What can I build
on my property?
The answer is already sitting in your block. Its size, its frontage, its shape and the zone it falls in are what decide this, and PiFi reads all of them against the planning rules that cover your address.
You do not need to know a single planning rule to start. That is what the address is for. Granny flat, duplex, subdivision, townhouses: PiFi reads the rules that cover your block and reports what they allow, then tells you to confirm it with your council.
An initial assessment. Speak to a professional before you make any decisions.
What you could do with your block
Four ways to do more with land you already own. PiFi checks all four against your address and tells you which ones are permitted. It does not rank them and it does not pick one for you.
The granny flat check runs on the New South Wales rules only, so outside NSW read it as unanswered rather than as a no. The other three are not limited to one state.
Granny flat
A second, self-contained home on the same block and the same title, and the existing house stays exactly as it is. It is the smallest build of the four. The check runs on the New South Wales complying development rules, so outside NSW read it as unanswered rather than as a no.
Can I build a granny flat on my property?Duplex
Two attached homes where one stood, side by side under a single roofline, on a block that is already yours. It asks more of the width across your frontage than a granny flat does, which is why two blocks of the same area can come back with different answers.
Check your address for a duplexSubdivision
Splitting the land into separate titles. Each new block stands on its own from that point, to sell or to build on, on its own timeline. The other three change what sits on the land. This one changes the title.
Can I subdivide my property?Townhouses
Three or more attached homes on the one block, and the most homes of the four paths here. It asks the most of the land, so a tight block rules this one out before the others do.
Check your address for townhousesSell or develop
This one is not a build, so there is nothing on the block for PiFi to check. It turns on your own position rather than the land: your timeframe, the holding costs while a build runs, and whether you want to run one at all. The land half is what you can settle today. Going to market knowing what your block permits is a different position from going to market guessing.
Should I sell or develop my property?What decides it is the block, not the suburb
Block size
The total area of the land, in square metres. Nearly every rule about a second dwelling or a split opens with a minimum area, so this is the first gate your block either clears or does not.
Frontage
How wide the block is across the front, in metres. Width is what decides whether two homes can sit side by side, and plenty of blocks have the area for it without the frontage. This is where you find that out.
Shape
Whether the block is square or rectangular. An awkward shape can leave you with the area on paper and nowhere sensible to put a second home once the setbacks are applied.
Constraints
Whether the block carries flood risk, bushfire risk or heritage. These are flags, not a full assessment, and none of them ends an idea on its own. Each one is a conversation to have with your council early rather than late.
What you get back
Each of the four comes back with the detail behind that answer. Outside New South Wales the granny flat check does not run, so read that one as unanswered rather than as a no. Some blocks carry more than housing, and where the zone allows neighbourhood shops, a child care centre or a medical centre, those are reported on their own.
Every state calls these things something different and you do not need to know which. A granny flat is a secondary dwelling in New South Wales. A duplex is a dual occupancy across several states, and subdividing is reconfiguring a lot in Queensland. Use whichever word you know. PiFi applies the rules that cover your address, whatever they are called there.
Common questions
How do I find out what I can build on my block?
Enter the address. PiFi reads the block itself, its size, its frontage and its shape, against the planning rules that cover it, then reports whether a duplex, a subdivision or townhouses are permitted. The granny flat check runs on the New South Wales rules and answers for that state only. You get the detail behind each answer, and a prompt to confirm it with your council.
Does PiFi cover the whole of Australia?
Enter any Australian address. What comes back varies by council, because the planning rules do. The granny flat check is the one limited to a single state, New South Wales, so outside NSW read that result as unanswered rather than as a no.
Is this planning advice?
No. PiFi reports what the rules allow on your block, so you can see whether an idea is worth chasing at all. Anything you plan to act on, confirm with your council first.
Do I need to know the planning rules before I start?
No. The address is enough. PiFi works out which controls cover the block and what they allow, so you can take a specific question to your council instead of a general one.