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SMALL SECOND HOMES
The Victorian Government has made it easier to build a small second home in residential and rural areas across Victoria – giving families more housing choice and boosting housing supply.
To make it easier to build a small second home, otherwise known as a small second dwelling, the Victoria Planning Provisions, all planning schemes and the Building Regulations have changed.
Some of the key features of a small second home include:
- Floor area equal to or less than 60 square meters
- Sited on the same lot as an existing dwelling
- One small second dwelling per lot, however there may be more than one and this would be subject to a planning permit
- Is self-contained, i.e. has a kitchen, bathroom, toilet and laundry facilities
- No carparking required
- Anyone can live in it or rent it out
- Cannot be subdivided from the primary dwelling
- Cannot be connected to reticulated gas
- Meets siting requirements, including minimum garden area
- Can be attached, detached or a conversion
- Must have an access path from the front street
In most cases, a small second dwelling will not require a planning permit; however, a building permit is always required.
To support these changes, an updated Minister’s Guideline (MG-12): Siting and Design of Single Dwellings was published on the VBA website on 14 December 2023.
For more information, including an applicant’s guide and details about the planning and building framework, visit the Department of Transport & Planning’s website.
