---
title: "Flooring application review"
description: "A committee checklist for an owner's hard floor application. Mark each item and print a request for further information listing everything missing."
canonical: "https://monkeyfloors.com/tools/flooring-application-review"
language: "en-AU"
---

Tool

# Flooring application review

Work through an owner's hard floor application item by item, then print or copy a request for further information that lists everything missing.

The interactive review needs JavaScript. The full checklist is below as text: print it, mark each item by hand, and list the missing items in your reply to the owner.

## The full checklist, as text

Print this list and mark each item provided, missing or not needed. Ask the owner in writing for every missing item. Items marked with a state apply there; the others apply everywhere.

### The application

-   **The application is in writing.** A written application or notice from the lot owner, not a verbal request or an installer's quote on its own. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110); Qld: [Queensland Government, Improving common property and lots](https://www.qld.gov.au/law/housing-and-neighbours/body-corporate/maintenance/improvements); Vic: [Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 (Vic), Schedule 2, model rule 5.3](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/owners-corporations-regulations-2018).
-   **Floor area and rooms.** The floor area and every room where the hard floor will go, on a floor plan if there is one. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(a)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110); NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 (NSW), Schedule 2, by-law 14(2)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2016-0501#sch.2).
-   **Product names.** The maker and product name of the floor covering and of the underlay, with the thickness of each. Source: [AAAC Explanatory Note V2.0 (May 2023)](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Guideline%20for%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20-%20Explanatory%20Note%20V2.0.pdf); NSW: [Sui v Jiang \[2024\] NSWCATAP 128](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1905cd7c02ae05051a019507).
-   **Installer.** Who will lay the floor, with their qualifications, licence or trade details. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(c)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110).
-   **Installation method.** Floating, glued or fixed; the gap kept at walls and joinery; how skirting and trims are fixed; and that nothing is fixed through the floor into the slab. Source: [Huang, Inter-noise 2014 (South-East Queensland field study)](https://www.acoustics.asn.au/conference_proceedings/INTERNOISE2014/papers/p227.pdf); [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, section 4.4](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf).
-   **Dates and duration.** The start date, how long the work will take, and the days and hours of work. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(b)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110).

### The acoustic evidence

-   **A test report for the covering and underlay together.** The full test report, not a brochure page or summary, for the same floor covering on the same underlay. A report for the underlay alone does not rate the floor. Source: [AAAC Explanatory Note V2.0 (May 2023)](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Guideline%20for%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20-%20Explanatory%20Note%20V2.0.pdf); NSW: [NSW Fair Trading, Strata renovation rules](https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/strata/living/renovations).
-   **Test standard stated.** The standard used: ISO 10140-3 in a laboratory, or ISO 16283-2 on site (older reports: ISO 140-7), rated under ISO 717-2 or AS ISO 717.2. Source: [ISO 10140-3:2021 (laboratory impact measurement)](https://store.standards.org.au/product/iso-10140-3-2021); [ISO 16283-2:2020 (on-site impact measurement)](https://store.standards.org.au/product/iso-16283-2-2020); [AS ISO 717.2:2024 (impact rating)](https://store.standards.org.au/product/as-iso-717-2-2024).
-   **Tester, date and accreditation.** Who carried out the test, who commissioned it and when, and a NATA endorsement if the report carries one, for a test inside the lab's scope. Source: [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, Appendix D.3.3](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf); [NATA, NATA Test Reports Explained](https://nata.com.au/accreditation/nata-test-reports-explained/).
-   **Slab and ceiling in the test.** The slab type and thickness the test was done on, and whether there was a ceiling below. Source: [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, Appendix D.3.3](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf); [Huang, Inter-noise 2014 (South-East Queensland field study)](https://www.acoustics.asn.au/conference_proceedings/INTERNOISE2014/papers/p227.pdf).
-   **Result in the by-law's rating.** A result in the same rating and on the same basis as the by-law, usually an on-site L'nT,w or an AAAC star level. A laboratory Ln,w, an IIC or an underlay's ΔLw is a different figure. Source: [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, Appendix D.1](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf); [AAAC Guideline V1.0, sections 5.0 and 9.0](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20V1.0.pdf).
-   **Consultant's report, if the by-law requires one.** Where the by-law asks for it, a report from an acoustic consultant of the kind the by-law describes. Mark not applicable if the by-law does not require one. Source: Qld: [Body Corporate for Admiralty Towers II v Johnson \[2017\] QCATA 29 (by-law 20(a)(xi))](https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2017/QCATA17-029.pdf); NSW: [Jiang v Sui \[2023\] NSWCATCD 127 (special by-law 7)](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18b26252886904331377a3f3).
-   **Star rating certificate from an AAAC member firm.** If the application claims an AAAC star rating, a certificate issued by an AAAC member firm. Mark not applicable if no star rating is claimed. Source: [AAAC Guideline V1.0, section 2.0](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20V1.0.pdf); [AAAC, Member firms](https://www.aaac.org.au/member-firms).

