Harkness house prices & rent trends — the risks to check before you buy
Harkness is a suburb with a young population — median age 30, less socio-economically advantaged than most areas on the ABS's SEIFA index. Housing here is overwhelmingly standalone houses. The area is still light on cafés, shops and other everyday amenity. It's some distance from the CBD, with no train or tram service recorded — day-to-day travel here generally means driving. The median house price sits at $637,000. Worth weighing against who lives here and how the area is set up, before you look at the planning and risk checks below for a specific property in Harkness.
Ready to look at a specific property here? See the due diligence hub for what to verify before you sign.
Delora's modelled price context for Harkness
How Harkness's current median compares with what Delora's hedonic model estimates from the suburb's own fundamentals — separate from the official-record figures below, and not a valuation of any individual property.
Modelled 10% above its estimated fundamentals
current median
modelled fundamentals estimate
The suburb is priced above what its fundamentals alone explain — common in established, prestige areas where scarcity and reputation add value. Even on the more cautious end of the model's uncertainty range, Harkness still models at least 3% above its estimated fundamentals.
This is a suburb-level model, not a valuation of any individual property, and not investment advice — see the methodology below.
Suburbs with the largest modelled gap → What drives this price? → Why do estimates never agree? → Checking a specific listing's price →
See what's driving that number (methodology)
This model compares Harkness with a typical Greater Melbourne suburb on the things buyers actually care about — location, transport, schools, incomes and risk — then estimates a dollar figure for the difference. These are the factors contributing most to the estimate above. The model carries genuine uncertainty (see the range noted above) and describes the suburb, not any specific property in it.
Suburb boundary with planning overlays — toggle them top-right. Map © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO; overlays © Vicmap Planning.
Harkness by the numbers
Deciles 1–10 vs all Victorian areas — 10 = most advantaged — from the ABS SEIFA index. A demographic measure, not a house-price one. These three don’t always move together — a suburb with lots of renters or students, for example, can score high on education but lower on income and housing costs.
Mix of dwelling types across the suburb (Census 2021)
Who owns and rents here (Census 2021)
More detail on building height and bedroom mix (Census 2021)
Apartment building height (share of all dwellings in the suburb, not just apartments):
- Low-rise (1–2 storeys): 2%
Bedroom mix (share of all occupied dwellings):
- 2 bedrooms: 3%
- 3 bedrooms: 37%
- 4 or more bedrooms: 59%
Not sure whether a house, townhouse or apartment suits you? Decide what to buy →
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
Planning overlays that can affect building, renovating or removing vegetation somewhere in Harkness — confirm whether any apply to the specific address.
- Environmental Significance Overlay — environmental values that constrain development
- Development-contributions levy — new development pays an infrastructure contribution
Overlay colours reflect how much of the suburb an overlay covers — green under ~8%, amber ~8–20%, red above 20%. Public-acquisition, contamination (EAO) and floodway overlays are flagged (below) wherever they apply, because even a small area can include a specific property.
Recorded crime is a council-wide rate — every offence police logged over the latest year (theft, property damage, drug and traffic offences and the like, not only violent crime) divided by the council’s residents. A broad area signal, not a figure for this exact street.
All figures are suburb-level indicators, not property-specific — always confirm the exact address on the Section 32. Sources: ABS Census 2021, Valuer-General Victoria, DFFH Rental Report, Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, Vicmap Planning, Victorian Government UDP, Victorian Department of Education (schools & zones, via data.vic, CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap. What do these terms mean?
How Harkness compares
Where Harkness ranks against other suburbs on the measures buyers ask about — a higher bar isn’t always “better”, it’s just where this suburb sits.
Prices & rents over time
How Harkness’s market has moved — up to 12 years of sale prices and 20+ years of rents.
| Year | Houses | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $570,000 | $395,000 |
| 2023 | $580,000 | $435,000 |
| 2022 | $595,000 | $408,500 |
| 2021 | $535,000 | $385,000 |
| 2020 | $490,000 | $335,000 |
| 2019 | $475,000 | $348,500 |
| 2018 | $485,000 | $365,000 |
| 2017 | $420,000 | $331,500 |
| 2016 | $360,000 | $270,000 |
| 2015 | $350,000 | $245,000 |
| 2014 | $340,000 | $265,000 |
| 2013 | $330,000 | $260,000 |
Planning changes in Harkness
No zone changes or new planning overlays have been recorded on land in Harkness since 2017 — its planning rules have stayed put over the period we track. That stability is itself worth knowing.
Source: Vicmap Planning Scheme History (2017–present). How Melbourne’s zoning actually changed over the decade →
Schools
Parts of Harkness fall within 4 primary and 2 secondary government school catchments. 1 school is located within the suburb (1 government).
Government schools have address-based catchment zones; Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment processes.
What to check before you buy in Harkness
Harkness has relatively light heritage-overlay coverage (about 0%), though it can still apply to individual parcels. A Bushfire Management Overlay affects about 13% of the area. The specific things worth confirming here, plus the two every buyer should check.
Bushfire Management Overlay
A Bushfire Management Overlay affects ~13% of Harkness. If it applies, it drives bushfire construction requirements (BAL rating) and cost.
Easements & covenants
Check Section 3 for easements (e.g. drainage/sewer along a boundary — you usually can’t build over them) and restrictive covenants (single-dwelling, materials, height) that limit your plans.
Owners corporation (if applicable)
Apartments and many townhouses in Harkness are in an owners corporation. If so, the statement must include its certificate — review annual fees, any special levies, the maintenance fund and insurance.
Already under contract in Harkness?
Buyer questions about Harkness
What should I check in a Section 32 for Harkness?
For Harkness, pay particular attention to any heritage overlay (none mapped at suburb level — check the specific parcel), any flood-related overlay (~0%), easements and restrictive covenants on the title, and — for apartments — the owners-corporation certificate with its fees and any special levies.
Does Harkness have heritage overlays?
No heritage overlay coverage was mapped for Harkness at the suburb level. That doesn't rule out an individually heritage-listed property or a Heritage Overlay on a specific parcel — check the planning section of the Section 32 for this address.
Is a free Section 32 review legal advice?
No. Delora gives a fast, plain-English review to help you understand the statement and ask better questions. Always have a licensed conveyancer or solicitor review the contract before you sign.
Neighbouring suburbs
The 4 suburbs that border Harkness.
Learn how to use this page
The heritage, flood and bushfire figures above are suburb-wide — they tell you how common an overlay is here, not whether it applies to one specific address. Confirm via VicPlan and an in-person inspection before you rely on them.