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...
Helping a child buy their first home is one of the most generous things a parent can do. Across Australia, the so-called "Bank of Mum and Dad" is now one of the largest informal lenders in the property market — and in Victoria, where median house prices remain well above the reach of most first-time...
Hayton Kosky Lawyers | Commercial Property Update Brett Hayton | May 2026 Victoria is in the middle of the most significant reform to commercial property taxation in a generation. Since 1 July 2024, the stamp duty regime that has applied to every transfer of commercial and industrial property has begun its phased abolition — replaced...
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...
Purchasing property "off-the-plan" (OTP) means you are contracting to buy something that does not yet exist in its final form. While this offers benefits like lower deposits and potential capital growth, it carries unique risks because the finished product may differ from your expectations. Key Risks for Buyers Risk Area What You Need to Know...
It is a uniquely Australian dream, and perhaps even more specifically, a Victorian one: owning a primary home in the inner city, while maintaining a coastal retreat down the Great Ocean Road, the Mornington Peninsula, or the Bass Coast. Recently, a client presented a fascinating scenario: “We own a block of land in a coastal...
A surprising number of Victorian property owners still do not realise that Vacant Residential Land Tax (VRLT) carries its own compulsory notification regime. It is not just a tax that appears if the State Revenue Office happens to find you. If you own relevant vacant residential land, you may have to tell the SRO yourself,...
