Shea CullenNSW Registered Architect 9748 · Updated 6 July 2026With new tax concessions available for build to rent housing many super funds are investing in this lucrative market.
Build to rent needs a minimum of 50 dwellings, so start with the numbers. Use the free apartment yield calculator below to estimate how many dwellings your site can hold, or follow our step by step apartment yield method.
Estimate apartment yield
Type in the address below to use our site yield calculator, or do it yourself using the steps below. Apartment sites are usually two or more lots, so add each address to combine them.
Enter the site area, frontage and depth to see the estimate.
Indicative only. The floor-plate figure treats the site as a rectangle. This is a simple calculator based on the site area. We have not checked flood mapping, bushfire zoning or services, which can reduce your yield. There are also maximum floor plate sizes to take into account. Side and rear setbacks use the ADG building-separation bands for the building height (6 m up to 12 m, 9 m up to 24 m, 12 m above 24 m); confirm the front setback against the Central Coast DCP. Councils are strict on solar access and natural ventilation under the Apartment Design Guide, so have your architect confirm compliance. For a real in-depth site assessment of an apartment building, we recommend getting a site feasibility done ( Feasibility Plans). For further information, see essential things to check before purchasing on the Central Coast. Based on Central Coast LEP 2022 and the NSW Apartment Design Guide. Subject to council approval.
Explore apartment designThese concessions mean that for the purpose of assessing tax the land value of a parcel of land is to be reduced by 50% if the building is being used and occupied for a build to rent housing.
To get the concession, all of the below requirements must be met:
- minimum 50 dwellings.
- if there is an adjacent site that already has 50 dwellings, then this can be used as the minimum requirement for the site, ie you can have only 15, it will meet the requirement because of the initial 50 on the site next to it.
- must comply with affordable housing policies
- the dwellings must be available to the general public
- all the dwellings must be owned by one ownership structure, which could be a group of owners holding joint ownership. The manager can be different to the landholder.
- tenants must be offered a range of lease terms and one of them must be a 3 year fixed term
- must comply with the Housing SEPP
- there is a state significant development pathway for projects with a minimum $50 million capital investment in the Greater Sydney region and $30 million for development on other land.
- can be constructed anywhere that residential flat buildings or shop top housing are permitted, as well as in B3, B4 and B8 zones
- local Local Environmental Plans (LEP) guidelines for height and floor space ratio apply and local Development Control Plans (DCP) for carparking apply
- the apartments cannot be subdivided for a minimum 15 years in all zones and cannot be subdivided in B3 commercial core zones
Here is a link to the document the treasury released about the requirements.
For further information contact planning nsw directly on housingpolicy@planning.nsw.gov.au.
Related: the Housing SEPP and our guide to apartments on the Central Coast.