Who can access the strata roll, and what does it contain?
State strata law requires the owners corporation to keep a roll and make it available to the people the Act entitles: owners, committee members, mortgagees and interested persons, on written request and payment of a prescribed fee. It holds owners' names, addresses and other prescribed details. Because the law compels this disclosure, "privacy" is generally not a ground to refuse an entitled person, though a covered manager must still not release it to anyone else.
By Jon Oates, Founder of Privaproof · Last updated
General information, document templates and tools you tailor, not legal advice. Privaproof is not a law practice.
What the roll actually contains
The roll (called the "strata roll" or "owners register" depending on your state) is the statutory record of who owns and is connected to the scheme. It is not a marketing list, it is a legal register the manager keeps on the owners corporation's behalf.
In New South Wales, section 178 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 sets the prescribed content, which includes each owner's name and address, the lot they own, unit entitlements, and details such as mortgagees, covenant chargees, any managing agent and strata committee members. Contact details like email and phone are commonly recorded so the scheme can reach owners. In Victoria the equivalent register sits under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (register provisions, around s 147) , and in Queensland the body corporate roll sits under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 . Section numbers move with amendments, so confirm the current provision for your own state before quoting it.
The practical point: the roll concentrates the personal information of everyone connected to the building in one document, which is exactly why access is regulated rather than open.
Who is entitled to inspect it
Access is not public. State strata law defines a specific class of people who may inspect the roll and records, typically:
- Owners in the scheme.
- Strata committee members (in the course of their role).
- Mortgagees and covenant chargees with a registered interest in a lot.
- A person authorised in writing by any of the above (for example, a lawyer or agent acting for an owner).
- Certain other interested persons the Act recognises, which in some states extends to prospective purchasers doing due diligence through the owner or their representative.
In NSW this inspection right runs through section 182 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, which lets an owner or other entitled person inspect the roll and records on written application and payment of the prescribed fee (a prescribed amount set by regulation and updated periodically (in New South Wales it is now tiered, with a higher rate for a non-owner searcher), so confirm the current figure). Victoria and Queensland have their own access provisions (Victoria under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 records and register provisions; Queensland under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 interested-person access). The exact sections and fees differ by state, so confirm your own. If you operate outside NSW, Victoria or Queensland, check your own state's strata legislation for the equivalent right and fee, because the detail differs in every jurisdiction.
A random member of the public, a debt buyer, a data broker or a curious neighbour with no lot interest is not on that list. Being outside the entitled class is the ordinary reason to refuse or limit a request, not "privacy" in the abstract.
Why "privacy" is not a lawful reason to refuse an entitled request
This is the part managers most often get wrong. When an entitled person makes a proper request, state strata law compels you to make the roll available. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal Appeal Panel has put it plainly: there is effectively "no privacy in strata records" as against a person the Act entitles to see them. Disclosure that is required or authorised by law is exactly the kind of disclosure the Australian Privacy Principles permit, so a covered manager is not breaching the Privacy Act by complying with a lawful inspection.
Refusing an entitled owner access to the roll because you think privacy demands it is more likely to breach the strata legislation than to satisfy it. Read: is the Privacy Act a shield against strata record access?
Where the manager's privacy duty still bites
Holding both sides of this is the whole skill. The duty to disclose to entitled persons does not license you to release the roll to anyone else. If your managing-agent business is covered by the Privacy Act, which it is if your turnover exceeds A$3 million or you are a related body corporate of a larger covered group, then over that same roll you still owe:
- APP 6, use or disclose the personal information only for the purpose you hold it for, or a directly related purpose the person would reasonably expect. Handing the roll to a marketer, a related sales business, or a third party with no lawful entitlement is the risk zone.
- APP 11, keep the roll secure and take reasonable steps to protect it, and destroy or de-identify it when it is no longer needed and the statutory retention period has passed.
So the honest rule is two-sided: disclose to the entitled, protect against everyone else. Many managers also, as a matter of practice, redact direct contact details (phone and email) before releasing the roll to an inspecting party, releasing the statutorily required content while limiting onward misuse. Whether that redaction is permitted or required is **state-specific and changes over time *, so treat it as a practice to confirm, not a universal rule. Read: can a strata manager give out an owner's details?
If your business is under $3 million and not part of a group
You may genuinely sit outside the Australian Privacy Principles, and we will say so rather than sell you coverage you do not have. But note two things. First, the state strata obligation to keep the roll and make it available to entitled persons applies regardless of your turnover, so the access rules above still bind you. Second, even if the APPs do not reach you, releasing an owner's data to someone with no entitlement can still land you in a tribunal dispute with the owners corporation and damage the relationship you depend on. Good roll handling is not only a Privacy Act question. Read: does the Privacy Act apply to strata managers?
The short version
The roll must be kept and made available to the people the Act entitles, on request and on payment of the prescribed fee, and privacy is not a lawful reason to refuse them. It contains owners' names, addresses and other prescribed details. Everyone outside that entitled group has no right to it, and a covered manager must actively protect it under APP 6 and APP 11. Confirm the exact content, entitled persons, fee and any redaction practice under your own state's strata legislation, because the detail differs in every jurisdiction. Read the cornerstone: privacy compliance for strata and owners-corporation managers.
Common questions
Can any owner in the building see the strata roll?
Generally yes. State strata law entitles owners to inspect the roll and records on written request and payment of the prescribed fee. Committee members, mortgagees and people authorised in writing by them are usually entitled too. The specific list and process differ by state, so confirm your own jurisdiction's provision.
Can the manager refuse to hand over the roll on privacy grounds?
Not to an entitled person making a proper request. State strata law compels the disclosure, and disclosure required or authorised by law is permitted under the Australian Privacy Principles. Refusing an entitled owner is more likely to breach the strata legislation than to comply with privacy law.
What information is on the strata roll?
Prescribed details set by state law, which in NSW (Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 s 178) include each owner's name and address, their lot and unit entitlements, and details of mortgagees, the managing agent and committee members. Contact details are often recorded as well. Victoria and Queensland have their own register content provisions, with section numbers that change over time.
Can a member of the public or a debt collector inspect the roll?
No, not as of right. Access is limited to the class of persons the Act entitles, typically owners, committee members, mortgagees and their authorised representatives. A party with no lot interest and no authorisation is outside that class, and releasing the roll to them can breach both the manager's duty and, for a covered manager, APP 6.
Should I redact phone numbers and email addresses before releasing the roll?
Many managers do, releasing the statutorily required content while limiting onward misuse of direct contact details. Whether redaction is permitted or required is state-specific and can change, so confirm the current position under your own state's strata legislation before adopting a fixed practice.
This is general information and document templates you tailor to your own business, not legal advice. Privaproof is not a law practice and does not provide legal advice. Privaproof's strata documents are self-authored and are not independently reviewed by a solicitor. Whether the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) applies to your managing-agent business depends on your turnover and structure; the small-business exemption (s 6D, turnover A$3 million or less) remains in force. State strata legislation on the roll and record access, and the prescribed inspection fee, differ across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the other states and change over time, so confirm the current provisions and fee for your own jurisdiction. For advice on your specific circumstances, consult a qualified Australian legal practitioner.