The most elevated residential tower in Palm Beach, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/corallo-palm-beach-5-palm-beach-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Corallo</a>, has officially launched this week, however only a handful of buyers will have an opportunity to buy in to the 17-storey project.

The $200 million mixed-use project includes ground floor dining and retail and is considered so valuable its developer, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/changfa-group">Changfa Group</a>, will be staging its release of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses to the market.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112194 project_image_fid=806]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/colliers">Colliers</a> International, Director, David Higgins, said the development’s location just metres from the beach on the corner of Palm Beach Avenue and the Gold Coast Highway influenced the sculptural design by the acclaimed Plus Architecture studio.

“<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/palm-beach-qld-4221">Palm Beach</a> locals understand the rare opportunity here at Corallo, particularly being the tallest building in the suburb and its proximity to the beach and local restaurants, and they’ve represented the bulk of pre-launch enquiries,” Higgins said.

“The orientation of the apartments captures views of the coastline from Surfers Paradise to Currumbin, and the diversity of floor plans and apartment types provide an exceptional level of choice.

“The first release includes just 59 one-, two and three-bedroom apartments and two half-floor penthouses, with flexible use designed to appeal to both owner-occupiers and investors."

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112194 project_image_fid=799]

In addition to the ground floor amenity, residents will also have access to a private dedicated wellness level offering 734 sqm of resort-style amenities including a pool, cold plunge, wet deck, steam room, sauna, gym, day bed, fire pit, barbecue area, dining area and yoga/stretch deck.

The project is located within walking distance of Tallebudgera Creek, Burleigh Heads village, Currumbin Alley and Palm Beach Currumbin High School. The Gold Coast Airport is under 10 minutes away.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112194 project_image_fid=814]

Higgins said Palm Beach remained a hotly contested suburb for home buyers, with prices doubling in the past five years.

“What makes Corallo so appealing to the local market is the diversity of apartment types and pricing, with one-bedroom apartments starting from $841,000 and two-bedroom apartments starting from $1.34 million,” he said.

“The ground floor retail and dining offering will further expand on Palm Beach’s village atmosphere and create a meeting place for locals, and those opportunities for connection are highly valued.”

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112194 project_image_fid=807]

The on-site sales display, which includes a fully fitted kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, will be open until early works commence in Q1 2026. Each residence at Corallo will feature premium finishes including natural stone, artisanal brickwork, and warm copper accents.

Changfa Group has a two-decade history of delivering premium developments in Australia and internationally, having recently completed its collection of premium townhomes at Lyra, Hope Island, as well as apartment projects in Leichhardt, Carlingford, and Chatswood in New South Wales.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112194]

Joel Robinson

$200 million Corallo Palm Beach launches with limited apartment release

In a move that aligns with NSW's accelerated planning incentives for affordable housing, developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/the-one-collection">One Collection</a> has revised its Hills District apartment plans, and taken it to the NSW Government, to secure approval.

The developer, which is currently delivering Horizon Hurstville, is seeking to add 80 more apartments to its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-one-castle-hill-16-dawes-avenue-nsw-2154">Castle Hill development</a> near Castle Towers. They already have approval for 280 apartments across eight six-storey buildings.

<img alt="One Collection" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b3c298ba-1cc5-4db7-9872-607c75f8ceca" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-13%20at%2010.19.22%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=wN9KpFIu5ENSGZLLsaZgXQHrXcwEO3Vd" />

Now on the desks of the NSW Department of Planning is 360 apartments, 48 of which will be dedicated to affordable housing.&nbsp;Affordable housing is to be “fully integrated within the building and visually indistinguishable,” according to the planning submission.

The 15,697 sqm block, an amalgamation of 16 sites, spans across Dawes Avenue, Hughes Avenue, and Camdan Crescent, sits 550m from Hills Showground Metro Station.&nbsp;

"The existing context is quickly changing from free-standing homes into residential flat buildings in line with the Hills Showground Precinct planning framework," Place Studio noted.

<img alt="Castle Hill" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3ec24948-c185-48fa-af8b-ed25adf302bf" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-13%20at%2010.19.04%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=zNDX.IeRROX1RlDeYcS38xn8w_dqgU2t" />

They said the design was informed by the site's unique condition of having three street frontages and was developed to to respond sensitively to iots surrounding context.

