CGT property valuations in Sydney.

Why does the valuation date matter so much in Sydney?

Because Sydney values have moved further and faster than anywhere else in Australia — a property valued at the wrong date can be out by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sydney has run through several distinct cycles since the 1990s, with sharp movements around 2003, 2017 and 2021. A valuation dated a year either side of your actual CGT event can therefore produce a materially different cost base, and a materially different tax bill.

This is why we confirm the valuation date in writing with you and your accountant before starting. For a former home first rented out, that date is the day it became available for rent — not the day you moved out, and not the day the lease was signed.

How is Sydney strata property valued for CGT?

Strata units are valued on the individual lot, using settled sales of comparable units in the same or directly comparable buildings around the valuation date.

Sydney has the largest apartment stock in the country, and unit values within a single building can vary widely by floor, aspect, parking and outlook. A credible report identifies those differences rather than applying a building-wide rate.

Where the building has had defect, remediation or cladding issues, the effect on value at the valuation date has to be addressed explicitly. Ignoring a known building issue is one of the fastest ways to have a valuation questioned.

Do you value heritage and conservation-area properties?

Yes. Heritage listings and conservation area controls affect development potential and therefore value, and are assessed as at the valuation date.

Large parts of the inner west, eastern suburbs and lower north shore sit within conservation areas or carry individual heritage items. Those controls change what a purchaser could have done with the site at the relevant time.

We check the planning instrument in force on the valuation date rather than today's controls, because zoning and heritage schedules change and the ATO expects the property to be assessed in its historical planning context.

Common Sydney CGT scenarios we value

A former main residence in the inner west first rented out after an interstate or overseas move

Inherited family homes on the north shore where the date-of-death value sets the cost base

Duplex and dual-occupancy sites where part of the land changed use

SMSF-held commercial and industrial property in the south-west and west

Areas we cover across Sydney

Our Sydney panel covers every LGA in the Greater Sydney region, including the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and the Southern Highlands fringe.

Sydney CGT valuation questions