### The product evidence

-   **Data sheets.** The maker's data sheets for the floor covering and the underlay: thickness, density or weight, compatible floor types and installation method. Good practice, no legal rule.
-   **Underlay accepted by the flooring maker.** Written acceptance of the exact floor and underlay arrangement, including attached backing and any proposed additional layer. Source: [ATFA, Installation over acoustic underlays](https://www.atfa.com.au/uncategorized/installation-over-acoustic-underlays-consumer/).
-   **Total thickness.** The total height of the new floor, and how doors, thresholds and changes in level will be handled. Good practice, no legal rule.
-   **Moisture barrier.** The moisture assessment and any moisture-control layers specified for the proposed floor and substrate. Good practice, no legal rule.

### The works

-   **Working hours within the by-laws.** Days and hours of work, including noisy work such as removing the old floor, that fit the by-laws or rules. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(b)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110).
-   **Access, lifts and deliveries.** How materials and trades will reach the lot: lift booking and protection, loading area and parking. Good practice, no legal rule.
-   **Protection and repair of common property.** How common property will be protected during the work, and the owner's commitment that any damage will be repaired. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(5)(a)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110); Vic: [Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 (Vic), Schedule 2, model rule 4.3](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/owners-corporations-regulations-2018).
-   **Installer's insurance.** A current public liability insurance certificate for the installer. Good practice, no legal rule.
-   **Rubbish and the old floor.** How rubbish, offcuts and the old floor covering will be taken out of the building. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(d)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110).

### Conditions the committee may set

-   **The approval names the products.** The approval names the floor covering and the underlay, so a change of product needs fresh approval. Source: NSW: [The Owners - Strata Plan No 7704 v Kim \[2023\] NSWCATCD 39](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1896184f2da3ec8c56ab2ff6); NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(2)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110).
-   **Post-installation acoustic test.** Whether an on-site test after installation will be required, who arranges and pays for it, which rooms are tested, and what happens if it fails. Check that the by-law allows it. Source: NSW: [The Owners - Strata Plan No 82306 v Anderson \[2017\] NSWCATCD 85](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/59f79b7ce4b074a7c6e19bac); NSW: [Jiang v Sui \[2023\] NSWCATCD 127](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18b26252886904331377a3f3); Qld: [The Republic Apartments \[2022\] QBCCMCmr 290](https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QBCCMCmr/2022/290.html); Qld: [McLeod v Body Corporate for Stradbroke Tower and Villas \[2015\] QCATA 146](https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2015/QCATA15-146.pdf); Vic: [Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) and model rules](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/owners-corporations-act-2006/024).
-   **Proof of what was installed.** After installation: invoices or delivery dockets for the floor and underlay, photos of the underlay in place, and the installer's written confirmation of the underlay used and that it was laid to the maker's instructions. Source: Qld: [Into Ballymore \[2012\] QBCCMCmr 166](https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QBCCMCmr/2012/166.html); NSW: [Sui v Jiang \[2024\] NSWCATAP 128](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1905cd7c02ae05051a019507).
-   **The committee files the approval.** The approval, its conditions and the evidence are kept with the scheme's records. This one is for the committee, not the owner. Source: NSW: [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(6C)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110).

General information, not legal or acoustic advice. Check your scheme's registered by-laws and the requirements for your building.

## How this tool works

The checklist has five groups: the application, the acoustic evidence, the product evidence, the works, and the conditions the committee may set. Mark each item provided, missing or not needed. Every missing item becomes a plain sentence in the request, grouped and numbered, with the legal reference where there is one for your state.

Where an item rests on a rule, the item shows it: the NSW Act, Queensland and Victorian legislation and guidance, tribunal decisions, the AAAC guideline and the ABCB handbook, or the flooring makers' own installation rules. Items with no legal source are marked as good practice. The tool does not decide the application and does not set an acoustic figure; that comes from your by-law.