"The design adopted a conventional perpendicular alignment to the primary street frontage. The massing of the development was carefully modulated to align with the evolving character of the neighbourhood. The design ensured that the scale was not excessive or out of context, but instead contributed to a cohesive urban form consistent with emerging developments in the area."

<img alt="Castle Hill" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f83ffdaa-f960-469d-b6fe-abcece57c9ef" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-13%20at%2010.19.09%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4oKlCyfaKes7jLi1_EMoqa46w2h_YvDZ" />

The apartment mix will be 46 one-beds, 168 two-bed apartments, and 146 three-bedroom units, with 631 parking spaces proposed.

Along the street frontages, the building heights are four storeys with a 7.5 metre setback, and eight storeys with an 11.5 metre setback. It should cost about $150 million to build.

One Collection works hand-in-hand with the respected development and construction firm Masscon, which has built a reputation for leveraging its expertise in the built environment to take on developments others can't. That's what they're achieving at Horizon Hurstville, having taken over the project to deliver it.

First look: One Collection advances plans for Castle Hill apartments

At Yarra’s Edge, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mirvac">Mirvac</a>’s newest tower under construction, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/trielle-at-yarra-s-edge-docklands-16-point-park-crescent-docklands-vic-3008">Trielle</a>, sets a new benchmark for elevated living. Rising 45 storeys, 12.5 metres from the Yarra River, the landmark building offers residents access to a private wellness retreat and spa, a resident-only golf simulator, and an elegant lounge, dining and bar complete with a self-playing piano, all without ever having to leave home.

Now, that sense of elevation has reached new heights with the Aerus Sub-Penthouses, a limited release of half-floor riverfront residences on the Collins St axis where the sought-after street meets the Yarra River.

Each Aerus Sub-Penthouse, located across levels 42 and 43, represents the most expansive offering within Trielle, aside from the yet-to-be-revealed crowning penthouses. Spanning between 269 and 301 sqm, these residences are designed to capture natural light and uninterrupted views of the city skyline, Yarra River, and Port Phillip Bay.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114216 project_image_fid=3784]

Among the collection are three-bedroom sub penthouses, complemented by a media room, and expansive four-bedroom layouts. All include panoramic living areas and oversized master suites with luxury ensuites reminiscent of a five-star hotel, complemented by dedicated dressing rooms finished in timber and natural stone.

The interiors have been crafted by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/mirvac-design">Mirvac Design</a>, the developer’s award-winning in-house architecture and design team. Every material has been chosen for quality and longevity, from sculpted stone island benches with feature soft wash LED lighting to bespoke joinery and chevron timber oak flooring.

Kitchens are fitted with a BORA induction cooktop with integrated downdraft extractor, alongside Gaggenau appliances, including a fridge, freezer, and wine fridge. The adjoining butler’s pantry incorporates the exclusive Gaggenau Minimalistic Series including oven, steam oven, microwave, coffee machine and warming drawer, all concealed behind handleless glass panels for a clean, integrated presentation. Bathrooms feature custom Apaisar freestanding baths and basins and natural stone benchtops, continuing Mirvac’s design emphasis on tactile, timeless materials.&nbsp;

<img alt="Trielle at Yarra's Edge, Docklands" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c00be724-b0f1-47c0-afed-54f829870704" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Aerus%20sub-penthouse.png?VersionId=Uktd61kpLSqNjwJeDFs7IaZ3xgLlDQmu" />

Michael Wiener, Design Director at Mirvac, says The Aerus Sub-Penthouse embodies the apex of Mirvac’s design ethos.

“Moving through your home is like walking on air - a private sanctuary where the craftsmanship is refined, the proportions generous, and the flow so effortless, you feel completely at ease in the sky,” Wiener says.

“In Aerus, we wanted to create a sense of weightlessness - a home that feels suspended in the skyline, full of light, grounded in luxury.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114216 project_image_fid=3777]

The Aerus Sub-Penthouses are expected to attract a mix of local and international buyers seeking a long-term residence of scale and quality in a riverfront setting, from returning expats to established families and business owners who value privacy, craftsmanship, and convenience within walking distance of the CBD.

