Common property
Common property is everything outside individual lot boundaries in a strata scheme, owned collectively by the owners corporation or body corporate.
Ask Chalkline about this →Common property is everything in a strata or community-title scheme that is outside the individual lot boundaries. It is owned collectively by all the lot owners through the owners corporation (NSW, VIC), the body corporate (QLD), or the strata company, rather than by any single owner. Typical common property includes the external walls, the roof, the structural slab, lobbies and stairs, lifts, driveways, gardens, and shared services.
What is lot and what is common property is set by the registered strata plan, and lot boundaries are defined by the building structure: the plan fixes the boundary by reference to the walls, floor, and ceiling (commonly the centre or a face of those elements, depending on the plan and the state). The practical effect for a builder is that the structure itself, and often the slab and the external face of the walls, is common property even though it surrounds a private lot. Work that touches a boundary wall, the slab, the facade, or common services is therefore not the lot owner’s to authorise alone.
Before quoting a strata renovation, read the strata plan to see exactly where the lot ends and common property begins, and check the by-laws. Structural work, waterproofing a wet area over another sole-occupancy unit, changes to the facade, or penetrations through common walls usually need the owners corporation’s approval (and often an engineer and a certifier), not just the lot owner’s say-so. See reading a plan of subdivision and title search basics.
Also known as: Common areas, owners corporation property, body corporate property.
Category: Strata and title / Property.
Related
See also
References
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) (verified 2026-05-23)
- Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld) (verified 2026-05-23)
Last updated: 2026-05-30. Verified: 2026-05-23. Quarterly review for currency.