Southern & South-Eastern Suburbs

Conveyancing in Brighton.

Brighton is a separate-house market on old, large subdivisions. At the 2021 Census, 57.2% of occupied homes were separate houses, the largest number of detached dwellings of any suburb in this region. The zoning is rarely what limits a Brighton site. The covenant on the title usually is. 

Prepared checks title, covenant and planning together, before you are bound rather than after. If you are also taking on a bathing box, that is a licence from council over Crown land, not land you can own. You will get a clear picture of both. 

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Box Hill at a glance

Postcode
3186
Council
City of Bayside
Water corporation
South East Water
Most common dwelling
Separate house

Authorities for Brighton

Check it yourself

Links to government and third-party sites. We do not control what they publish, and the planning certificate and Section 32 for the specific property remain the source of truth.

About Brighton

Church Street is the main retail spine, with Bay Street at North Brighton and Martin Street at Middle Brighton as the secondary strips. The Sandringham line runs through North Brighton, Middle Brighton and Brighton Beach stations. The coastal edge is defined by the Dendy Street Beach bathing boxes, the Brighton Baths at Middle Brighton and the Green Point foreshore, and the suburb carries a large private school catchment. 

What the market here means for your contract

The 2021 Census recorded 57.2% of occupied private dwellings as separate houses, 22.4% as semi-detached, row or terrace houses and townhouses, and 19.8% as flats or apartments. Detached houses on generous allotments mean the recurring issues are title-based: restrictive covenants, easements, and the reach of heritage and character controls.

The apartment share is not investor stock. Much of it is larger downsizer accommodation, so owners corporation due diligence still matters, particularly building insurance, the maintenance plan and any levy struck for common property works.

 

Before you sign

In Victoria you get three clear business days to cool off, and none at all if you buy at auction.

That is the whole window. A contract read after settlement is a bill, not advice. If the property is going to auction, the review has to happen before you raise your hand, and it costs you nothing to have it done. There is no reason to be the person who finds out afterwards.

Send it now, free

Local detail

What we check in Brighton

Covenants written before 25 June 1991

Brighton's subdivisions largely predate 25 June 1991, and many carry covenants limiting the land to one dwelling or dictating construction materials. For covenants created before that date, section 60(5) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 applies: a permit to remove or vary the covenant cannot be granted if a benefiting owner objects, or if there is any chance a benefiting owner may suffer detriment of any kind, even where nobody objects. That is a far harder test than the one for later covenants. A permissive zone does not override a covenant, and a planning permit does not authorise a breach of one. 

A bathing box is a licence, not land

The Brighton bathing boxes sit on Crown land. Holders have an annual site licence from Bayside City Council, running to 30 June each year and granted under the Local Government Act 2020 and the council's local law. There is no certificate of title, nothing to transfer at the land registry, and transfer happens by application to council, which can refuse it. Licences are issued to Bayside residents, the licence conditions prohibit renting the box out and prohibit sleeping in it, and there is no power or water connected. The bathing boxes and Dendy Street Beach were found by the Heritage Council of Victoria on 23 July 2018 to be of State cultural heritage significance. 

Three separate planning layers on one title

A Brighton property can sit inside a heritage precinct, inside a neighbourhood character precinct and inside an activity centre catchment at the same time. Bayside's heritage precincts derive from the City of Brighton Urban Character and Conservation Study of August 1986, the City of Bayside Heritage Review of March 1999 and the Inter-War and Post-War Heritage Study of May 2008, amended May 2010. Bayside's neighbourhood character review identified 27 precincts across the municipality with high or moderate character significance. These are checked separately, so order a planning property report for the specific address rather than relying on the vendor's certificate alone. 

New state controls around the Brighton stations

North Brighton and Middle Brighton were named as train and tram zone activity centres in October 2024 under the Victorian Government's Activity Centres Program. Phase 2 consultation for the Bayside centres ran from 10 September to 19 October 2025, with plans to be finalised from early 2026. If you are buying near either station, the practical question is what neighbours will be able to build under the new provisions, and whether third-party review will be available. Confirm the status of the controls at the date of your contract. 

Foreign buyers and vacant land tax

Brighton has a high share of offshore and expatriate purchasers. A foreign purchaser surcharge applies on top of ordinary land transfer duty on residential acquisitions, and an absentee owner surcharge applies annually to land tax, so residency and any trust or company structure need to be settled before the contract is signed rather than after. Separately, vacant residential land tax has applied statewide since 1 January 2025, which matters for second homes and long-held redevelopment sites. Confirm current rates and thresholds with the State Revenue Office. 