With an unmatched suite of amenities, Trielle is the most extensively appointed development Mirvac has created to date at Yarra’s Edge. Within the tower will be The Oasis, a 900 sqm podium rooftop wellness retreat designed in collaboration with spa expert Naomi Gregory. Located seven storeys above the Yarra River promenade, it features a 25-metre lap pool, spa and sauna, hot magnesium spa, biophilic gym, yoga and Pilates studio, cold-pail contrast treatment, and day spa treatment rooms. Further amenities include a piano lounge, bookable dining room, cinema room, golf simulator studio, games room, teppanyaki bar, dog wash bay, and two flexible work hubs, The Biblioteca library and Mills Place office space, catering to residents’ evolving lifestyle needs.

Construction of the $350 million tower is underway through Mirvac’s in-house construction arm, with completion anticipated for mid-2027.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=114216]

Sky-high sanctuaries: Mirvac unveils The Aerus sub-penthouses at Trielle

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/jwland-development">JWLand</a>’s De Burgh, the final residential release within the Northbourne Village precinct in Lyneham, is nearing completion just as the Federal Government’s Home Guarantee Scheme prepares for its most significant expansion to date.&nbsp;

From October 2025, the scheme will allow first home buyers to enter the market with just a five per cent deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), removing some of the most common barriers to ownership.

With <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/de-burgh-at-northbourne-village-40-de-burgh-street-lyneham-act-2602">De Burgh</a> on track for residents to move in by late spring 2025, the timing creates a strong opportunity for first home buyers seeking brand-new apartments in Canberra’s sought-after Inner North.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=139989 project_image_fid=212888]

The project delivers 350 residences across two buildings, with layouts ranging from compact studios through to one, two, and three-bedroom apartments.

JWLand has tailored the development for long-term liveability, integrating natural light, privacy and outdoor space into each home. Ground-floor residences feature private courtyards, while upper levels benefit from generous balconies.

Kitchens are fitted with Fisher &amp; Paykel appliances, and all apartments include ducted reverse-cycle air conditioning with smartphone app control for lighting and climate.&nbsp;

Shared resident facilities include a rooftop garden, gym, lounge and parcel lockers, alongside landscaped green space within the precinct.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=139989 project_image_fid=267376]

For buyers, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme removes income caps and introduces unlimited places, making it more accessible than ever. With most De Burgh apartments priced under $1 million, they fall well within the updated eligibility thresholds.

The policy changes provide first home buyers with greater certainty and a smoother path to finance. Combined with the quality and location of De Burgh, the expanded scheme is expected to draw a new wave of buyers to Canberra’s Inner North.

Residents will benefit from the project’s central setting, just 600 metres from the light rail and three kilometres from Canberra’s CBD. The precinct is bordered by the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/lyneham-act-2602">Lyneham</a> wetlands and sits within easy reach of cafes, restaurants, schools and the ANU.

With completion scheduled for late 2025, De Burgh is set to be among the first major apartment projects to meet the expanded scheme head-on, offering first-time buyers a realistic pathway to ownership in one of Canberra’s most connected neighbourhoods.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=139989]

JWLand’s De Burgh aligns with expanded Homebuyer Scheme, opening doors for first home buyers in Canberra’s Inner North

A subtropical pair of residential towers are in planning for a key South Brisbane site neighbouring the iconic Expo ’88 Skyneedle, with new documents revealing a vertically layered vision designed to respond to the precinct’s evolving high-density character.

The proposal has been lodged by&nbsp;Darveniza Group, which is also is behind the 400-apartment Station Quarter precinct in Alderley.

Darveniza Group, led by Jane Darveniza, the Brisbane-based investor and Queensland rich-lister and widow of the late property magnate Bojan Darveniza, is seeking approval for a mixed-use project encompassing 204 apartments, ground-level retail, food and drink tenancies, and office space across two architecturally integrated towers at 37–39 Manning Street.

Occupying an 1,822 sqm site, the proposed towers would rise above a sculptural podium base, with a recessed landscaped centre, rooftop communal areas, and a total of 220 car parks and 256 bicycle bays. The apartment mix spans one- to five-bedroom dwellings, with a design emphasis on generous balconies, cross-ventilation, and climate-responsive materials.

<img alt="First look: Twin towers proposed for Manning Street site beside Skyneedle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="42c1f501-2afd-440b-af49-67c257123ea7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Manning%20podium.png?VersionId=KFlksfWzmDRD.VIYxd_1q3VAel.nN3TH" />

“The development is conceived as two slender twin buildings that meet at a lushly landscaped central recess,” the Finegrain design report states. “The façade is highly articulated with the plan form stepping back and forth to reduce visual bulk and maximise internal occupants’ access to natural light and air”.

