Deciding what to buy
Terrace, semi-detached and duplex
Shared walls with separate title — what that actually means for renovation, noise and heritage controls, compared with a townhouse's owners corporation.
Key points
- Terraces, semi-detached houses and duplexes usually have separate (Torrens) title, not strata — no automatic owners corporation.
- A shared wall still means sound transfer and sometimes shared structural or drainage elements.
- Rear and side access is often limited in older, inner-suburban examples.
- Heritage overlays can restrict street-facing renovation even on privately titled property.
Shared walls, separate title
Terraces, semi-detached houses and duplexes share at least one wall with a neighbouring dwelling but commonly have fully separate (Torrens) title, not strata — meaning no automatic owners corporation, unlike many townhouses. That separate title doesn't remove the practical realities of a shared wall: sound transfer, and sometimes shared structural elements, roof lines or drainage.
What to check specifically
Party-wall condition and any history of disputes with the neighbour; rear and side access, since many inner-suburban terraces have limited or no side access; drainage and stormwater arrangements where they cross a shared boundary; and, for older terraces and semi-detached homes, heritage overlays that can restrict street-facing renovations even though the property is privately titled. For a duplex specifically, don't assume separate title means no owners corporation — if the two dwellings share a driveway or accessway (common for a front/rear duplex pair), an owners corporation commonly exists to manage that shared land even though each dwelling is otherwise separately titled.
Common mistake: assuming a terrace or semi-detached house has no shared obligations at all because it has separate title. Party walls, shared drainage and heritage controls can still constrain what you can do, even without an owners corporation.
Practical checklist
Before shortlisting a terrace, semi-detached or duplex
- Confirm the title type — separate (Torrens) or shared/strata — rather than assuming from the form
- For a duplex, check whether the two dwellings share a driveway or accessway that an owners corporation manages
- Check party-wall condition and any history of disputes
- Check rear and side access for practical everyday use
- Check for heritage overlays before assuming a renovation is possible
Want this as a checklist for your own purchase? Start free in the Delora app
Questions for a professional
- Does this property share any structural elements, drainage or a wall with a neighbouring title, and what does that mean for renovation?
Official resources
Important limitations: This is general education, not a title search or structural assessment of any specific property.
Evidence record
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