Land tax is normally payable on property that is not your principal place of residence. If its use meets the eligibility requirements below, you may qualify for an exemption from land tax for up to three financial years.

Refer to New home used for long term rental guideline for additional information.

Eligibility

The initial eligibility requirements:

• The land must be classified 'General Land'. It must not be used for principal residence or primary production purposes.
• Each dwelling on the land must be new and not have previously been occupied or sold as a place of residence.
• The first occupancy permit for any dwelling on the land must have been issued between 8 February 2018 and 30 June 2026 inclusive.
•  A written residential tenancy agreement, within the meaning of Section 3 of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997, must be in place for at least one of the properties for:
• a fixed period of at least 12 months; and
• commencing prior to the beginning of the exemption period*.
• If there is more than one dwelling on the land, you must demonstrate you have actively been trying to put in place a written residential tenancy agreement, referred to above, for all other dwellings.

*The exemption period is the three full financial years following the occupancy permit being issued. For example, if your occupancy permit is issued on 20 June 2024, you must have a residential tenancy agreement in place by 1 July 2024.

How to apply

To apply for the land tax exemption:

Use the New home used for long term rental application to apply for the land tax exemption:

If you are unsure whether your property qualifies for this exemption, email us with the details.

Requirements after approval

Once your application is approved, to continue receiving the exemption you must ensure that:

• the land is not used for principal residence purposes by the owner of the land;
• no dwelling on the property is vacant for a total of more than 6 weeks; and
• no dwelling on the property is used for a purpose other than being rented under a residential tenancy agreement, within the meaning of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997.

If your application is approved, on each of the two financial years following the approval you will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire. These are due diligence checks to ensure that the eligibility requirements are still being met.