A hallmark of the proposal is its integration of greenery, both visually and functionally. Around 77 per cent of the site’s green plot ratio is delivered through vertical planting spines, a green podium wall, and rooftop amenity. Ground-level deep planting and landscaped communal zones aim to create a shaded, walkable interface along Manning Street.

“The stepped plan form introduces variation in balcony setbacks and enclosed apartment areas, enriching both the façade expression and the resident experience,” the design team notes. “At ground and podium levels, this stepping also enhances permeability, maximising pedestrian view lines to the neighbouring Skyneedle and reinforcing a strong sense of local identity”.

<img alt="First look: Twin towers proposed for Manning Street site beside Skyneedle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b3f26dfc-6b93-465c-9ffb-0a2530372a23" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Manning%20site.png?VersionId=JflvKdqDxcaHTFbb9HL5TwoiRgeQ2LqA" />

The site directly adjoins the heritage-listed Skyneedle at 35 Manning Street, an enduring legacy of World Expo ’88. The accompanying heritage impact report by Pendergast Architects contends that the proposal has been carefully conceived to protect the cultural significance and landmark visibility of the structure.

“The design provides setbacks, tower separation and podium articulation to maintain the visibility and landmark role of the adjoining Skyneedle,” the report states. “The significance of the Skyneedle lies principally in its landmark visibility and cultural symbolism, rather than in detailed fabric or architectural setting”.

The proposal sits within the Kurilpa Sustainable Growth Precinct, under Brisbane’s TLPI 02/2023, where revised planning controls support high-density, mixed-use development integrated with subtropical design and increased public realm contributions.

Finegrain’s design reflects this intent, drawing cues from the site's adjacency to Musgrave Park, the subtropical landscape of South Brisbane, and cultural landmarks such as QPAC and South Bank.

Twin green towers proposed for Manning Street, South Brisbane site beside Skyneedle

