Deciding what to buy
House
Private land and greater control than most attached properties — but subject to easements, covenants and planning overlays, not "full renovation freedom".
- A house typically has no common property or owners corporation, though shared-driveway subdivisions are a real exception.
- Greater control over the building and land than most attached properties — subject to easements, covenants and planning overlays that don't show up on inspection.
- A larger block can carry real subdivision potential, subject to zoning and council approval.
- Land typically costs more per square metre of indoor space than an equivalent attached dwelling.
What a house typically involves
A separate house generally means the title covers both the land and the building, with no common property or owners corporation in the usual case. That gives you greater control over the building and private land than most attached or strata properties — but not unlimited control. A detached physical form doesn't guarantee an unrestricted title: some houses exist within subdivisions with a shared driveway or other common property, and even a fully separate title is still subject to easements, covenants, planning overlays and ordinary building regulations.
What can still restrict a house
Easements give someone else (a neighbour, a utility provider) a legal right to use part of your land — for drainage, services, or shared access — and can restrict where you can build. Restrictive covenants are conditions registered on the title, sometimes from the original subdivision, that can limit building height, materials, further subdivision, or even land use. Planning overlays (heritage, vegetation, bushfire, flood, significant landscape) can require a planning permit for demolition, extension, tree removal or subdivision that wouldn't otherwise need one. None of these show up just by looking at the property — they're on the title and the planning scheme, and checking them is core due diligence, not optional research.
Subdivision and future value
A larger block can carry genuine future subdivision potential, subject to zoning, minimum lot size, overlays and council approval — a real factor for both future flexibility and resale, but never something to assume without checking the specific planning controls that apply to that block.
What to weigh up
Land generally costs more per square metre of usable indoor space than an equivalent attached dwelling in the same location, and a house typically demands more ongoing time and money for maintenance, insurance and gardens than a unit or apartment. In exchange, you get privacy, generally more scope to extend or renovate on your own timeline, and no owners corporation fees or rules to navigate — subject to the title and planning constraints above.
What Delora's own data shows
Across the 484 Melbourne suburbs Delora publishes, houses make up a median of 86% of dwelling stock, and 198 suburbs — over 40% — are more than 90% houses. That share drops sharply in a smaller number of inner and activity-centre suburbs where apartments dominate instead. Each suburb page shows its own house/townhouse/apartment mix, which is a genuinely useful signal for how much choice you'll actually have if you're set on a house in a specific area, or conversely how competitive the limited house stock might be.
Practical checklist
Before shortlisting a house
- Check the title and plan for easements, covenants and shared-driveway arrangements
- Check any planning overlays affecting future renovation or subdivision (see the due diligence guide)
- Estimate the ongoing time and cost of garden, exterior and insurance costs realistically
- If subdivision potential matters to you, confirm zoning and minimum lot size before relying on it
Questions for a professional
- What renovation, extension or subdivision would this specific block realistically support, given its title, easements and planning overlays?