Tax Alert

Build-to-rent in Australia – An evolving landscape

Build-to-rent in Australia – An evolving landscape
  • 7 minute read
  • December 13, 2024

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The housing affordability crisis in Australia is at an all time-high and has spurred a range of recent tax measures targeting the build-to-rent (BTR) sector. These measures include reductions in income tax, stamp duty and land tax imposts for BTR investors, which are welcome changes that are clearly aimed at bringing investor returns on BTR projects in line with traditional commercial property asset classes such as office, retail, and industrial.

BTR can provide large-scale housing developments and build well-connected communities in locations which are close to transport and strategic centres, providing excellent opportunities for individuals and families to thrive. Whilst BTR may not be a complete solution to fixing housing affordability, it can allow Australians to live in locations they would not otherwise be able to afford. With rising cost of living pressures in Australia and the Australian dream of owning property becoming increasingly difficult to attain, we continue to encourage Federal and State Government investment and incentives to support growth in this area.

As the BTR investment landscape continues to strengthen and evolve, the benefits to the Australian economy from the growth of BTR are clear. The housing crisis and increased costs of living have made it impossible to deny that the growth of the BTR sector is key to providing homes for current and future generations.

This report discusses the impact of the various income tax, land tax and foreign surcharge duty changes and encourages Australian Governments and investors to continue the conversation on BTR, as it is an important part of the solution to addressing housing affordability and easing the cost of living pressures in Australia.

We hope that the speed of reform in the past 12 months at the State and Federal Government levels continues to resolve the remaining commercial barriers to investing in the BTR sector and adjacent asset classes (such as co-living). Watch this space!


Contact us

If you would like to further discuss this alert, reach out to our team or your PwC adviser.

Manuel Makas

Partner, Financial Services Tax Lead Partner, PwC Australia

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Kirsten Arblaster

Partner, Tax, PwC Australia

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Chris Colley

Partner, PwC Australia

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Chris Aboud

Partner, Global Tax, PwC Australia

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Angeline Young

Partner, PwC Australia

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Nick Rogaris

Partner, Corporate Tax, Real Estate and Infrastructure, PwC Australia

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Sue Ann Khoo

Partner, Tax, PwC Australia

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Andrew White

Partner, Corporate Tax, PwC Australia

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Rachael Cullen

Partner, Tax, PwC Australia

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Barry Diamond

Partner, State Taxes, PwC Australia

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Jess Fantin

Partner, Tax, PwC Australia

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Cherie Mulyono

Partner, State Taxes & Shine (PwC's LGBTIQ+ network), PwC Australia

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Matthew Sealey

Partner, Financial Advisory - Tax, PwC Australia

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Nathan Greenfield

Legal Partner, Corporate/M&A, PwC Australia

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Andrew Wheeler

Legal Partner, Corporate/M&A, PwC Australia

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Jensen Li

Legal Partner, Corporate/M&A, PwC Australia

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Aidan Douglas

Legal Partner, Corporate/M&A, PwC Australia

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Download our complimentary report

Build-to-rent-in Australia - An evolving landscape

(PDF of 1.82MB)

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