Vacant Housing

<html><body>
A vacant residential property tax (VRPT) was introduced from 1 January 2018 in Victoria. From January 1, the new 1 per cent Vacant Residential Property Tax will apply to properties in 16 councils that are not occupied for six months of the year. The Victorian Government introduced this tax with the claim it would help address the lack of housing supply in Victoria.
If you own a property in one of the affected Melbourne council areas and it was unoccupied for six months or more between 1 May and 31 December 2017, you must notify State Revenue Victoria by 15 January 2018.
As the legislation was only introduced into the Victorian Parliament in May 2017, homes will be considered to have been occupied between 1 January and 30 April 2017. This means, for the 2017 calendar year, homes will only need to be occupied for a further two months between 1 May and 31 December to be considered to have been occupied for more than six months.
Its compliance program will look at both non-reporting of vacant properties and incorrect exemption claims.
<ol>
<li>What is the vacant residential land tax?</li>
</ol>
The vacant residential land tax (commonly referred to as the vacant residential property tax or vacancy tax) is a tax on residential properties in the inner and middle suburbs of Melbourne which are unoccupied for more than six months a year.
<ol start="2">
<li>What is meant by "vacant"?</li>
</ol>
A property will be considered vacant if it was unoccupied for more than six months in the preceding calendar year by:
The owner, or the owner’s permitted occupier, as their principal place of residence, or
A person under a lease or short-term letting arrangement
The six months does not need to be continuous.
<ol start="3">
<li>When does the tax start?</li>
</ol>
The tax will apply from 1 January 2018 and is based on use and occupation in the preceding year. For example, tax liabilities for the 2018 tax year will based on vacancy in 2017, tax liabilities for the 2019 tax year will based on vacancy in 2018 and so on.
<ol start="4">
<li>Does the tax apply to all residential properties in Victoria?</li>
</ol>
No. The tax will only apply to vacant residential properties located in the following local council areas:
Banyule
Bayside
Boroondara
Darebin
Glen Eira
Hobsons Bay
Manningham
Maribyrnong
Melbourne
Monash
Moonee Valley
Moreland
Port Phillip
Stonnington
Whitehorse
Yarra
<ol start="5">
<li>How much is the tax and how is it calculated?</li>
</ol>
This is an annual tax of 1 per cent of the capital improved value (CIV) of taxable land. For example, if the taxable land has a CIV of $500,000, the tax will be $5000, if the taxable land has a CIV of $1,000,000, the tax will be $10,000.
The CIV of a property is the value of land and buildings as determined by the general valuation process. The CIV of a property is displayed on your council rates notice. It is not always displayed on all four quarterly rates notices, but will always appear on the first notice issues in the financial year.
<ol start="6">
<li>Are there any exemptions?</li>
</ol>
Yes. In addition to existing exemptions for land tax purposes, there will be several new exemptions which will apply to the vacant residential land tax. These include exemptions for:
Holiday homes, (see point 7 below)
City apartments/homes/units used for work purposes, (see point 8 below)
Property transfers during the year, (see point 9 below) and
New residential properties (see point 10 below)
<ol start="7">
<li>When is a holiday home exempt?</li>
</ol>
The holiday home exemption will apply to properties which are occupied as a second home by the owner for at least four weeks in the year.
This exemption will be subject to the following conditions:
The land owner must have had a principal place of residence in Australia in the preceding year, and
The Commissioner of State Revenue must be satisfied that the property for which the exemption is being sought is a genuine holiday home
An owner will only be able to claim the exemption in respect of one holiday home in a calendar year.   
<ol start="8">
<li>When is a residential property used for work purposes exempt?</li>
</ol>
This exemption is designed for properties owned and used by people who stay in the inner and middle suburbs of Melbourne for work purposes, but whose principal place of residence is elsewhere in Australia.
The exemption will apply to properties that are occupied for at least 140 days a year for the purpose of attending the owner’s workplace.
This exemption will be subject to the following conditions:
The land owner had a principal place of residence in Australia in the preceding tax year, and
The place of work must be in one of the specified local council areas
<ol start="9">
<li>What if a property changes ownership during a year?</li>
</ol>
Land that changes ownership during the year will be exempt from the tax in the following calendar year. For example, if a property is sold and transferred during 2018, it will be exempt from the tax for the 2019 tax year.
<ol start="10">
<li>What if a property is converted to residential premises during a year?</li>
</ol>
Land that becomes “residential land” during the year will not be subject to the vacant residential land tax in the following calendar year. For example, if a warehouse is converted into residential apartments during 2018, it will be exempt from the vacant residential land tax for the 2019 calendar year.
<ol start="11">
<li>How will the SRO know if you have vacant property?</li>
</ol>
Owners of vacant residential properties located within the specified local council area will be required to notify the Commissioner of State Revenue by 15 January in each year, and provide any information that the Commissioner requests. If a property is eligible for an exemption, the land owner will be asked to notify the SRO and advise which exemption applies.
If an owner fails to make a notification by 15 January, it will be a notification default and may be subject to penalty tax under the Taxation Administration Act 1997.
The State Revenue Office will conduct monitoring and compliance activities to ensure that vacant residences are being declared as required. Their compliance program includes comparing their data with other state and federal agencies, and conducting investigations into suspected avoidance. For example they may check water usage with relevant water authorities as a lack of water usage is a good indicator that a property is vacant.
<ol start="12">
<li>Does the tax apply to properties leased through online platforms?</li>
</ol>
Yes. If a property in one of the specified local council areas is leased through an online platform such as AIRBNB, it will be subject to the tax if it is unoccupied for more than six months in a calendar year. The six months does not need to be continuous.
</body></html>

j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Vacant Melbourne property owners need to meet January 15 notification deadline

