TINY HOUSE ON WHEELS | SMALL SECOND DWELLINGS | VICTORIA
Helping Tiny
House Lovers
We’re here to help you navigate
Planning Schemes
and Council Regulations.
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what you’ll need to consider.
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We help you work out whether (or not) you can put a tiny house or a second small dwelling on property in Victoria and what you’ll need to do to gain any approvals along the way.
Tiny Houses are generally moveable. The Planning Departments of most Councils see their occupation of moveable dwellings as camping.
Since they’re generally considered caravans, they don’t need a Building Permit. However, each Council in Victoria has a different set of rules on where you can park and how long you can stay, which we have summarised here.
Want to see the full excerpt from the Local Law? Get it sent to your inbox here.
Whereas, a Small Second Dwelling does need a Building Permit and can remain permanently on the property. See the definition of a Small Second Dwelling here.
Sometimes a Small Second Dwelling also needs a Planning Permit.
Yes. And that means that you will need sign off from a registered building surveyor.
Building Surveyors:
- assess building permit applications for compliance with the Building Act 1993, Building Regulations 2018 and National Construction Code
- issue building and occupancy permits, and certificates of final inspection
- conduct building inspections at the mandatory notification stages
- give directions to fix for non-compliant building work
- serve building notices and orders.
No. But there are some Tiny Home Builders who do build to “code” and offer the option of supplying the tiny home on a trailer or installing it on-site in a manner that can be certified and recognised as a Small Second Dwelling.
When on a trailer or classed as a moveable dwelling, they’re generally considered caravans; and don’t need a Building Permit. However, each Council in Victoria has a different set of rules on where you can park and how long you can stay, which we have summarised here.
Want to see the full excerpt from the Local Law? Get it sent to your inbox here.
Anyone. It can be rented, used as long-term or short-term accommodation, or used by a family member and not rented out.
Plus, when applying for a certificate of consent to build a small second dwelling, the owner doesn’t need to live in it.
However, the residential tenancy requirements that apply to a dwelling will also apply to a small second dwelling. Consumer Affairs Victoria has more information here.