Recent data from the State Revenue Office (SRO) of Victoria signals a hardening regulatory environment for first home buyers. As the SRO increases its scrutiny of support schemes, a growing number of purchasers are finding themselves on the wrong side of strict eligibility and residency requirements, facing significant financial exposure. For property purchasers, the takeaway...

Published by Hayton Kosky Lawyers | Property & Taxation | May 2026 You did not leave the property vacant on purpose. Perhaps you inherited it and the estate took longer to administer than expected. Perhaps you moved interstate for work and could not find a suitable tenant. Perhaps the property needed repairs and the tradesperson...

  Vacant Residential Land Tax in Victoria – The SRO’s “Data Model”: How the Tax Is Really Enforced In a previous post, I explored how Vacant Residential Land Tax (VRLT) operates under the Land Tax Act 2005 (Vic)—particularly the statutory concepts of “residential land” and “vacancy”. This follow-up focuses on something practitioners increasingly encounter in...

By Brett Hayton | Hayton Kosky — Property, Commercial & Estate Planning Lawyers, Bentleigh Stamp duty, formally known as land transfer duty, represents one of the most significant transaction costs when purchasing property in Victoria. For instance, a property purchased at $800,000 can incur duty exceeding $43,000 at the standard rate. However, a surprisingly large number of property...

By Hayton Kosky Lawyers | Property Law & Conveyancing, Bentleigh Victoria The idea of selling your own home — pocketing the commission, managing the process on your own terms — has never been more accessible. With online listing platforms, AI writing tools, and a wealth of freely available information, more Australian homeowners are asking the...