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What is Subdividing?

SDS Conveyancing Services Subdividing

What is Subdividing?

Wherever you live in Australia or Melbourne subdivision is happening everywhere. As the population grows and keeps growing, land and property needs to be continuously parcelled out and redeveloped to accommodate more housing and higher numbers of residents. Australia is currently in the vicinity of 25 million people. All of those people need somewhere to live, so the reality is that we need more suburbs and more housing. The outer suburbia of our cities are getting further and further away from the city centres so as the suburban crawl expands ever larger many property owners take it upon themselves to divide their land into smaller blocks and build townhouses, apartments and units on them to accommodate more people. That’s the process of subdivision, which is naturally very popular today among property owners, developers and investors. In this article, we will explain and answer some important questions about subdivisions.

Can any block be Subdivided?

Every situation is different in the world of subdividing. The answer unfortunately is not all residential blocks can be subdivided. Generally, there is a minimum size a new lot of land must be to create a new certificate of title. It only makes sense a block of land must be a certain size to be able to accommodate a unit or apartment that is sufficient space for living.

What is much more important to consider is the zoning of the property. Different zones have different regulations and requirements. Some of them permit subdivisions while others don’t or make it increasingly difficult. In any case speak to a trusted professional conveyancer to get your answer on whether or not your land can be subdivided.

Is Subdivision always making smaller lots from larger lots?

Subdividing generally means dividing into smaller parcels from larger parcels so you would be forgiven for thinking that subdivision means only to divide properties. In fact, subdivision also means combining smaller properties into a larger one. Subdivision also means moving boundaries as would occur in a boundary realignment. There are actually many facets including consolidation that can be done with land. For more detailed information read up on Land Victoria's website for details: https://www.propertyandlandtitles.vic.gov.au/land-titles/subdivision-and-consolidation

How Difficult is it to get Approval for a Plan of Subdivision?

As with everything in conveyancing and land development, you have to know what your doing and know the laws and regulations to get things past government departments such as the Land Titles Office Victoria. Subdividing a property requires careful consideration of the land and title associated with it, there needs to be compliance with the zoning and examination of any restrictions or covenants on the title. The only new parcels that can be created by a plan of subdivision are lots, roads, reserves or common property. The fact of the matter is that if you know the property laws and the local zoning requirements, it should be possible to make every step of the subdivision process painless. It’s yet another reason why so many people hire professionals who regularly deal with plans of subdivisions to make their property developments easy and straightforward. 

How Much does a Plan of Subdivision Cost?

There is no fixed cost to submit and lodge a subdivision in Victoria. The total amount you will end up paying will all depend on the Plan, and how many lots you wish to create. Speak to us at SDS Conveyancing Services to get a full rundown of all costs if you decide to go ahead with a subdivision.

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