Strata guide · Wollongong & the Illawarra
Who Pays for Pest Control in a Strata Building?
As a general rule it follows the common-property line: the owners corporation deals with pests in common property, and the lot owner with pests confined inside their own lot.
Last updated 28 August 2026 · Premier Pest Control, Wollongong
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We are licensed pest technicians, not lawyers or strata managers. What follows is the general position in New South Wales, and the general position is exactly the thing that gets overridden — by your scheme's by-laws, by where the pest problem physically is, and by the particular facts. If money or liability is genuinely in dispute, your strata manager, your by-laws and NSW Fair Trading are the places to settle it, not a pest control website.
The line that usually decides it
Most disagreements about who pays resolve into a single question: is this a common-property problem or a lot problem? Broadly, the owners corporation is responsible for maintaining common property, and an individual owner for their own lot. Pests do not respect that boundary, which is precisely why the argument recurs — a rodent nesting in a shared roof void is a common-property issue, and the same rodent in a single kitchen may not be.
- Roof voids, subfloors, shared walls, ducts and risers — generally common property
- External grounds, bin rooms, car parks and shared entries — generally common property
- Inside a single lot, with no evidence of a wider source — generally the lot owner
- Termites affecting the building structure — generally treated as a building-wide issue
- A problem caused by one lot's own conditions — usually attributed to that owner
Why the answer is so often 'it depends'
Because the honest answer usually depends on where the source is rather than where the pest was seen, and that is a question of fact. Cockroaches in one unit may be a housekeeping matter in that unit, or the visible edge of a population living in a shared riser serving eight lots. Rodents in a top-floor apartment are frequently a roof-void problem, which is common property. This is why a competent inspection is worth more than an argument at a committee meeting: it establishes where the population actually is, and the responsibility question usually answers itself once that is known.
A practical order to work through it
This is the sequence that tends to avoid a dispute rather than create one.
- 1
Report it in writing
To the strata manager or the committee, with dates and photographs. Verbal reports are the ones that get contested later.
- 2
Check the by-laws for your scheme
By-laws vary between buildings and are the first thing that overrides the general position. Your strata manager can supply the current registered set.
- 3
Get the source identified, not just the sighting
An inspection that establishes whether the population is in common property or confined to a lot is usually what settles who pays — and it is cheaper than the argument.
- 4
Treat the whole affected area, not one unit
Treating a single lot while the source sits in a shared void buys a few quiet weeks and a repeat call-out. For scheme-wide problems, a coordinated treatment is both more effective and generally cheaper per lot.
- 5
Keep the documentation
Reports, dates and what was treated. Schemes turn over managers and committees, and the paperwork is what survives.
Tenants, landlords and end of lease
A rental inside a strata scheme adds a third party. Broadly, tenancy obligations sit between the landlord and the tenant under the residential tenancy agreement, and are separate from the owners corporation's common-property duties — a landlord cannot pass a common-property problem to a tenant, and an owners corporation is generally not dealing with a pest issue confined inside a tenanted lot. Where pets have been kept, most Illawarra tenancy agreements require a professional treatment at the end of the lease, and agents usually want a receipt before the bond is released.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we actually get asked on this — answered plainly. Call 02 4217 0117 any time if yours isn't here.
Call 02 4217 0117Does the owners corporation have to pay for pest control?
Generally the owners corporation deals with pests in common property, and a lot owner with pests confined inside their own lot — but your scheme's by-laws and the facts of the case decide it. Check the registered by-laws and ask your strata manager.
Who pays if termites are found in a strata building?
Termites attacking the building structure are generally treated as a building-wide matter rather than one lot's problem, because the structure is common property. The specifics still depend on the scheme.
I have cockroaches in my unit — is that mine to deal with?
Often yes, if the population is confined to your lot. But cockroaches in several units, or in a unit adjoining a shared riser or bin room, frequently point to a common-property source. An inspection establishes which, and that usually decides who pays.
Can the strata manager arrange treatment for the whole building?
Yes, and for a scheme-wide problem it is usually the better approach — treating one lot while the source sits in a shared void does not hold. We work with managing agents and are Cm3 prequalified, which is the contractor prequalification many of them ask for.
Where can I check the rules for my building?
Your scheme's registered by-laws first, via your strata manager, and NSW Fair Trading for the general framework on strata living. If it is genuinely disputed, get advice — a pest control website is not the right place to settle a liability question.
Sources
Every claim on this page can be checked against a public authority. These are the ones we used.
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Related: Strata & real estate pest control · Commercial pest control · End of lease pest control