Main page › Guides › Buying a transportable home
How to buy a transportable home, step by step
| Governing Act for installation | Local Government Act 1993, not planning law[1] |
|---|---|
| Approval to install | Section 68 approval, usually also covering water, sewer and stormwater[1] |
| Approval for the use | Development consent may also be needed[1] |
| Not a relocatable home | Anything capable of being registered as a vehicle[2] |
| Private certifier fast-track | Reported as not currently available[3] |
| *NSW only. Other states differ; see the state guides. | |
A transportable home — also called a relocatable home — is built in a factory and engineered so it can be moved again after installation. In NSW that changes the approval route: an ordinary house is erected under planning law, while a moveable dwelling is installed under the Local Government Act.[1] Most buying problems trace back to getting that classification wrong.
This page sets out the sequence as eight stages, each with a short checklist and a link to the detailed guide.
The eight stages at a glance §
| Stage | What you are settling | Detailed guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm you need relocatability | Transportable or modular | Transportable homes in Australia |
| 2. Check the land and access | Zoning, overlays, truck and crane access | Transportable home rules by state |
| 3. Confirm the approval route | Installation approval and consent for the use | Transportable home rules in NSW |
| 4. Budget and finance | Price, transport, site, connections | Transportable home costs |
| 5. Choose and check a builder | Licence, inclusions, permit holder | Licence and insurance checks |
| 6. Contract | Deposit, payments, completion | Progress payments |
| 7. Delivery and installation | Transport, crane, footings, services | Delivery and craneage |
| 8. Handover and later moves | Inspection, insurance, relocation plan | Relocating a transportable home |
Stage 1: Confirm you need relocatability §
A modular home is assembled once and is not designed to move again; a relocatable home is.[4] That engineering is paid for up front, so it is worth having only if you may actually use it.
Checklist:
- Will the home realistically be moved — leased land, a staged build, a block you may sell?
- If not, compare with a modular home: how to build a modular home, step by step.
- Behind an existing house? The granny flat rules may also apply: how to build a granny flat, step by step.
- On wheels and registrable? That is a different category in NSW — see Stage 3 and how to get a tiny home, step by step.
Stage 2: Check the land and access §
Checklist:
- Zoning and what your state allows: transportable home rules by state.
- Bushfire and flood overlays: bushfire attack levels and flood-prone land.
- Soil and slope for footings: site classification.
- Road access, corner radii, overhead power lines and a crane position — at this site and at any likely future site.
- Rural or leased land: building on rural land and land lease communities.
Stage 3: Confirm the approval route §
In NSW, installing a manufactured home needs a section 68 approval, which usually also covers the water, sewer and stormwater work; development consent may separately be needed for the use, for example as a secondary dwelling.[1] Installing a septic tank or other on-site waste system is also on the Planning Portal's list of section 68 activities.[5] A planning consultancy reports that the private certifier fast-track used for granny flats is not currently available for relocatable homes in NSW.[3]
The classification is not automatic. In a 2023 NSW Land and Environment Court case, prefabricated units approved as moveable dwellings were found to be buildings.[6] The more permanent a product looks — size, footings, attached decks, connected services — the weaker the moveable dwelling argument.
Checklist:
- Ask the council how it will classify this product on this land, in writing.
- Identify every approval needed: installation, use, wastewater.
- NSW detail: transportable home rules in NSW. Other states: transportable home rules by state.
- Do not take delivery before the installation approval is issued.
Stage 4: Budget and finance §
The base price usually covers the home leaving the factory or arriving within a set distance. Builder-published guidance notes that transport and installation are sometimes included only within a set radius of the factory.[7]
Checklist:
- Base prices: transportable home costs. These are builder-published commercial figures.
- Footings, site works, connections, stairs and decks: site works costs and service connections.
- Stamp duty and GST: stamp duty and GST on transportable buildings.
- Finance, including how lenders treat a relocatable dwelling: transportable home finance.
- Work through the hidden cost checklist.
Stage 5: Choose and check a builder §
In NSW the licence search runs by name, licence number or ABN.[8] With transportable homes, check who is responsible for the finished installation, not only who made the home.
Checklist:
- Licence, class and legal entity name: licence and insurance checks.
- Who lodges the section 68 and any planning application, and who installs and connects the home.
- Itemised quotes on the same scope: choosing a prefab builder.
- The builder directory lists companies by state. Inclusion is not an endorsement and entries have not been independently verified.
Stage 6: Contract §
Where the work on your land is residential building work, NSW rules require a written contract over A$5,000 including GST, a deposit of no more than 10 percent, and — on contracts over A$20,000 — a progress payment schedule, a five clear business day cooling-off period and Home Building Compensation cover before any deposit.[9]
Checklist:
- What the contract covers: manufacture only, or delivery, installation and connection too.
