If you are buying into a new strata building in NSW, or sitting on the first committee after handover, there is one document you should not ignore: the initial maintenance schedule, often called the IMS.
From 1 April 2026, NSW strengthened the rules around initial maintenance schedules for new strata schemes. The IMS must now be prepared in a standard form, and for multi-storey schemes it must also be independently reviewed and certified before the first AGM. These changes are aimed at improving developer accountability, giving owners clearer maintenance information from day one, and helping new strata buildings plan properly for future repairs and costs.
For owners corporations, this is important because many strata problems start early. A building may look brand new, but if its maintenance obligations are unclear, its levy estimates are unrealistic, or its common property assets are not properly mapped out, the scheme can begin life already behind. At BMA, we see the April 2026 reforms as a practical shift toward better building handover, stronger long-term planning, and more transparent early-stage management.
What is an initial maintenance schedule?
The initial maintenance schedule is a document the original owner, usually the developer, must provide to the owners corporation for a new strata scheme. NSW says the IMS includes maintenance and inspection information for various parts of common property, and it is handed over as part of the first AGM process.
In simple terms, it is meant to tell the owners corporation what common property items need inspection or maintenance, when they should be checked, and what sort of care the building will need in its early years.
That matters because committees in new buildings often inherit more than they expect. They are not just taking over a building. They are taking over systems, assets, warranties, maintenance obligations, budgets, and risk.
What changed on 1 April 2026?
The key changes are clear.
First, from 1 April 2026, the IMS must be prepared using the prescribed standard form. NSW legislation now prescribes the document titled Initial maintenance schedule published in the NSW Government Gazette on 29 August 2025 as the required form.
Second, for new multi-storey schemes, extra requirements now apply. NSW says the original owner must engage an independent surveyor to review and certify that the IMS was prepared using the standard form. The surveyor must also certify that the estimates of contributions to the administrative fund and capital works fund meet the expected expenditure for the year ahead, based on the expenses provided by the original owner. Evidence of this must be given to the owners corporation.
Third, that evidence must be provided at least 14 days before the first AGM. NSW guidance states that the original owner must give the owners corporation a series of documents, including the IMS, before that first AGM.
Why this matters for new strata buildings
This reform matters because the first year of a strata scheme often shapes everything that follows.
If maintenance schedules are weak, committees may not know what needs servicing. If levy estimates are too low, owners can be hit with unexpected increases early. If the building’s assets are not properly understood, capital planning starts from the wrong base.
NSW has linked the IMS directly to future financial planning. The first 10-year capital works fund plan for a new strata scheme starts from the first AGM and must consider the IMS prepared by the developer and handed to owners at that first AGM.
That means the IMS is no longer just a handover document. It is one of the building blocks for future maintenance strategy, levy planning and asset protection.
What committees should now expect from the developer
Committees in new strata buildings should expect more than a basic set of manuals and a quick handover meeting.
They should expect an IMS in the correct standard form. In multi-storey schemes, they should also expect evidence that an independent surveyor reviewed and certified both the form of the IMS and the reasonableness of the first year’s levy estimates.
Practically, committees should be asking:
Has the IMS been provided in the prescribed form?
Was it reviewed by an independent surveyor where required?
Were the first-year administrative and capital works fund estimates certified?
Did the documents arrive at least 14 days before the first AGM?
Does the IMS actually reflect the common property assets on site?
Those questions matter because once the building is handed over, the owners corporation carries the responsibility for running it.
The BMA view: handover should be operational, not just administrative
At BMA, we believe a proper handover should connect documents to real building operations.
That means the IMS should not sit in a folder and be forgotten. It should feed into the first maintenance calendar, inspection routines, contractor scopes, budget discussions and the first 10-year capital works fund plan.
That approach fits the way BMA already works across its proposals and service scopes. BMA’s operating model consistently focuses on asset registers, preventative maintenance schedules, contractor verification, regular reporting, budget input, work order systems, onboarding procedures and detailed site operating processes. BMA also emphasises that building information belongs to the client and should be maintained transparently in the building’s own software systems.
This is where committees can add real value early. A good committee, supported by a professional building manager, should use the IMS as a starting point for understanding the building properly rather than assuming the developer’s paperwork is complete or sufficient on its own.
What building managers should do with the IMS
For a building manager, the IMS should become a working document.
It should help shape the preventative maintenance program, common property inspections, contractor planning and early budget conversations. BMA’s own tender and scope material already reflects that kind of proactive structure, with requirements around maintenance logs, contractor compliance, work safety processes, reporting, asset and maintenance registers, annual contract reviews and site inspections.
In practical terms, a building manager should be using the IMS to ask:
What maintenance tasks should already be scheduled?
Which common property assets need early inspection?
Are there any missing or unclear items compared with what is actually onsite?
Do the expected costs align with the scheme’s first budget?
Has the first 10-year plan properly taken the IMS into account?
That is how the document becomes useful. Otherwise, it is just another handover file.
What buyers and owners should look for
NSW also points out that buyers of strata property should understand that the IMS is one of the key documents for a new scheme. For owner-occupiers and investors, that means the quality of the handover documents can tell you a lot about how the building is likely to perform after settlement.
A building that starts with weak maintenance planning is more likely to face confusion around responsibilities, delayed upkeep, and financial pressure later.
A building that starts with a clear IMS, realistic levy estimates and a disciplined handover process has a much better chance of operating smoothly from the outset.
Final word
The 1 April 2026 changes to initial maintenance schedules are a meaningful reform for new strata buildings in NSW.
They require a standard form, strengthen oversight in multi-storey schemes, and connect early maintenance planning to the first 10-year capital works fund plan. That is good news for owners corporations, because it should lead to better information, better planning, and fewer surprises after handover.
For committees, the message is simple: do not treat the IMS as just another developer handover document.
Treat it as one of the first tools for protecting the building.
