What it means when the building forms part of the lot on a NSW strata plan, sometimes called a cubic plan. Who maintains, repairs and insures it, and what to check before you buy.
Building part of the lot: what does it mean on a strata plan?
Most people picture strata as a block of units, where the owners corporation looks after the building. But many townhouses, villas and duplexes in NSW work differently. On these strata plans, the building itself forms part of each lot.
You’ll sometimes hear these called cubic strata plans. Owners and buyers are often unsure what this means for them, so here’s an overview.
How do you spot it on the strata plan?
On the plan, the buildings are drawn with thick dashed lines. There’s usually a note on the plan along these lines:
“The structure of the building standing on each lot, including walls, floors, ceilings, roofs and structural space therein, forms part of the respective lot and is not common property, excluding common service lines.”
If you see that note, the building belongs to the lot, not the owners corporation.
What does it mean for owners?
In general, each owner is responsible for maintaining their own building, including the walls, floors, ceilings and roof. In that sense, it works much like owning a house.
That’s a big difference from a standard unit block, where the owners corporation usually maintains the building and every owner contributes through levies.
What is still common property?
Anything that isn’t part of a lot. That usually includes:
shared driveways and land outside the lots
pipes, wires and other services that serve more than one lot
The owners corporation is still responsible for common property.
What about shared walls?
Where buildings are joined, the plan should show whether the shared wall is common property or whether the boundary runs through the centre of the wall. This affects who fixes what, so it’s worth checking.
Who insures the buildings?
Usually the owners corporation still insures the buildings. In limited cases, such as two lots with detached buildings, the owners can agree to arrange their own insurance. Check what’s in place before you buy.
Do you still need a strata report?
Yes. Even when each owner looks after their own building, there’s still an owners corporation, levies, insurance, by-laws and records to check. A strata report shows how the scheme is set up and what you’d be responsible for.
Why this one is a little trickier
Every strata plan is different. By-laws can change who maintains what, and the notes on each plan matter. We generally need to look at the strata plan and its notes to explain what applies to a particular property.
Questions? Call us
If you’re buying or selling a property where the building forms part of the lot, we’re happy to look at the plan and talk you through it.
Call us on (02) 4297 2555.
Download the fact sheet from the Help Centre