<html><body>
The Melbourne areas with the most number of unoccupied properties have been revealed, as the Andrews government prepares for its new vacant property tax.
The new tax will hit the Melbourne City Council area, where more than 2500 high-rise apartments are vacant.
The new tax will apply to the 16 local government areas from January 1 next year for properties that are left vacant for more than six months in a calendar year.
In the Moonee Valley council area, which includes Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale, Avondale Heights, there are at least 1700 empty properties.
There are more than 1000 vacant properties in the inner-northern Yarra City Council area, which takes in Fitzroy, North Carlton, Collingwood and Richmond.
Glen Eira and Port Phillip each have up to 1300 unoccupied properties.
 The number of empty homes is estimated based on water usage.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the vacancy tax would send a strong message to property owners who were "land banking" that they needed to sell or rent those homes.
There is a range of exemptions for the tax. Some of those will include deceased estates, holiday homes and properties being renovated.
Mr Andrews said the vacancy tax was a commonsense change.
"This is a really powerful signal to the market not to be leaving properties vacant at a time when so many people are finding it so hard to get into the market."
Census figures from 2016 showed that Australia had 200,000 more homes sitting empty than it did a decade ago. 
The vacancy tax is expected to raise more than $80 million over four years. But Mr Andrews said he hoped it would encourage owners to rent or sell their properties rather than providing revenue to the government.
Opposition Treasurer Michael O'Brien​ asked "are property owners now required to send their diaries to Daniel Andrews' tax officials?"
HomeGround Real Estate, a division of Launch Housing, is calling on owners of empty properties in the municipality to return 1,000 homes to the rental market.
Despite the current housing affordability crisis, more than 7,000 homes in the City of Melbourne municipality remain empty according to City of Melbourne demographic data 2013*. Returning just 14 per cent, or 1,000 homes, to the rental market would make a big difference to the growing number of people who struggle to find an affordable home in Melbourne.
HomeGround Real Estate is a not-for-profit real estate agency run by Launch Housing, one of Melbourne’s largest providers of housing and homelessness services. The innovative social enterprise aims to increase the stock of affordable housing for clients throughout Melbourne, securing affordable properties for low income tenants, including women and children escaping family violence. 
Launch Housing Deputy CEO Dr Heather Holst said property owners leave homes empty for a variety of reasons but listing the properties with HomeGround Real Estate could make a big difference.
“More and more people on lower incomes are at risk of homelessness due to the lack of affordable rental properties in Melbourne.
“The benefits are huge. People who have otherwise been priced out of the market are offered more affordable private rental, and HomeGround Real Estate offers landlords expert property and tenancy management services that give them peace of mind, the opportunity to contribute to those in need of housing, and a ‘social return’ on their negotiated, discounted rental fee.” 
The City of Melbourne made a one-off grant of $150,000, from its $2 million Pathways Innovation Package, to HomeGround Real Estate to contribute to activities that will increase the number of rental properties that are available to people experiencing homelessness within the municipality.
</body></html>

Melbourne's vacant property hotspots revealed as Andrews introduces new tax

<html><body>
Only a small fraction of the one million vacant dwellings on the 2016 census night were likely owned by foreign investors.
An analysis of the August census results by the economic consultancy SGS Economics has gone towards debunking the suggestion that foreigners are contributing to a housing shortage by leaving their homes empty.
SGS found the largest concentration of unoccupied dwellings was in the regions, reflecting lack of accomodation demand, rather than in the overbuilt capital cities where new apartment construction has been at record levels.
The firm’s analysis of the census shows that people being away from home was by far the most common reason for empty dwellings on census night, accounting for 453,000 properties.
There were also 237,000 holiday houses unoccupied.
The likely total of stock deliberately kept out of use was small, SGS economist Terry Rawnsley said.
The 2016 result was the highest vacant recorded over the time period analysed by SGS Economics from 1981 to 2016.
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Region
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
Dwellings
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
Vacant share of total
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Sydney
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
136,019
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
7.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional NSW
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
148,683
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
12.4%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Melbourne
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
167,494
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
9.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional VIC
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
111,136
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
16.1%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Brisbane
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
68,386
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
7.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional QLD
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
127,171
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
11.7%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Adelaide
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
47,396
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
8.4%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional SA
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
44,829
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
22%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Perth
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
85,744
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
10.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional WA
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
47,137
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
18.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Hobart
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
8,806
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
8.9%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional Tas
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
23,323
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
16.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Greater Darwin
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
5,529
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
10%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Regional NT
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
5,184
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
15%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
ACT
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
12,590
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
7.7%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="112">
Other Territories
</td>
<td valign="top" width="70">
376
</td>
<td valign="top" width="85">
19.5%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
"With the 2016 census being broadly in line with historical levels we can't blame investors intentionally leaving homes vacant or the rise of Airbnb," Rawnsley told Fairfax Media.
"There might be 180,000 dwellings falling into this 'withheld-from-market' category, but it's not going to be one million."
Around 55,000 homes were ­vacant as they had just been completed, while a further 47,000 were being renovated or repaired.
A further 16,000 were awaiting demolition, the SGS report said.
<div>
<div>There were 110,000 properties awaiting rental (presumably including some foreign-owned pro­perties).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The analysis showed a further 70,000 properties were not covered by any these reasons.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>“While this analysis has limitations, it suggests that most of the dwellings that were unoccupied on census night were unoccupied for a very valid reason.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>"There does not appear to be a large pool of dwellings being withheld from the housing market,” the SGS ­report said.</div>
</div>
Although the number unoccupied was higher in the latest census, it rose only from 10.7 per cent of all dwellings to 11.2 per cent. The figure has been around 10 per cent since the 1980s.
Sydney’s pricey property market had only 7.3 per cent of dwellings vacant, the lowest rate in the country. Regional South Australia, by contrast, has 22 per cent of its housing empty.
Empty homes are most often found in areas that suffer a loss of major industries or where there is a large number of holiday homes.
While Sydney's inner suburbs had a rate of 9.5 per cent, this fell in regional areas such as Shoalhaven, where 26.1 per cent of homes were empty on census night.
In Greater Melbourne, the rate was 9.1 per cent – but higher in the inner suburbs 11.1 per cent of homes were vacant. However on the Mornington Peninsula this at 22 per cent due to holiday homes.
The Australian noted both federal and state governments have imposed punitive taxes on foreign investors who leave properties vacant, on the basis of suggestions that Chinese buyers are seeking assets in Australia for financial security rather than for return.
This year’s budget included a penalty for foreign-owned properties left vacant for more than six months, levied at $5000 for properties worth less than $1 million and a sliding scale for properties worth more.
It has however yet to be implemented.
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Foreigners not to blame for vacant ghost homes: SGS Economics