### Sources

1.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
2.  [Queensland Government, Improving common property and lots](https://www.qld.gov.au/law/housing-and-neighbours/body-corporate/maintenance/improvements)
3.  [Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 (Vic), Schedule 2, model rule 5.3](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/owners-corporations-regulations-2018)
4.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(a)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
5.  [Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 (NSW), Schedule 2, by-law 14(2)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2016-0501#sch.2)
6.  [AAAC Explanatory Note V2.0 (May 2023)](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Guideline%20for%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20-%20Explanatory%20Note%20V2.0.pdf)
7.  [Sui v Jiang \[2024\] NSWCATAP 128](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1905cd7c02ae05051a019507)
8.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(c)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
9.  [Huang, Inter-noise 2014 (South-East Queensland field study)](https://www.acoustics.asn.au/conference_proceedings/INTERNOISE2014/papers/p227.pdf)
10.  [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, section 4.4](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf)
11.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(b)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
12.  [NSW Fair Trading, Strata renovation rules](https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/strata/living/renovations)
13.  [ISO 10140-3:2021 (laboratory impact measurement)](https://store.standards.org.au/product/iso-10140-3-2021)
14.  [ISO 16283-2:2020 (on-site impact measurement)](https://store.standards.org.au/product/iso-16283-2-2020)
15.  [AS ISO 717.2:2024 (impact rating)](https://store.standards.org.au/product/as-iso-717-2-2024)
16.  [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, Appendix D.3.3](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf)
17.  [NATA, NATA Test Reports Explained](https://nata.com.au/accreditation/nata-test-reports-explained/)
18.  [ABCB, Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings Handbook, Appendix D.1](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2023/Sound%20Transmission%20and%20Insulation%20in%20Buildings%20handbook%202022.pdf)
19.  [AAAC Guideline V1.0, sections 5.0 and 9.0](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20V1.0.pdf)
20.  [Body Corporate for Admiralty Towers II v Johnson \[2017\] QCATA 29 (by-law 20(a)(xi))](https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2017/QCATA17-029.pdf)
21.  [Jiang v Sui \[2023\] NSWCATCD 127 (special by-law 7)](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18b26252886904331377a3f3)
22.  [AAAC Guideline V1.0, section 2.0](https://www.aaac.org.au/resources/Documents/Public/AAAC%20Apartment%20and%20Townhouse%20Acoustic%20Rating%20V1.0.pdf)
23.  [AAAC, Member firms](https://www.aaac.org.au/member-firms)
24.  [ATFA, Installation over acoustic underlays](https://www.atfa.com.au/uncategorized/installation-over-acoustic-underlays-consumer/)
25.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(5)(a)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
26.  [Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 (Vic), Schedule 2, model rule 4.3](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/owners-corporations-regulations-2018)
27.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(4)(d)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
28.  [The Owners - Strata Plan No 7704 v Kim \[2023\] NSWCATCD 39](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1896184f2da3ec8c56ab2ff6)
29.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(2)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
30.  [The Owners - Strata Plan No 82306 v Anderson \[2017\] NSWCATCD 85](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/59f79b7ce4b074a7c6e19bac)
31.  [Jiang v Sui \[2023\] NSWCATCD 127](https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18b26252886904331377a3f3)
32.  [The Republic Apartments \[2022\] QBCCMCmr 290](https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QBCCMCmr/2022/290.html)
33.  [McLeod v Body Corporate for Stradbroke Tower and Villas \[2015\] QCATA 146](https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2015/QCATA15-146.pdf)
34.  [Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) and model rules](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/owners-corporations-act-2006/024)
35.  [Into Ballymore \[2012\] QBCCMCmr 166](https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QBCCMCmr/2012/166.html)
36.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(6C)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
37.  [Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), s 110(6A) and (6B)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2015-050#sec.110)
38.  [Body Corporate and Community Management (Standard Module) Regulation 2020 (Qld), s 58](https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2020-0233)
39.  [Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld), s 94(2) and s 100(5)](https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1997-028)
40.  [Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic)](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/owners-corporations-act-2006/024)
41.  [Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 (Vic), Schedule 2, model rule 4.3(3)](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/owners-corporations-regulations-2018)

## Questions, answered

### What should a committee ask for with a hard floor application?

In NSW, section 110(4) of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 lists what the owner's written notice must include: details of the work with any plans, the duration and times of the work, who will do it and their qualifications, and how rubbish will be managed. NSW Fair Trading adds an acoustic certificate for flooring. In every state, ask for a test report for the floor covering and underlay together, in the rating your by-law uses.

### Can the committee refuse a hard floor application?

It must act reasonably. In NSW an approval may carry reasonable conditions and cannot be unreasonably withheld, and a committee with delegated power must give written reasons for a refusal within 3 months. In Queensland the body corporate and committee must act reasonably, and an adjudicator has upheld a by-law standard stricter than the building code where it could be achieved and was not a ban on hard floors.

### Can the committee require an acoustic test after the floor is installed?

Only where the by-law or the approval conditions provide for it. NSW tribunals have enforced post-installation reports required by a by-law, and a Queensland by-law upheld by an adjudicator allowed a test where there were reasonable concerns. Victoria's Act and model rules do not require one. Who pays depends on the by-law, the conditions or an order, so state it in the conditions.

### Is a certificate for the underlay enough?

No. The AAAC says no single building product, especially an acoustic underlay, can be guaranteed to achieve a rating, and that claims should come with test results for the complete floor and ceiling build-up. Ask for a report on the floor covering and underlay tested together.

### Does the tool keep the review?

No. The review runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored. Copy or print the request before you close the page.

## Goes well with

Tool

### [Test report reader](https://monkeyfloors.com/tools/test-report-reader)

Type in the figures from a flooring or underlay test report. See what each one measures, lab or field, and whether it can be compared with your by-law.

Open

Tool

### [Approval conditions](https://monkeyfloors.com/tools/approval-conditions)

Prepare draft flooring conditions to review against your registered rules and approval process.

Open

Guide

### [Strata flooring rules: a clear route to a considered floor](https://monkeyfloors.com/strata-flooring-rules)

The NCC sets floor sound ratings for new buildings; your registered by-laws decide what you must do. Compare NSW, QLD and VIC rules and approval steps.

Open