Second–Hand (Established) Dwellings

This category includes all residential dwellings which are not new dwellings (that is, they have been previously owned and/or they have been occupied for more than 12 months).

Acquisitions by individual(s)

Foreign persons are prohibited from acquiring established dwellings for investment purposes (that is, they cannot be purchased to be used as a rental or holiday property), irrespective of whether they are temporary residents in Australia or not.

However, temporary residents can apply to purchase one established dwelling to use as their residence in Australia. Approval is usually provided subject to a condition that the temporary resident sells the dwelling when it ceases to be their residence.

Acquisitions by companies

Proposals by foreign-owned companies to acquire second-hand dwellings for the purpose of providing housing for their Australian-based staff are normally approved subject to the following condition:

• the company undertakes to sell or rent the property if it is expected to remain vacant for six months or more.

Who is exempt?

Refer to Exemptions for acquisitions which do not require notification and approval.

How to Apply

For information on how to apply (including application forms), please see How to Apply.