The first home buyer relief, the principal place of residence concession and the continuing off-the-plan concession each ask that at least one buyer live in the home for 12 months, starting within 12 months of settlement. The temporary strata concession asks nothing of the kind.
General informationA comparison drawn from the State Revenue Office’s pages on the first home buyer relief (updated 15 September 2026), the principal place of residence concession (24 June 2026) and the off-the-plan concession (17 June 2026). It is not tax, legal or financial advice. Whether a stay satisfies a concession is for the State Revenue Office; a conveyancer or solicitor can say how it applies to a particular purchase.
The three conditions, in their own words
| Concession | Who lives there | How long, and from when |
|---|---|---|
| First home buyer relief | At least one purchaser, as their principal place of residence | 12 continuous months, within 12 months of settlement |
| Principal place of residence concession | At least one buyer, though not necessarily the same one for the whole 12 months | Move in within 12 months of settlement; live there for 12 straight months |
| Continuing off-the-plan concession | At least one purchaser, as their principal place of residence | Move in within 12 months of settlement; live there for 12 straight months |
The clock in each case is tied to settlement, not to the contract. A contract signed long before settlement still counts from settlement. The principal place of residence page is the only one of the three that says, in so many words, that the buyer living there can change during the year.
Buying together
Where two or more people buy, the pages split two questions that are easy to run together: who must intend the property as a home, and who must actually live there. For the first home buyer relief, every purchaser must be buying the property as their principal place of residence, yet the residency rule asks only that at least one purchaser live there for the 12 months. The principal place of residence concession asks that at least one buyer live there, and lets that person change during the year. The continuing off-the-plan concession asks for at least one purchaser, and adds that its requirements bind any substitute purchaser the buyer nominates.
Whoever lives there, the purchase is notified to the State Revenue Office the same way: anyone who acquires land in Victoria submits a Digital Duties Form, even when the transaction is exempt from duty.
Vacant land: a later start
A house cannot be lived in before it is built, so both the first home buyer relief and the principal place of residence concession move the date for land bought to build on, to the earlier of two dates. On the first home buyer page they are 36 months after settlement, or 12 months after the date the occupancy certificate is issued. On the principal place of residence page they are 12 months after the buyer receives the occupancy certificate, or 36 months after settlement. One page counts from when the certificate is issued, the other from when it is received; where the two days differ, it is the State Revenue Office’s reading that counts.
“Earlier” is the word that does the work. A build that runs long can reach the 36-month mark before any occupancy certificate is issued, and the deadline then falls at 36 months. The principal place of residence page adds that land left vacant may attract vacant residential land tax.
Defence force members
Only the first home buyer page carries an exception to the stay. The residency requirement can be lifted for a current member of the Australian Army, Navy or Air Force, subject to a further condition on that page. The same page says reservists in the defence force are not covered by it, and nor are Australian Public Service staff. Nothing in the principal place of residence or off-the-plan pages sets out a similar exception, so this guide states none for them.
When plans change
The pages differ in how much they say about a stay that does not happen.
- Principal place of residence concession. A buyer who claimed it but did not move in within the required time, or did not stay for at least 12 months, must tell the State Revenue Office within 30 days of the change of circumstances.
- Continuing off-the-plan concession. If the move-in and 12-month requirement is not met, the buyer must tell the State Revenue Office; the requirement also binds any substitute purchaser the buyer nominates.
- First home buyer relief. The relief rests on the 12 months as a condition of eligibility; the page’s guidance on applying is linked from the first home buyer page.
None of the pages sets out the dollar consequence of a missed stay, and this guide does not guess at one. The State Revenue Office, or a conveyancer or solicitor, is the place to ask.
Where no one has to move in
The temporary strata concession is the exception. It is open to all purchasers, investors, companies and trusts included, and it requires neither a first home buyer nor an owner-occupier. It needs a contract signed on or after 21 October 2024 and before 21 April 2027, for a lot in a strata subdivision with common property. The off-the-plan guide sets the two off-the-plan concessions side by side.
One more rule sits close to the stay. An eligible pensioner buying a first home can claim the first home buyer relief or the pensioner duty reduction, but only one benefit per transaction. The principal place of residence concession, by contrast, can be claimed on its own or alongside another entitlement, such as a pensioner exemption or concession.