- Payments tied to completed stages: progress payments.
- How the factory portion is insured: the insurance gap.
- The milestone that counts as completion.
- A solicitor's review before signing.
Stage 7: Delivery and installation §
Builder-published guidance puts crane hire at roughly A$260 to A$1,530 per hour, usually with a four to ten hour minimum.[7] Under the NSW regulation, installation means connecting the sections to footings and connecting services — not just setting the home down.[2]
Checklist:
- Crane, transport route and delivery date agreed: delivery, transport and craneage.
- Footings inspected before delivery.
- Condition check on arrival, before the home is fixed and connected.
- Service connections booked: service connections.
Stage 8: Handover and later moves §
Checklist:
- Independent inspection before final payment: handover inspections.
- Insurance in place from delivery day.
- Warranty and maintenance documents: prefab warranties and maintenance.
- If you may move it later, keep the engineering and installation documents: relocating a transportable home.
Related step-by-step guides §
- How to build a modular home, step by step
- How to build a granny flat, step by step
- How to get a tiny home, step by step
What is not covered here §
Approval routes, contract rules and insurance thresholds in states other than New South Wales are not set out on this page; see the state rules pages. How NSW home building contract and insurance rules apply to the factory-made portion of a transportable home, as distinct from work on your land, is not settled by the sources compiled here.
Council fees and timeframes for section 68 approvals vary and are not covered. This page does not give a total cost; the linked cost figures are builder-published commercial guidance.
Sent to info@modularlivingaustralia.com.au and handled by a person. See Privacy.
References §
- Whiteacre — Planning law practice article, November 2024. Development consent under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 is required for the erection of a building; moveable dwellings are governed instead by the Local Government Act 1993. A section 68 approval is required to install a manufactured home and, usually, for water supply connection, sewerage work and stormwater drainage work; development consent may separately be required for the use of the dwelling, for example as a secondary dwelling. Commercial legal commentary. whiteacre.com.au/tiny-homes-caravans-and-manufactured-homes-in-nsw-planning-law-part-2
- AustLII — Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Parks, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings) Regulation 2021, regulation 4. Defines a relocatable home as a manufactured home or other moveable dwelling, other than a tent, caravan, campervan or vehicle capable of being registered, consisting of at least one major section; defines installation as connecting and attaching the major sections to footings, including connection of services. classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/lghecpcgamdr2021946/s4.html
- Approved — Planning consultancy article. Approval to install a relocatable home in NSW involves a development application and a separate section 68 application; complying development through a private certifier without council approval is not currently possible for relocatable homes in NSW. Commercial guidance. approved.au/blog/how-to-get-approval-for-your-relocatable-home-in-nsw
- Wright Choice Homes — Modular home overview. Modular homes are transported and assembled on site as permanent dwellings and are not designed to be moved again, in contrast with relocatable dwellings. Builder-published commercial guidance. wrightchoicehomes.com.au/blog/how-much-do-modular-homes-cost/
- NSW Planning Portal — Section 68 approvals. Activities generally requiring approval under section 68 include installing a manufactured home, moveable dwelling or associated structures, and installing or altering a waste treatment device or a human waste storage facility such as a septic tank. planningportal.nsw.gov.au/development-and-assessment/additional-approvals-applications/section-68-approvals
- BAL Lawyers — Case note, February 2025, on Ogilvie v Rovest Holdings Pty Ltd [2023] NSWLEC 17. Prefabricated modular units approved under section 68 as moveable dwellings were found by the Court to be buildings. ballawyers.com.au/case-note/what-makes-a-moveable-dwelling-court-finds-prefab-units-are-buildings/
- Built by Modify — 2026 modular cost guide. Transport and installation are sometimes included only within a set radius of the factory; crane hire roughly A$260 to A$1,530 per hour with four to ten hour minimums. Builder-published commercial guidance, not independent survey data. builtbymodify.com.au/blogs/modular-home-cost
- Service NSW — Check a builder or tradesperson licence. The search can be run by name, licence number or ABN. service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/check-a-builder-or-tradesperson-licence
- NSW Government (Building Commission NSW) — Contracts for residential building work, last updated 29 April 2026. A written contract is required for residential building work where the price is over A$5,000 including GST; the maximum deposit is 10 percent; contracts over A$20,000 need a progress payment schedule, a five clear business day cooling-off period and a Home Building Compensation certificate, and no deposit may be requested before required cover is in place. nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/building-or-renovating-a-home/preparing/contracts
Figures are as published by the sources above at their respective dates and are paraphrased summaries, not verbatim reproductions. Verify current pricing and rules directly with builders, lenders and planning authorities.