The Subdivision

We used to say that we would never subdivide. We jeered at people cutting their blocks up in get rich quick schemes producing ugly non climate-friendly concrete boxes. We’ll never do that we said. And we’re not…exactly…

That is…we have decided to subdivide. But we’re not building ugly concrete blocks (though this is obviously subjective) and we’re not selling the other side so that someone else can build an ugly concrete block (also subjective).

We took a look at our pros and cons.

Pros

• financial gain / asset (it can’t be disputed but we will feel pinch rather than gain for most of our lives)
• a smaller garden is in keeping with water restrictions and with beach and bush nearby we have spaces to run around in
• we could try to keep the second block in the family - failing that we could at least control how the house looked

Cons

• why contribute to higher density building in a lovely beachside suburb
• we love space - a subdivision could leave us feeling claustrophobic
• the block we created would be long and narrow with fewer design options
• the gum and other small trees would have to be removed
• hassle to organise
• potential capital gains issues (we are still trying to get to the bottom of this with the ATO)

It’s ironic that the cons outweigh the pros.

So how do you go about subdividing in Perth?

The first thing you need to know is the zoning of your area. Go to your city council website to check your zoning and see if you are allowed to subdivide with the land available. Next find a surveyor to do a contour feature survey. This is needed in the Application for Approval of Plan of Subdivision.

The Western Australia Planning Commission (WAPC) deals with subdivisions. The rules vary a little if you are creating multiple lots but for 2, 3, 4 and 5 lots the following is the process at the time of writing.

Applications for freehold and survey-strata subdivision must include:

• Application Form 1A
• the application fee (presently $1,295 plus $30 per lot
• 8 copies of the subdivision plan
• possibly an acid sulphate soil assessment

Your surveyor will be aware of these requirements and guide the process accordingly, but it’s nice to know what’s going on.

The plan must be certified correct by the Western Australian Land Information Authority (LANDGATE) at which point the WAPC should approve your application (hopefully), which will take between 1-3 months. Once you have met the conditions that apply to the approval, you can apply to LANDGATE for new titles (Green titles: $85 for the application, $6 for each lot).

Subdivision approval is normally valid for 3 years.

We are still in the jaws of this process so I will update you on any relevant information as it comes to light.

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