A reminder to property owners that lodgements need to be made with the State Revenue Office by 15 January 2025 through the SRO online portal if their property has been vacant for over 6 months in the 2024 calendar year. This is the deadline to notify the SRO that their property is subject to vacant residential land tax and also if any applicable exemptions may apply.

The vacant residential land tax applies to Victorian properties located in certain regions of Victoria (mainly Melbourne and outer Melbourne regions) that are ordinarily subject to land tax (i.e. this does not apply to exempt properties such as your principal place of residence). The additional tax applies if the property has been vacant for more than 6 months or is a property that has been under construction or uninhabitable for over 2 years.

The main exemptions which may apply are: 

• Holiday homes that have been used by the owner and/or their family members for a concurrent period of over 4 weeks during the calendar year;
• Properties used for work purposes;
• Properties which were transferred in the preceding year; and
• Newly developed properties where the ownership is unchanged.

If you would like to learn more about this, please do not hesitate to contact us.