Question 1

Is co-living the same as a share house or boarding house?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly. Purpose-built co-living in Melbourne is designed around private bedrooms with ensuites or dedicated bathrooms, shared living spaces, and proper amenity. It's typically operated under Victoria's rooming house framework, which sets standards for fire safety, privacy, facilities and management. The result is closer to a premium rental product than an informal share house.

Question 2

Do I need to be an experienced property investor?

Accepted Answer

No. Many of the people we speak to are exploring co-living as their first purpose-built investment. What matters more is clarity on your goals, your capacity, and your appetite for a higher-management asset. We help you understand the build side; your accountant, broker and financial adviser help you understand the structure side.

Question 3

How is co-living different from a standard dual-occupancy or townhouse build?

Accepted Answer

A standard dual-occ is usually two dwellings on one title. Co-living is multiple private rooms — often six to ten or more — under a single dwelling or commercial rooming house classification. The compliance, licensing, fire separation and amenity requirements are more involved, which is why a builder with rooming-house experience matters.

Question 4

Does it matter which broker I use?

Accepted Answer

In our experience, yes. A broker who's great at arranging a standard home loan doesn't necessarily have experience with rooming house or co-living construction finance — it's a different lending category with different serviceability and structuring considerations. Clients working with a broker who knows this space tend to get finance sorted faster and with a better-fitted structure. This is our own observation as builders, not financial advice — ask any broker directly about their experience in commercial or rooming house construction lending before choosing one.

Question 5

What kind of block works best for co-living?

Accepted Answer

Enough land area for the rooms, parking, outdoor space and amenity your design needs. The right answer varies by council, zoning and overlays, so we assess specific sites before you commit to buying.

Question 6

Can any residential block be converted into co-living?

Accepted Answer

Not automatically. Some zones and overlays restrict the number of rooms, building height, car parking or outdoor space. Some councils are more familiar with rooming house applications than others. We flag these risks early in the town planning stage before you commit to a design.

Question 7

Why Melbourne instead of Sydney or Brisbane?

Accepted Answer

Melbourne's job market is comparable to Sydney's, land is generally more affordable, and Melbourne has the largest number of single-person households of the three east-coast capitals. That's the tenant segment co-living is built for.

Question 8

Does every co-living property need to be registered as a rooming house?

Accepted Answer

It depends on numbers, not intent. Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, a building is legally a 'rooming house' once 4 or more people live in rented rooms under separate agreements — and once that threshold is met, it must be registered with the local council as prescribed accommodation under Part 6 of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. Registration exists to enforce hygiene, maintenance and safety standards. Below that threshold it typically sits under ordinary residential tenancy law instead. Your specific design and occupant numbers determine which category applies, and we work through this with you at the concept stage.

Question 9

What's the difference between Class 1a, Class 1b and Class 3 construction?

Accepted Answer

Class 1a is the standard residential classification for a house or townhouse. Class 1b covers a boarding house, guest house or hostel under 300m² ordinarily housing fewer than 12 people — where most co-living builds of our scale sit. Class 3 applies once a building is larger than the Class 1b limits, and a Class 3 build requires a commercial builder; most residential builders are only licensed for Class 1a. Which classification applies depends on your design and occupant numbers, and it shapes the compliance path from there.

Question 10

How do you design a co-living floor plan that tenants actually want?

Accepted Answer

We design with input from the rooming house operators and property managers we work with. They tell us what room sizes get the best feedback, how much storage matters, where shared kitchens need to sit, and what makes a space feel private rather than institutional. That feedback loop shapes every concept.

Question 11

Is the build price fixed?

Accepted Answer

We provide fixed-price construction once the design, engineering and selections are locked. Before that, we can give indicative costings based on the site and concept. The earlier we look at the land, the more accurate those early numbers tend to be.

Question 12

Do I have to manage the property myself?

Accepted Answer

No. Most investors we work with use specialist co-living or rooming house managers once the build is complete. We can introduce you to the operators in our network — the same people whose operational insight shaped the design.

Question 13

Can I use my SMSF to build co-living?

Accepted Answer

There are two separate rules to know. First, SMSFs generally can't borrow to fund construction — an LRBA can be used to buy land, but not to build on it with borrowed money. Second, since 10 August 2026, new SMSF borrowing arrangements can only be used to acquire business real property, and a Class 1b co-living build no longer qualifies. As commercial builders, we can build to a Class 3 classification instead, which may allow an SMSF loan to proceed if your lender is willing and your adviser confirms it meets the business real property test. We're builders, not finance experts — this is a conversation for your lender, broker and SMSF adviser before any design work starts.

Question 14

What ongoing compliance does a rooming house require?

Accepted Answer

Rooming houses sit under their own regulatory framework in Victoria, covering three areas: registering the property with the local council, an operator's licence, and ongoing physical minimum standards (heating, security, safety checks and similar). Requirements and fees are updated periodically, so the current details are best checked directly with Consumer Affairs Victoria or with your rooming house manager. Most of our investors use a licensed operator rather than holding the licence themselves; the building still needs to be designed to meet the minimum standards from the outset.

Question 15

Do I need to hold the operator's licence myself?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily — most investors we work with engage a licensed rooming house manager rather than holding the licence personally. If you're considering self-managing, the licensing requirements (including the fit-and-proper-person check, current fees and renewal terms) are set out by Consumer Affairs Victoria under the Rooming House Operators Act 2016.

Question 16

What actually happens in a Discovery Session?

Accepted Answer

It's a short, structured conversation — usually 20 to 30 minutes — where we workshop your situation. We look at your goals, your budget or borrowing structure, any land you have in mind, and the tenant profile that fits the location. By the end you should have a clearer sense of whether co-living is worth pursuing, and what the next practical steps would be.

Question 17

Do I need to own land before I book?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. Plenty of people book a Discovery Session to understand the numbers before they start looking for a site. If you do have a specific block, we can do a quick viability read during the call. If you don't, we'll point you toward the locations and land characteristics that tend to work best.

Question 18

What should I prepare beforehand?

Accepted Answer

Bring a rough sense of your budget or equity, how you'd like to own the asset — personally, in a trust, or through an SMSF — and any suburbs you're already considering. If you have a site address or rough land size, that's helpful too. You don't need a business plan or finance pre-approval.

Question 19

Is this a sales pitch?

Accepted Answer

No. It's us workshopping real numbers together: your site, your budget, achievable rents for that specific location. It's a more accurate way to test whether this works for you than reading estimates online and hoping they apply. If it isn't a fit, we'll say so.

Question 20

What comes after the session?

Accepted Answer

If there's a clear next step, we'll usually move into the formal Investor Journey — starting with your financial circumstances and land research. If you're not ready yet, we'll send you the relevant research and stay in touch when it makes sense. There's no pressure to commit on the call.

Not a fan of surprise phone calls? Same.

How I can help

I believe you'll gain a lot of value in one Discovery Session with me.

Discovery Session

Quick Call

Email

Hope to have the pleasure of assisting you soon.

Common questions, answered honestly

Getting started

Land & zoning in Melbourne

Build & design

Operations & compliance

About the Discovery Session

You've got the background — the next step is a conversation, your way.