Is replacing my letterbox key something the strata manager should be arranging?

Strata LivingOwning in StrataRights & ResponsibilitiesLot vs Common Property

28 Oct

In this month’s Strata Q&A, we received a question from Cathy, an owner in NSW, who has lost their letterbox keys. They are wondering if replacing these keys is something she is responsible for, or if this is something that the strata manager should be arranging.

Q. Is replacing my letterbox key something the strata manager should be arranging?

I live in a villa in NSW and have lost my letterbox keys. My strata manager told me it’s something I need to sort out myself and gave me the details of a locksmith and the likely costs. It feels like they’re just brushing me off. Is the strata manager not doing their job properly?

A. In NSW, whether the strata manager is responsible comes down to who owns the letterbox — whether it is part of your lot or the common property.

In NSW (and in most other states and territories), whether the strata manager is responsible comes down to who owns the letterbox — whether it is part of your lot or the common property. In most strata schemes, individual letterboxes are treated as part of the lot property, not common property. That means issues with the lock or the keys for your own letterbox are normally the lot owner’s responsibility, not the strata manager’s and not the owners corporation’s.

Replacing lost keys is treated the same way as replacing a lost apartment key: it’s something the owner typically organises and pays for themselves. In this situation, the strata manager’s role is limited to guiding you, such as providing the details of a locksmith or explaining typical costs, but they are not required to arrange it or pay for it.

The only time the owners corporation may be involved is where the scheme has a shared or centralised bank of mailboxes that is clearly common property. Even then, while the body corporate may maintain the structure or the locks, the keys for individual boxes are still usually the owner’s responsibility.

So yes, it’s normal and correct for the strata manager to direct you to a locksmith rather than organising it themselves. They’re not failing to do their job; replacing a lost key for a privately-owned letterbox is simply something the owner is expected to handle.