Office of Community Housing

The Office of Community Housing has the charter to undertake the strategic development of the community housing sector and promote client-focused and efficient service delivery.

The Office is entrusted with ensuring the community housing system is effectively managed, operates in the public interest, and is accountable to Government.

Since its establishment in July 1996, the Office of Community Housing has developed the infrastructure and framework to deliver a comprehensive range of planning, delivery and monitoring services. A streamlined reporting process and an accreditation system are two initiatives in this area.

As a priority, the Office of Community Housing is also developing strategies that promote a partnership approach to development of diverse, quality social housing. The aim is to provide genuine client choice by encouraging innovative community based projects that respond to increasingly complex housing needs.

What is the First Home Plus Scheme?

The First Home Plus scheme provides exemptions or concessions on transfer duty for people who are buying their first home in NSW. This includes buying vacant land on which you intend to build your first home.

The First Home Plus Scheme provides eligible purchasers with exemptions on transfer duty on homes valued up to $500 000 and concessions on duty for homes valued between $500 000 and $600 000.

Eligible purchasers buying a vacant block of residential land to build their home on will pay no duty on vacant land valued up to $300 000, and will receive concessions on duty for vacant land valued between $300 000 and $450 000.

From 1 September 2007 an advance made to natural persons for the purpose of buying or building their home, or buying vacant residential land, is not liable to duty. This applies irrespective of the amount of the advance.

Read the first home benefits factsheet

To qualify for First Home Plus you must meet the criteria listed below:

• The contract and the transfer must be for the purchase of the whole of the property


• All purchasers must be ‘eligible purchasers’


• At least one eligible purchaser must occupy the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of six months, commencing within 12 months of completion of the agreement


• An ‘eligible purchaser’ is a natural person (ie not a company or trust) at least 18 years of age who has not, and whose spouse/de facto has not:


• At any time owned (either solely or with some one else) residential property in Australia other than property owned solely as trustee or executor


• previously received an exemption or concession under First Home Plus.

NSW Taxes, Duties & Levies

This section contains information on taxes, duties and levies that OSR administers; including rates, payments and frequent questions.

We also detail any applicable exemptions or concessions and list services available, such as calculators and online registrations.
More information

* EDR
* Land rich provisions
* Land tax
* Leases
* Mortgages
* Motor vehicle
* Other
* Parking space levy
* Payroll tax
* Premium property
* Transfer of land or business
* Transfer of non-quoted shares

Draft South Subregional Strategy on exhibition

The NSW Government is placing the draft South Subregional Strategy on exhibition for public comment. When finalised, the Subregional Strategy will guide land use-planning until 2031 in the Canterbury, Hurstville, Kogarah, Marrickville, Rockdale and Sutherland local government areas.

More information about the Subregional Strategy is available here.

Please note that due to a technical website problem this page is wrongly listed as being a 2004 page when in fact it is a 2007 page.