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80742/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Vacant housing rates are rising in our major cities. Across Australia on census night, 11.2 percent of housing was recorded as unoccupied – a total of 1,089,165 dwellings. With housing affordability stress also intensifying, the moment for a push on empty property taxes looks to have arrived. 
The 2016 Census showed empty property numbers up by 19% in Melbourne and 15 percent in Sydney over the past five years alone. Considering that thousands of people sleep rough – almost 7,000 on census night in 2011, more than 400 per night in Sydney in 2017 – and that hundreds of thousands face overcrowded homes or unaffordable rents, these seem like cruel and immoral revelations.
Public awareness of unused homes has been growing in Australia and globally. In London, Vancouver and elsewhere – just as in Sydney and Melbourne – the night-time spectacle of dark spaces in newly built “luxury towers” has triggered outrage.
This has struck a chord with the public not only because of its connotations of obscene wealth inequality and waste, but also because of the contended link to foreign ownership.
Early movers on vacancy tax
Against this backdrop, the Victorian state government has felt sufficiently emboldened to legislate an empty homes tax. Federally, the shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, recently backed a standard vacant dwelling tax across all the nation’s major cities. 
Similar measures have come into force in Vancouver and Paris. And Ontario’s provincial government recently granted Toronto new powers to tax empty properties.
Emulating Vancouver, Victoria’s tax is a 1% capital value charge on homes vacant for at least six months in a year. Curiously, though, it applies only in Melbourne’s inner and middle suburbs. And there are exceptions – if the property is a grossly under-used second home you pay only if you’re a foreigner. 
Also, as in Vancouver, tax liability relies on self-reporting, which is seemingly a loophole. This might be less problematic if all owners were required to confirm their properties were occupied for at least six months of the past year. But that would be administratively cumbersome. 
This highlights a broader “practicability challenge” for empty property taxes. For example, how do you define acceptable reasons for a property being empty? 
In principle, such a tax should probably be limited to habitable dwellings. So, if you own a speculative vacancy, what do you do? Remove the kitchen sink to declare it unliveable?
How can we be sure a home is empty?
Lack of reliable data on empty homes is a major problem in Australia. Census figures are useful mainly because they indicate trends over time, but they substantially overstate the true number of long-term vacant habitable properties because they include temporarily empty dwellings (including second homes). 
Using Victorian water records, Prosper Australia estimates about half of Melbourne’s census-recorded vacant properties are long-term “speculative vacancies”. That’s 82,000 homes. 
Applying a similar “conversion factor” to Sydney’s census numbers would indicate around 68,000 speculative vacancies. Australia-wide, the Prosper Australia findings imply around 300,000 speculative vacancies – 3 percent of all housing. That’s equivalent to two years’ house building at current rates.
According to University of Queensland real estate economics expert Cameron Murray, a national tax that entirely eliminated this glut might moderate the price of housing by 1-2%. Therefore, although worthwhile, dealing with this element of our inefficient use of land and property would provide only a small easing of Australia’s broader affordability problem.
Making better use of a scarce resource
Taxing long-term empty properties is consistent with making more efficient use of our housing stock – a scarce resource. A big-picture implication is that tackling Australia’s housing stress shouldn’t be seen as purely about boosting new housing supply – as commonly portrayed by governments. 
It should also be about making more efficient and equitable use of existing housing and housing-designated land.
Penalising empty dwellings is fine if it can be practicably achieved. That’s especially if the revenue is used to enhance the trivial amount of public funding going into building affordable rental housing in most of our states and territories. 
But empty homes represent just a small element of our increasingly inefficient and wasteful use of housing and the increasingly unequal distribution of our national wealth.
One aspect of this is the under-utilisation of occupied housing. Australian Bureau of Statistics survey data show that, across Australia, more than a million homes (mainly owner-occupied) have three or more spare bedrooms. A comparison of the latest statistics (for 2013-14) with those for 2007-08 suggests this body of “grossly under-utilised” properties grew by more than 250,000 in the last six years.
Our tax system does nothing to discourage this increasingly wasteful use of housing. It’s arguably encouraged by the “tax on mobility” constituted by stamp duty and the exemption of the family home from the pension assets test. 
A parallel issue is the speculative land banks owned by developers. The volume of development approvals far exceeds the amount of actual building. In the past year in Sydney, for example, 56,000 development approvals were granted – but only 38,000 homes were built. 
In many cases, getting an approval is just part of land speculation. The owner then hoards the site until “market conditions are right” for on-selling as approved for development at a fat profit.
Properly addressing these issues calls for something much more ambitious than an empty property tax. The federal government should be encouraging all states and territories to follow the ACT’s lead by phasing in a broad-based land tax to replace stamp duty.
Such a tax will provide a stronger financial incentive to make effective use of land and property. The Grattan Institute estimates this switch would also “add up to A$9 billion annually to gross domestic product”. How much longer can we afford to ignore this obvious policy innovation?
 
