Hi jamo.d – as an ex town planner (& current developer), I'll wear my town planning hat to try and answer your question. The Council….all Council's, in all states all operate under a planning scheme or Ordinance which sets out the relevant provisions for all types of developments whether it be residential, commercial, industrial and so on. …[Read more]

Worst case, go to Council & view the planning permit file.  Ask Council if they can provide you with a copy of the plan (some will for a nominal fee).  If not, note the name of the architect on the plans & contact them direct to purchase a copy of the plan.

Zonings are a system of development & land use regulations, & they are represented on a municipal map (planning scheme map) as different colors for different zones. For example, In Victoria pink designates a residential zone, brown is industrial, purple is commercial and so on. The various restrictions & requirements that apply for land uses…[Read more]

For $10 you can do an online title search….or your conveyancer can do it for you.

Thanks Michael….I'll check them out.

Hi ladybird – I'm not from Perth but the process of evaluation is the same no matter which state you're in.  You can do the assessments yourself with a little help from a real estate agent.  The starting point is the value of your property as is stands.  This  value will provide the benchmark for which option you take.So, let's say the pro…[Read more]

I'm certainly no expert in this field, but I think if you've had an investment property longer than 12 months you pay CGT on 50% of the capital gain, as opposed to 100% if you sell within 12 months.  Also, as you lived in the property for 1 year I think the CGT is calculated on the time it was used to derive a profit (leased), which means that of…[Read more]

Hi Jman – a prescribed easement, while not common, does exist in some instances.  It's an easement necessary to provide passage for or provision of a service over land or buildings.  To the best of my knowledge there must still be a reference to the existence of the easement, but it is specified in words, not dimensions, in a plan of s…[Read more]

Hi BoshieWhy would you go to a developer and thus introduce an extra party into the dealings.  You would develop the properties yourselves. Set out a joint agreement between the parties concerned that the costs of getting permits and subdivisions etc is shared…., then each party pays for the construction of their own townhouse (through the one…[Read more]

Hi Joseph – please clarify what you mean.  I work in the field of property development but couldn't quite understand what you were asking.

James – the regs may differ depending on what state you're in.  In Victoria in order to subdivide the property you'll need to engage a land surveyor who will prepare a plan of subdivision (no such thing as strata in Vic).  He will then apply for a planning permit to subdivide the property whilst simultaneously lodging the plan for c…[Read more]