30/10/2026
The dual occupancy advice that holds up is the one that starts with the site, not the floor plan.
Two clients can present the same brief: a second dwelling on an existing lot, rented separately. One site supports it cleanly. The other becomes a testing exercise. The difference is rarely the building design. It is the ground it sits on.
What we check before anything reaches a client shortlist:
Zoning and overlays first. Some residential zones permit a dual occupancy with consent; overlays for flooding, character, vegetation or bushfire can change the answer entirely, even on an adjacent lot.
The shape of the lot. Frontage, depth, slope and the ability to fit two dwellings with compliant setbacks, private open space and parking. A narrow lot that looks spacious from the street can fail on access alone.
Services and access. Sewer alignment, stormwater, and whether a second driveway crossover is permitted. These are the quiet cost-drivers that turn a viable project into a marginal one.
Existing easements. A sewer easement down the middle of a lot can rule out the second dwelling before design even starts.
Local character and neighbourhood controls. Some areas carry design guidance that shapes height, walls-on-boundary and overlooking beyond the standard rules.
None of these checks requires optimism, only evidence. The site decides what is possible; the design follows. Getting the order right is the difference between a dual income plan that proceeds and one that stalls at planning.
MLG runs the site-level research before your client commits. DM DUAL OCC for a one-to-one conversation, or book a free consultation: https://mlgpropertyacquisitionservices.com.au/book-consultation
General information only, not financial, legal or planning advice. Planning rules vary by state and council; confirm current requirements with a qualified planning professional.
