Removing Walls in a
Sydney Apartment
What Owners Need to Know
If you own an apartment in Sydney and you're thinking about removing an internal wall — to open up a kitchen, combine two bedrooms, or just make the place feel bigger — you're about to enter a process that may be more involved than most owners expect, especially for Class 2 Buildings in NSW.
None of it is designed to scare you off, but understanding the steps before you start makes the project far smoother (and far cheaper) than discovering them halfway through.
So what is a class 2 building?
The first thing to understand is what kind of building you live in. If you live in a strata-titled apartment in a multi-unit residential building, you almost certainly live in what the National Construction Code calls a Class 2 building — meaning two or more dwellings stacked above or beside each other, sharing walls, slabs and services. Class 2 covers almost every apartment building in Sydney, from a small 1970s walk-up through to a modern high-rise, including mixed-use buildings where apartments sit above shops or offices. The reason this matters is that Class 2 buildings are regulated more tightly than houses, because defects affect many households at once and residents share structure with their neighbours.
Why are renovations to apartments regulated more strictly than houses?
Following high-profile failures in Sydney apartment buildings — most notably Opal Tower (2018) and Mascot Towers (2019) — the NSW Government introduced the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (the DBP Act). For Class 2 buildings, the Act requires the people designing and building any structural work to be formally registered with NSW Fair Trading, and to lodge signed compliance declarations on the NSW Planning Portal certifying that the design and the completed work comply with the Building Code of Australia. The requirement to comply with the act often is triggered depending on whether the wall being removed is structural or not.
More information is available at nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/compliance-and-regulation/professionals-working-on-regulated-buildings.
So what is a Structural Engineer and why do I need one?
A structural engineer is the professional who determines whether a wall is structural, and — if it is — designs and certifies the additional support needed to safely remove it.
What's the difference between a structural wall and a non-structural wall?
A structural (or load-bearing) wall helps hold the building up — it carries weight from above and transfers it down to the foundations, and in some cases also resists horizontal forces from wind and earthquake. A non-structural wall (a partition) only divides space and carries its own weight. Removing a partition is usually straightforward; removing a structural wall is not, but it can often still be done, provided the load it was carrying is replaced with new structure — typically a steel or a steel post with appropriate supports.
How does the engineer know if the wall is structural or not?
It's a combination of professional judgement and evidence. There are two main ways to figure this out:
1. Existing plans
The most cost-effective starting point is reviewing the original engineering drawings of the building, which often clearly indicate which walls are structural. Where these drawings aren't already in your possession, they can usually be obtained from the local council under a Government Information (Public Access) Act request — known as a GIPA request. We recommend lodging a GIPA request with your council before engaging an engineer, as this is generally the cheapest and fastest way to get the information needed.
p.s. You can't trust everything shown on plans, so we still need to visit site and verify what was built.
2. Investigation
Where original drawings aren't available or are inconclusive, the engineer can attend site to inspect, but in many cases a definitive answer requires some destructive investigation — for example, a builder opening up a section of ceiling so the engineer can directly assess the junction between the wall and the structure above. This is more involved and costs more, which is why obtaining the original drawings first is worth the effort.
Approval Process
Apartment renovations involve two parallel approval processes that both need to be satisfied before works can begin. These two processes are:
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Strata Approval
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Planning Approval
Do I need strata approval?
Yes — apartment renovations almost always require approval from your owners corporation. Renovations to a strata lot fall into different categories depending on what's involved, and many internal walls in Class 2 buildings are actually common property even when they sit entirely within your apartment. Your strata manager is the right person to walk you through which category your work falls into, what your by-laws say, and whether the wall is part of your lot or common property. Speak to them early — the strata process runs in parallel to everything else and can take time. General information on the strata renovation framework is available at nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/strata/living/renovations.
Do I need planning approval?
It depends on what you're doing. Removing a non-structural partition wall often doesn't require planning approval, while removing a structural wall almost always does — usually via a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) or a Development Application (DA). The right pathway for your specific situation depends on your building, its location and the scope of works, so you should consult a private certifier, your local council, or a town planner on the relevant local requirements before proceeding.
What are the consequences of skipping the approval process?
Skipping any of this is far more expensive than it looks. The risks include stop-work orders, orders to reinstate the original structure, inability to obtain an Occupation Certificate (which can prevent re-sale or refinancing), personal liability under the DBP Act for up to ten years after the work, action by the owners corporation through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and voided home insurance.
What's a sensible order of operations?
A reasonable approach for an owner is:
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Scope out what you want to achieve.
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Talk to your strata manager about the approval pathway.
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Lodge a GIPA request with your council to obtain the original structural engineering drawings of the building.
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Engage a structural engineer to assess whether the wall is structural and, if it is, design the replacement support.
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Talk to your local council or a private certifier regarding planning approval pathways.
Need help working out what applies to your apartment?
Every project is different, and the path forward isn't always obvious from the outset. If you'd like a second opinion on whether a wall is structural, advice on what's involved in removing it, or help navigating the engineering side of the approval process, get in touch with us. We work on residential projects across Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, Inner West and North Shore, and we're happy to have a quick chat about your situation before you commit to anything.