Annual Fire Safety Statements (AFSS): What NSW Strata Managers Need to Know
The AFSS regime is one of the strictest annual compliance obligations in NSW strata management, and the consequences of getting it wrong include personal penalties.
In this category →Apartment & Strata Inspection SoftwareAnnual Fire Safety Statements are required for buildings in NSW that have essential fire safety measures specified in their fire safety schedule. The AFSS confirms that each measure has been assessed by an accredited practitioner and continues to perform to its installed standard.
A Competent Fire Safety Practitioner must perform the assessment. CFSPs are accredited under the NSW Government's scheme and must hold the right accreditation class for the measures they are assessing. A practitioner accredited only for emergency lighting cannot sign off on a sprinkler system.
The completed AFSS must be lodged with the local council and Fire and Rescue NSW. Penalties apply for late lodgement, and the building owner is the duty holder, not the strata manager, not the OC, but the legal owner.
For strata schemes, the OC effectively holds the duty. Strata managers should track AFSS due dates well in advance, engage CFSPs early, and budget for any rectification works that the assessment reveals. A failed AFSS is not just a paperwork issue, it usually requires real maintenance spend.
Other states have equivalent regimes. Victoria's Essential Safety Measures regime is the closest analogue, with annual ESM statements required.
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