Hal Pawson is Associate Director - City Futures - Urban Policy and Strategy, City Futures Research Centre, Housing Policy and Practice, UNSW and author for <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-pawson-147969" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Taxing empty homes: a step towards affordable housing, but much more can be done

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The Victorian government has decided to impose a tax on homeowners who leave their properties vacant in a bid to make housing more affordable in and around Melbourne, taking a leaf out of Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax.
The Vacant Residential Property Tax will be levied at 1 percent, multiplied by the capital improved value of the taxable property. 
The new rule is designed to coax owners who "unreasonably" leave their properties vacant to make them available for either purchase or rent.
If the property has a capital improved value of $500,000, the amount paid will be $5,000.
The new tax is expected to raise about $80 million over four years, according to a report in The Age. The changes will address the number of properties being left empty across inner and middle suburbs of Melbourne.
Late last year, the local government in Vancouver announced the Empty Homes Tax, which says, “Homes that are deemed empty will be subject to a tax of 1% of the property's assessed value. The Empty Homes Tax will be applied annually, with the first tax year beginning on January 1, 2017.”
The Vancouver council says that most homes will not be subject to the tax, as it does not apply to principal residences or homes rented on a long-term basis.
The city was high on the index of un-affordability, ranking third behind Sydney and Hong Kong in an international study by Demographia.
As for Victorian Vacant Residential Property Tax, the only word so far is that there will be some exemptions, owing to the fact that some properties are left vacant due to legitimate reasons, such as holiday homes, deceased estates and homes owned by Victorians temporarily overseas.
The tax is among several measures the government has announced to make housing more affordable, including scrapping stamp duty for first home buyers on properties worth up to $600,000.
The 1 per cent tax on vacant properties will encourage owners to either sell them or fill them by renting them out, says the government.
According to a study by Prosper Australia last year, more than 82,700 residential properties — or 4.8 percent of Melbourne’s housing stock — sit empty, while many people struggle to afford to buy or even rent accommodation.
The study estimated the number of unoccupied properties based on water use of less than 50L per day during 2014, from data provided by City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water.
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