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How it works in 3 steps

Step 1

Upload your contract

Upload your contract, add a few details and you’re done. No appointment to book, no credit card and no obligation.

Step 2

Same business day review

In before 2pm, back before you need it.

We’ll send you a free legal review to help you understand what matters, what to watch for and what to do next.

Step 3

Your call

Walk away, or have us run the matter through to PEXA settlement for $1,600 incl. GST fixed.

Either is fine with us.

How we help in Brighton

Contract of Sale reviews

Before you sign anything, we review the Contract of Sale and explain the terms, special conditions and risks that could affect your purchase.

Section 32 Vendor Statement reviews

The Section 32 carries the planning controls, easements, owners corporation details and outgoings. We explain what it means and flag anything that deserves a closer look.

Property conveyancing

Buying or selling, we manage the legal transfer of ownership, prepare the documents and coordinate every party through to settlement.

Settlement and statement of adjustments

We prepare and check settlement figures, including council rates, water rates, owners corporation fees and other adjustments, so nothing is wrong on the day.

Electronic settlement through PEXA

Most Victorian settlements now happen electronically. We run the whole process securely and keep you informed at each step.

Owners corporation due diligence

Buying an apartment, townhouse or unit means buying into an owners corporation. We review the records, financial statements, rules, maintenance obligations and any known issues.

Easements, covenants and title restrictions

We explain everything affecting the title, including easements, restrictive covenants, caveats, mortgages, section 173 agreements and other registered interests that could limit what you do with the property.

Stamp duty and Duties Online

We calculate your duty, prepare the documents and lodge everything through Victoria's Duties Online system.

See everything we handle across Southern and South-Eastern Suburbs

Why Prepared

Anyone can offer a free review. What matters is what comes back, and who wrote it.

 

Speed

Same-day contract reviews. While others wait on a callback, you are at the next inspection ready to offer.

Expertise

Your contract is reviewed by experienced Australian property lawyers who understand the local property market. In Albert Park that means environmental audit conditions, heritage controls and multi-tier owners corporations, not a generic checklist.

Fixed fee

One price for the conveyancing, published before you commit. No hourly billing, no surprises on the invoice, and no charge at all for the review that got you there.

What it costs

Nothing to have it read. One price if you go ahead.

Most conveyancers charge for a review, or ask you to request a quote before they will tell you anything at all. Here is the whole thing, so you can compare without making a phone call.

Free

Contract and Section 32 review

No charge, no obligation, no limit on how many properties. Back the same business day.

$1,600

Full conveyancing, buying

Incl. GST, fixed. Contract through to PEXA settlement, adjustments and duty lodgement.

$300

Selling, and it does not sell

Professional fees only, plus the cost of any searches already ordered. You are not billed for a settlement that never happened.

Government charges, searches and land transfer duty are payable in addition and are set by the State, not by us. We tell you the total before you instruct.

Start with the free review

Common questions

Do you get a title to a Brighton bathing box?

No. The bathing boxes at Dendy Street Beach stand on Crown land, and holders have an annual site licence from Bayside City Council that runs to 30 June each year. There is no certificate of title and nothing to transfer at the land registry, so a transfer is an application to council, which council can refuse. Licences are issued to Bayside residents, and the licence conditions prohibit renting the box out or sleeping in it. 

Can I subdivide a block in Brighton?

Only if the title allows it, and in Brighton the title is usually the obstacle rather than the zone. Many Brighton subdivisions predate 25 June 1991 and carry single-dwelling or building-materials covenants, and section 60(5) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 makes those very difficult to remove or vary. A planning permit does not authorise a breach of a covenant. Have the title, the covenant and the land benefited by it identified before you commit to a development price. 

What planning controls should I check before buying in Brighton?

Check for heritage, neighbourhood character and activity centre controls, because a Brighton property can be affected by all three at once. Bayside's heritage precincts come from studies dating back to 1986, and its neighbourhood character review identified 27 precincts across the municipality. North Brighton and Middle Brighton were named as train and tram zone activity centres in October 2024. Order a planning property report for the specific address rather than relying on the suburb. 

Buying or selling in Brighton?

Send us the contract. You will get it back reviewed, in plain English, with the issues that matter flagged.

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