Is a terrace house a townhouse?

Often the words overlap, and the ABS counts both in the same category. A terrace usually means a street-facing row of joined homes, often older. A townhouse is a looser label, often used for newer attached homes over two or more storeys. The title and the plan are more reliable than the label.

Is semi-detached the same as a duplex?

In everyday speech they overlap: two homes sharing a wall. The question for a buyer is whether the two homes sit on one lot or on two titled lots. In NSW, a dual occupancy is two dwellings on one lot, so separate ownership of each half needs subdivision.

Who owns the wall between two terrace houses?

For a Torrens terrace in NSW, the City of Sydney says each owner owns their side of the wall up to the boundary, and cross easements protect both owners' support. Strata and community schemes handle walls differently, depending on the plan. A title search and plan show the position.

Do semi-detached homes and terraces have a body corporate?

Not necessarily. Homes on their own Torrens titles generally have no body corporate. Homes in a strata or community scheme do. In Victoria, an owners corporation is created when a plan of subdivision creates common property, so the plan shows whether one exists.

Do I need my neighbour's permission to renovate a terrace?

It depends on the work and the council. The City of Sydney encourages party wall consent but does not formally require it for development applications unless the works straddle the boundary. Building surveyors and councils set their own conditions, so ask them early.

What is the difference between a townhouse, a terrace and a semi-detached house?

All three are homes that share at least one wall with a neighbour, have their own grounds and have no other dwelling above or below. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) counts them in a single category, "semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse". The differences are in how they are arranged: a semi-detached home is joined to one neighbour, a terrace is one of a row facing the street, and a townhouse is usually part of a newer group of attached homes over two or more storeys. These meanings are everyday usage, checked against official sources in October 2026, and the title is what settles the legal position.

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

What each term usually means

Semi-detached usually means one of a pair of homes joined by a shared wall, each with its own entry and grounds. The same arrangement is often called a duplex, and the guide to townhouse vs duplex covers the difference between one lot and two.

Terrace usually means one of a row of three or more joined homes, typically facing the street. NSW planning guidance supports that picture. It describes multi dwelling housing (terraces) as three or more dwellings on one lot with ground-level access, where all dwellings face and generally follow the alignment of public roads. The City of Sydney says the walls between terrace houses are typically party walls.

Townhouse is the loosest of the three. NSW guidance describes the two-storey forms of multi dwelling housing, arranged around an internal street and lane network, as townhouses, and the single-storey forms as villas. Many townhouse groups have three or more homes, which is the NSW threshold for multi dwelling housing, and they are often sold under strata or community title.

Term	Typical arrangement	What to check
Semi-detached	A pair sharing one wall	Whether each half has its own title
Terrace	A row, often facing the street	Party wall easements and any heritage controls
Townhouse	A group, often multi-storey, sometimes off a shared driveway	Title type, levies and common property

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How the official sources group them

The ABS defines this category as dwellings with their own private grounds and no other dwelling above or below, attached in some structural way to one or more neighbouring dwellings. It then divides the category into one storey and two or more storeys. It does not separately classify terraces, semi-detached homes and townhouses, so national statistics treat them alike.

Planning rules work from the number of dwellings and how they sit on the land. In NSW, a dual occupancy is two dwellings on one lot of land. In Victoria, the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code covers two or more dwellings on a lot, up to three storeys. In Western Australia, the Residential Design Codes use "grouped dwelling" for homes arranged horizontally on a lot.

Shared walls and who owns them

In NSW, the City of Sydney describes a party wall as a common wall that straddles two parcels of land, with the boundary passing through the wall. Each owner owns their side up to the boundary. Cross easements protect both owners, entitling each side to the continued structural stability of the wall. NSW Land Registry Services says these easements arise where the words "party wall" appear on the registered plan, and refers to sections 181B and 88BB of the Conveyancing Act 1919. Demolishing the wall ends the party wall relationship.

The picture differs for homes in strata and community schemes. Under a Queensland standard format plan, the boundary usually runs down the centre of a shared structural wall, and the Queensland Government says the two adjacent lot owners are each responsible for their portion of the wall. In NSW strata plans, lot boundaries generally sit at the inside faces of the walls around a lot, so those walls are common property, though each plan has to be read on its own. The guide to party walls and shared walls goes through this state by state.

Age, heritage and renovation

Terraces and semi-detached homes can be older buildings, and older ones may carry heritage controls. Heritage status changes what can be built or altered. For example, NSW's Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, which encourages more dual occupancies, terraces and townhouses near town centres and stations, excludes heritage items. Whether a property is heritage listed or in a conservation area is something the council can tell you, and it affects renovation plans.

Work on a shared wall also involves the neighbour. For development applications, the City of Sydney says party wall consent from neighbours is encouraged but not formally required, and written landowner consent is needed only if the development straddles the property boundary. It typically imposes conditions such as keeping works within the property boundary, dilapidation surveys and certification by a structural engineer. In Victoria, the owner doing the building work arranges and pays for any protection work that the building surveyor requires, and the adjoining owner has a short window to respond to a notice. The page gives 14 days.

Reading a listing

Ask whether the home is on its own Torrens title or in a strata or community scheme. The guide to Torrens and strata title explains each.
Ask for the title search and plan, and look for easements or the words "party wall".
Ask about any heritage overlay or conservation area.
Ask what the neighbouring walls are made of and how old the building is, if it is older stock.
If it is a new group, ask whether there is common property and a levy.

Common questions

Is a terrace house a townhouse?: Often the words overlap, and the ABS counts both in the same category. A terrace usually means a street-facing row of joined homes, often older. A townhouse is a looser label, often used for newer attached homes over two or more storeys. The title and the plan are more reliable than the label.
Is semi-detached the same as a duplex?: In everyday speech they overlap: two homes sharing a wall. The question for a buyer is whether the two homes sit on one lot or on two titled lots. In NSW, a dual occupancy is two dwellings on one lot, so separate ownership of each half needs subdivision.
Who owns the wall between two terrace houses?: For a Torrens terrace in NSW, the City of Sydney says each owner owns their side of the wall up to the boundary, and cross easements protect both owners' support. Strata and community schemes handle walls differently, depending on the plan. A title search and plan show the position.
Do semi-detached homes and terraces have a body corporate?: Not necessarily. Homes on their own Torrens titles generally have no body corporate. Homes in a strata or community scheme do. In Victoria, an owners corporation is created when a plan of subdivision creates common property, so the plan shows whether one exists.
Do I need my neighbour's permission to renovate a terrace?: It depends on the work and the council. The City of Sydney encourages party wall consent but does not formally require it for development applications unless the works straddle the boundary. Building surveyors and councils set their own conditions, so ask them early.

Keep reading

Sources

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