A secondary dwelling is one of the most common projects to go through complying development — which is exactly why it is worth checking the site before the plans are drawn.
A secondary dwelling built behind or attached to an existing house is a well-trodden complying development pathway. Where the lot and the design meet the standards, we can assess and determine the approval ourselves, and you avoid a development application entirely.
That is the reason granny flats are usually quick. It is also the reason they are usually the projects where a site problem surfaces late — because the owner has assumed the pathway is available before anyone has looked at the title.
Homeowners adding a secondary dwelling for family, or to rent out.
Investors who want to know, before they buy or before they draw, whether a particular lot will take one.
Builders and draftspeople who do granny flats regularly and want the site tested before the design is committed.
A check of the lot and the title documents to establish whether the complying development pathway is open on that particular site.
The assessment of the proposal against the standards that apply to secondary dwellings, and against the Building Code of Australia.
Lodgement and determination through the NSW Planning Portal, and the certificate with its conditions.
If you want one certifier for the whole job, the Principal Certifier appointment, the critical stage inspections and the Occupation Certificate at the end.
The lot itself comes first: its size, its shape, its frontage, and what is already built on it. A lot that is already close to its limit for built-upon area will constrain a secondary dwelling before any design question arises.
Then the title. A covenant, an easement across the rear yard, or a restriction in the 88B instrument can each rule out the location you had in mind — and drainage easements in particular have a habit of running exactly where people want to put a granny flat.
Then the land itself. Heritage listing, certain flood or bushfire constraints and some environmentally sensitive land can exclude complying development regardless of the design.
Finally, the design: setbacks, height, private open space, landscaped area, privacy to the neighbours, and the drainage of the new roof area to a lawful point of discharge.
Send us the address and the title documents before you commission drawings. It is a short piece of work for us and it can save you a redesign.
We issue the Complying Development Certificate within 15 days of the lodgement date, where the application is complete.
From there it is the same path as any other build: a Principal Certifier appointed before work starts, critical stage inspections as the work reaches each point, and an Occupation Certificate at the end before the granny flat may be occupied or let. We can carry all of it.
Assuming the block is big enough because a neighbour built one. Lot size is only one of the things that has to be satisfied, and the title is where the pathway is most often lost.
Forgetting the existing house. A secondary dwelling has to work alongside what is already on the lot — its setbacks, its landscaped area, its private open space and its parking all count together.
Leaving drainage until last. Where stormwater can lawfully be discharged is a site question, and on some lots it is the question that decides the design.
Building before the Principal Certifier is appointed. A granny flat is building work like any other: certifier appointed, notice given, inspections attended, Occupation Certificate at the end.
Treating it as a shed with a kitchen. A secondary dwelling is a dwelling, and it is assessed as one.
Usually not. Where the lot and the design meet the standards for complying development, a registered private certifier can assess and determine the approval without a development application to council. Where they are not met, the project goes to council as a development application instead.
We issue the Complying Development Certificate within 15 days of the lodgement date where the application is complete. The realistic timeline for most owners is set by how quickly the plans and title documents are gathered.
A secondary dwelling may not be occupied until an Occupation Certificate has been issued. Once it has, whether it may be let separately depends on the approval and the applicable planning controls — ask us about your specific project.
Send us the address and the plans and we will come back to you with a fixed fee and what the certification will involve. Or call (02) 8772 4022 and we will talk it through.
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