and occupancy helps.
What's changing in 2026?
- NSW: annual committee training from 1 October 2026, following the 2025 building manager duties.
- Victoria: the Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Vic) brings in payment plans and a one-owner proxy limit from 1 December 2027, unless proclaimed earlier.
- WA: Phase Two of the five-year review of the Strata Titles Act 1985 runs from 15 October to 26 November 2026.
- Tasmania: the draft Strata Titles Amendment Bill 2026 was released for consultation.
- ACT: the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011 was republished on 26 June 2026.
Does the software need to be different in each state?
The day-to-day work is much the same everywhere: repairs, notices, parcels, access, and knowing who lives in each lot. What differs is the vocabulary, the meeting and voting rules, and the dispute pathway. Good building software should use your state's terms and keep records your tribunal or regulator will accept. It shouldn't claim that an app poll replaces a formal resolution. See voting rules by state and strata vs body corporate vs owners corporation.
How Watchdog Strata helps
Watchdog Strata works the same way in every state. It covers maintenance tickets, notices, parcels, access-card requests, tenancy integrity alerts and owners' polls, with an exportable change history. Our first building is in the Sydney CBD. See all features and per-lot pricing.
General information only, not legal advice. Check the current legislation or ask a strata lawyer for your scheme.
Questions people ask
Is strata the same as body corporate and owners corporation?
Yes, they describe the same idea in different jurisdictions. NSW, Victoria and the ACT use owners corporation; Queensland, Tasmania and the NT use body corporate; WA uses strata company; SA uses strata or community corporation.
Which states send strata disputes to a tribunal?
NSW (NCAT), Victoria (VCAT), WA (SAT), the ACT (ACAT) and the NT (NTCAT) do. Queensland uses the BCCM Commissioner with appeals to QCAT; Tasmania uses the Recorder of Titles; SA generally uses the Magistrates Court.
Does Watchdog Strata work in every state?
Yes. Its features are the same nationally, and our state pages explain how they map to each jurisdiction's terms. Formal meetings and votes must still follow your state's Act.
Sources
- NSW Legislation – Strata Schemes Management Act 2015
- Queensland Government – Body corporate legislation
- Consumer Affairs Victoria – Tiers of owners corporations
- Landgate – Guide to resolving strata disputes
- Law Handbook SA – Strata titles
- ACAT – Unit titles disputes
- NRE Tasmania – Strata Living in Tasmania
- NTCAT – Guide to NTCAT jurisdictions
See it running in a real building
Open the live demo as an owner, a tenant or the building manager. No sign-up, and it resets every night.