The ACT Government’s Land Rent Scheme is a more affordable way to own your own home. That’s because you’re buying or building your home on land that’s rented from the government, so you only need a loan just for the building.
The Land Rent Scheme is an ACT Government initiative to increase access to affordable home ownership. The main purpose of the scheme is to reduce the entry costs and mortgage payments for homeowners. The scheme is also expected to be used as a means for some people to advance their entry into homeownership, by saving to buy the land outright in the future while paying land rent
Under the scheme, lessees rent the land from the Government. They are required to pay the Government land rent, calculated on the unimproved value of the block of land. Lessees are then required to construct a house on the land within two years of the lease being granted.
The scheme allows a person to lease the land rent block of land on an ongoing basis or to convert the land rent lease to a traditional Crown lease at a later date, effectively purchasing the land from the Government at that time. Land rent is not a ‘rent to buy’ scheme.
What are the eligibility criteria for the land rent scheme?Any new block of land released by the ACT Land Development Agency (LDA) to the public will be available for land rent. For further details on the land available for rent, contact the Land Development Agency.
What type of property can I build on rented land?Only single residential dwellings can be built on land rent blocks. Units or attached dwellings cannot be built on land leased under the scheme. Planning and quality controls applying to land rent blocks will be the same as for land held under traditional crown leases.
Can I access the First Home Owner Grant under the land rent scheme?People participating in the land rent scheme may be able to access the First Home Owner Grant, as long as they meet the eligibility requirement. For further details, please contact ACT Revenue Office or visit www.revenue.act.gov.au.
How much annual land rent do I need to pay?For land rent lessee(s) who signed their contract for sale on or after 1 October 2013, your land rent payments are 2% of the unimproved value of the leased land. You do not have access to the standard 4% rate of land. For further details, please contact ACT Revenue Office or visit www.revenue.act.gov.au.
View Beyond Bank Land Rent Scheme loans here.