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Granny flats
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A granny flat — in planning language, a secondary dwelling — is a self-contained home on the same lot as a principal residence, with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom and living area. In New South Wales it cannot be sold separately from the main title.
Secondary dwellings are the most common entry point into off-site construction in Australia, partly because of scale and partly because several states offer a faster approval pathway for compliant designs. The rules differ sharply between states: New South Wales caps secondary dwellings at 60 m² on lots of at least 450 m², Queensland councils commonly allow around 80 m², and Victoria permits small second dwellings up to 60 m² without a planning permit in many residential zones.
Because the approval pathway drives both cost and timeline, checking your state's rules — and your specific site's constraints — should come before comparing builders.
Key considerations
- Size caps and lot minimums differ by state and sometimes by council
- Fast-track approval is available for compliant designs in several states
- Flood, heritage and bushfire constraints can force a full development application
- Rules on renting to non-family tenants have changed in some states
Guides in this category
- Gardens and outdoor space with a modular home 13 Oct 2026
- Kitchens in modular homes 13 Oct 2026
- Negative gearing to be limited to new builds from July 2027 12 Oct 2026
- How to build a granny flat, step by step 8 Oct 2026
- Council fees and developer contributions on a second dwelling 19 Sep 2026
- Does a granny flat add value? 19 Sep 2026
- Converting a garage versus building a second dwelling 19 Sep 2026
- Granny flat cost range finder by state and size 19 Sep 2026
- Granny flat or house extension — which fits the project? 19 Sep 2026
- Dual occupancy rules and approvals in New South Wales 9 Sep 2026
- Dual occupancy or granny flat — which second dwelling can you build? 9 Sep 2026
- The federal battery discount, a granny flat and a factory-built home 9 Sep 2026
- Council rates and land tax after you add a second dwelling 9 Sep 2026
- Building over a sewer or easement — the approval nobody budgets for 4 Sep 2026
- Short-stay letting a granny flat or tiny home 4 Sep 2026
- Can you subdivide a granny flat onto its own title? 4 Sep 2026
- Modular granny flats and the rise of multi-generational living 31 Aug 2026
- NSW passes Australia's first regulatory framework for prefabricated buildings 13 Aug 2026
- Granny flat arrangements and the CGT exemption 9 Aug 2026
- Renting out a granny flat and capital gains tax on your home 9 Aug 2026
- Tax deductions when you rent out a granny flat or second dwelling 9 Aug 2026
- Granny flat rules lookup by state and territory 2 Aug 2026
- Granny flat costs in Queensland 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flat costs in South Australia 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flat costs in Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flat costs in Victoria 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flat costs in Western Australia 31 Jul 2026
- Financing a granny flat 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flat layouts and the rules that shape them 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flats, tax and Centrelink 31 Jul 2026
- Selling a property with a granny flat 31 Jul 2026
- Granny flat or tiny home — which is right for you? 26 Jul 2026
- Tiny home rules in the ACT and the Northern Territory 25 Jul 2026
- Tiny home rules in South Australia 25 Jul 2026
- Tiny home rules in Tasmania 25 Jul 2026
- Granny flat interests and the age pension 24 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules in New South Wales 24 Jul 2026
- Granny flat costs in New South Wales 21 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules and approvals by state 21 Jul 2026
- What is a granny flat? 20 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules in Queensland 18 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules in South Australia 18 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules in Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory 18 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules in Victoria 18 Jul 2026
- Granny flat rules in Western Australia 18 Jul 2026
- Can you rent out a granny flat in Australia? 17 Jul 2026
- Do you need council approval for a granny flat? 17 Jul 2026
- Approval pathways for prefabricated and modular homes in New South Wales 15 Jul 2026
- Home Warranty replaces domestic building insurance in Victoria 1 Jul 2026
- Victoria's Amendment VC282 adds a deemed-to-comply test for small second homes 8 Sep 2025
Related categories
- Modular homes — Homes built as three-dimensional modules in a factory, transported and assembled on site as permanent dwellings.
- Prefabricated homes — Walls, floors and roof elements manufactured flat in a factory, then assembled on site.
- Tiny homes — Compact dwellings, fixed or on wheels, typically 15–55 m².
- Transportable homes — Factory-built homes engineered so they can be relocated after installation.
- Materials & construction — What off-site homes are built from — steel, timber, panels, concrete — and how the method shapes the result.
- Costs & planning — Prices, site works, approvals and the pathways that apply in each state.
- Buying guides — Comparing builders, reading contracts, and what to check before signing.
- Finance — How lenders treat off-site construction and how progress payments differ.
- Rural builds — Remote sites, access constraints and why off-site construction suits difficult blocks.
- Industry trends — Policy, funding, market size and how Australia compares internationally.
- Updates — Regulatory, policy and market changes affecting prefabricated and modular housing in Australia, and who they bear on.
- Tools — Interactive checklists and lookup tools for planning a modular, prefab or secondary dwelling build.
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