Also this topic could be of use-

https://www.propertyinvesting.com/forums/property-investing/value-adding/4343000

Cheers,
Ashley Stacey

Hi Maternic,

To reiterate the above, first step is to look at your zoning and talk to a town planner. Free property zoning reports are available here:

http://services.land.vic.gov.au/landchannel/jsp/map/PlanningMapsIntro.jsp

Once you’ve typed in your address you can hit “get report” in the top left where you can download a simplified structure of the zoning regulations in your area.

For the costings, anyone in the development industry should be able to give you a rough idea of how much to expect. Obviously it varies from one project to the next, but it is worth having a realistic budget with some room for additional costs that may crop up.

After you know that it is possible for your property to develop, then you will have to get an initial site survey done to show existing conditions from which the subdivision draft can then be drawn from. If you (or anyone else reading this) has any queries I’m always available to answer queries or if I can’t refer you to the right person.

Hope this helps!

Ashley

Hi Tommy Tran,

What area are you looking to subdivide in?

In developments it is wise to contact a land surveyor first. They will be able to give you a realistic idea of the fees associated in your area along with the steps involved in the subdivision process. Not to advertise, but for example I send out a flowchart via email to clients showing the whole process and what’s involved in it.

If you’re after a town planner specifically I recommend speaking to Breece on here. He is great for advice on planning queries you might have.

Regards,
Ashley Stacey

Hey Everyone,

My fiance’ and I are looking around for our first IP. Stumbled across this thread today and it does look like a good idea. We’re looking for a positively geared property and you can’t go past some of these places offering ~18-20% ROI.

I’m looking at places around the 50k mark, looks like most agents want 20% deposit but how did you all go getting the other 80%? Would it be wiser to offer a ~30% deposit?

Would these huge returns be accurate with the higher vacancy rates?

Will be thoroughly researching this, and if it turns out to be a wise investment will be looking to buy early next year.

Cheers,
Ash Stacey

Hi Hari,

What exactly are you looking at doing reno-wise? Could help you out with some tradie contacts if you’re looking at extending etc.

Regards,
Ashley Stacey

Hi Hrub,

In response to your queries I would suggest looking at the land.vic.gov site and under the zoning section you can see what regulations may apply to your property. Things can change from one side of the street to another, so always worth looking at this.

In terms of the subdivision process the first step is to apply for your permits (planning and building) and get the necessary surveys undertaken. After this the subdivision part starts and the initial plans will be drawn up by your surveyor and lodged. In this step this is normally where building begins and the subdivision plans can be amended to match in exactly with the new dwellings.

If you would like any more information on the process I have an excel spreadsheet with the whole process, although not sure how to post it up here!

Kindest Regards,
Ashley Stacey

Hi Reeeen,

It is always worth having a look at what zoning the house is in, and then look at the guidelines that apply to that zone re: subdivision. The zoning can change from one side of the street to another.

Any surveyor or town planner can look this up for you at no cost – if you send me the address I’m happy to get the info for you

From here you can start applying for your planning and building permits. This is where you’ll need to go on the greater dandenong council website ( http://www.greaterdandenong.com/Documents.asp?ID=2323&Title=Forms ) and get all the necessary forms to fill out. I’m not sure if they have a checklist but again any surveyor can help you with what is required.

Then you can get a plan of subdivision drawn up and submitted to the titles office. This will be amended to suit the buildings that are on site, as brickies will never be millimeter perfect.

That’s pretty much it in a nutshell from the planning perspective of things. Of course if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Kindest Regards,
Ashley Stacey

Hi JR,

To repeat the guys above initially yes you will need your permits. Survey-wise, what is required is called a ‘Feature and Level Survey’ which involves locating all features on the subject site such as buildings, trees, paths, retaining walls, fences, everything! Overlooking properties are shown with window heights, ridge/gutter heights, significant trees, buildings etc. Also the street information and any services are shown.

In most instances with subdivision council will require a ‘Site Analysis’. This is simply where every property within a 50-100m radius is also shown on the plan with setbacks from the street. This varies council to council and your surveyor can specify exact details. I have an example of this type of survey on my website which is a free download: http://www.staceysurveying.com.au/services (scroll down a bit and there’s a link).

After this you can get your surveyor to start the subdivision process, this means undertaking a re-establishment of title survey (showing the relation of fences to title) and submitting that to the titles office. An initial plan of subdivision will also be drawn up and sent in. From here it’s just a matter of building the new house.

I hope this could be of some help to you.

Kindest Regards,
Ashley Stacey

Hi Marcus,

For that information I charge clients a fee of $50. This includes:

Title History
Title Diagram (shows easements etc.)
Any relevant survey plans to your block
Any other information relating to the site that comes up with the search.

Cheers,
Ashley

Hi mg,

Yes your description is correct. The process of subdivision can be arduous depending on the council you’re dealing with. I have come across several instances where people just decide to get the simple permits to build a residence in the rear of their block and rent out to family members, friends etc. If you want to sell off the rear block then it needs to be on a seperate title which is when subdivision needs to happen.

Regards,
Ashley Stacey