Property type comparison
Compare house, townhouse, unit/villa and apartment ownership across eight common dimensions. These are common characteristics, not universal rules — individual titles and buildings vary, so confirm the specific title and owners corporation status of any property you're considering. No winner is declared.
| House | Townhouse | Unit / villa | Apartment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private land | Usually all of it | Often a small private area | Small or none | Not applicable |
| Common property | Usually none | Sometimes (driveway, shared walls) | Usually yes | Substantial (building, lifts, facilities) |
| Maintenance responsibility | Entirely the owner's | Mostly owner's, some shared | Split between lot and owners corporation | Mostly the owners corporation's |
| Renovation freedom | High — subject to planning rules | Moderate — check title restrictions | Low-moderate — check OC rules | Low — OC approval usually required |
| Owners corporation likelihood | No | Sometimes | Usually yes | Usually yes |
| Parking | Usually 1-2+ on title | Usually 1-2 | Often 1 | Often allocated, sometimes none |
| Privacy | Usually private | Some shared walls | Some shared elements | Shared walls/floors |
| Typical due-diligence focus | Title boundaries, easements, covenants and any planning overlay affecting the land | Whether the title is Torrens or owners corporation, and what (if anything) is actually shared | Owners corporation fees, maintenance fund adequacy, and lot boundaries in the plan of subdivision | Owners corporation certificate, special levy risk, AGM minutes, and whether the car space is on title or common property |
Methodology and assumptions
Basis: the ABS Dwelling Structure classification (Australian Bureau of Statistics, verified 29 Jul 2026) for what counts as each property type, and Consumer Affairs Victoria / Land Use Victoria's owners corporation guidance (Consumer Affairs Victoria, verified 29 Jul 2026) for common-property and ownership rows.
These are common characteristics, not universal rules — individual titles and buildings vary within every category shown.
Jurisdiction: Victoria (owners corporation detail); dwelling classification is Australia-wide.
Last verified: 2026-07-29
Sources and methodology
- Dwelling Structure (STRD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
- Buying an apartment or unit - checklist — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
- Owners corporations — Land Use Victoria (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.