Does the Victorian grant apply to an off-the-plan townhouse?

The SRO describes the grant as being for first home buyers who buy or build a new home. Whether a particular off-the-plan townhouse counts, and the value limit, the price it applies to and the other tests, come from the SRO page for your contract date, so confirm them with the SRO or your lender before you count on the grant.

Can I get the grant and the 5% Deposit Scheme together?

Housing Australia says using the scheme does not stop you from using other state or territory programs. Each program has its own rules and price caps, so the grant's value limit is tested separately from the scheme's cap. Your lender confirms the scheme side and the SRO confirms the grant side.

How do I apply for the Victorian grant?

The SRO says you can apply through your lender or directly with the SRO. If you go through your lender, ask whether it is an approved agent for the grant and when it would lodge the application.

Is the grant the same thing as the first home buyer duty exemption?

No. The grant is a payment, and the duty exemption or concession reduces the stamp duty you pay on the purchase. The SRO describes them on separate pages, and the duty page refers to homes up to $750,000. Check the tests for each one.

Victoria's First Home Owner Grant for a new townhouse: what to check

Victoria's First Home Owner Grant is a $10,000 payment from the State Revenue Office (SRO) to help first home buyers buy or build a new home. The SRO's grant page showed a last-updated date of 29 September 2026 when checked in October 2026. This guide does not repeat the grant's value limit or its detailed tests, because the SRO sets them and can change them, and the SRO pages below are where to confirm them for your contract date.

Checked October 2026. Rules, rates and prices change, so confirm anything that matters with the source linked below.

What the grant is

The grant is a Victorian program, separate from the federal 5% Deposit Scheme and from stamp duty relief. The SRO describes it as support for first home buyers who buy or build a new home, and it publishes a current rates page for the grant alongside a page that explains it.

For a townhouse bought off the plan, the practical questions are which price the SRO tests and when. Those details are set out on the SRO's own pages, so use them rather than a rule of thumb from another state.

The SRO also has separate pages on approved agents, repaying the grant, objections and appeals. If you are applying, the SRO says you can go through your lender or apply directly with the SRO.

Browse new townhouses

See the townhouse developments selling now, with bedrooms, prices and completion dates, city by city.

What to check on the SRO page for a new townhouse

Put these questions to the SRO's grant page, your lender or your conveyancer before you rely on the grant in a budget:

Value limit: what limit applies for your contract date, and which figure the SRO tests against it for an off-the-plan contract, for example the contract price.
New home: how the SRO defines a new home, and whether your townhouse counts as one on your timeline.
Applicants: who has to be named as an applicant, and whether a partner who is not buying still has their history counted. NSW, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania all count a spouse or partner's history in their grant tests, so ask the SRO how Victoria treats this.
Eligibility history: how previous home ownership and any earlier first home owner grant affect you.
Living in the home: how long you must live there, when that period must start, and what to do if your plans change before it ends.
Timing and lodging: how long you have to apply after settlement or completion, and whether your lender will lodge it.

The answers can differ by contract date, so always have the date you sign in front of you when you check.

How the grant sits beside duty relief

Victoria's stamp duty relief is separate from the grant. The SRO has a first home buyer duty exemption or concession page, which it describes as duty savings for homes up to $750,000. That figure belongs to the duty page, not to the grant, so do not assume the grant uses the same limit.

There are also SRO pages for the off-the-plan duty concession and for a temporary concession for strata apartments and townhouses. The SRO's page for the temporary concession was last updated on 18 June 2026 and says to check eligibility there, so this guide does not state its dates or conditions. Our guide to off-the-plan stamp duty in Victoria covers the duty side, and the guide on stamp duty on land versus building explains why the contract structure matters.

Where each answer comes from

Question	Where to look
Grant value limit, eligibility tests, how to apply	SRO pages on the First Home Owner Grant
Duty exemption or concession for first home buyers	SRO first home buyer duty page
Off-the-plan duty concession and the temporary strata concession	SRO off-the-plan pages
5% Deposit Scheme price cap	Housing Australia property price caps

The 5% Deposit Scheme in Victoria

The federal 5% Deposit Scheme is run by Housing Australia, and it has its own price caps. Housing Australia lists $950,000 for the Melbourne and Geelong areas and $650,000 for the rest of Victoria. Both the purchase price and the lender's valuation must be at or below the cap.

Housing Australia says using the scheme does not stop you from using other housing support programs, but you should check each program's rules with the organisation that runs it. For a townhouse, that means confirming the grant's rules with the SRO and the scheme's rules with a participating lender. Our guide to the 5% Deposit Scheme for new townhouses covers the federal side.

If you are comparing projects, you can browse new townhouses in Melbourne and ask each developer for a price list that shows the contract price clearly.

Common questions

Does the Victorian grant apply to an off-the-plan townhouse?: The SRO describes the grant as being for first home buyers who buy or build a new home. Whether a particular off-the-plan townhouse counts, and the value limit, the price it applies to and the other tests, come from the SRO page for your contract date, so confirm them with the SRO or your lender before you count on the grant.
Can I get the grant and the 5% Deposit Scheme together?: Housing Australia says using the scheme does not stop you from using other state or territory programs. Each program has its own rules and price caps, so the grant's value limit is tested separately from the scheme's cap. Your lender confirms the scheme side and the SRO confirms the grant side.
How do I apply for the Victorian grant?: The SRO says you can apply through your lender or directly with the SRO. If you go through your lender, ask whether it is an approved agent for the grant and when it would lodge the application.
Is the grant the same thing as the first home buyer duty exemption?: No. The grant is a payment, and the duty exemption or concession reduces the stamp duty you pay on the purchase. The SRO describes them on separate pages, and the duty page refers to homes up to $750,000. Check the tests for each one.

Keep reading

Sources

This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Get advice that suits your situation before you buy.