Land purchases and sales

DELWP and landowners can agree to enter into voluntary negotiations for the purpose of purchasing land. Landowners have the opportunity to obtain their own valuation advice from a professionally qualified valuer before providing us with an offer to sell based on that advice.

We will obtain a valuation of the land from the Valuer-General Victoria (VGV) and then respond to the offer to sell based on the VGV valuation.

If the offer to sell is acceptable, the matter can proceed to settlement. This  involves payment of the purchase money and transfer of the title to the Crown.

We will pay the (reasonable) fees associated with the purchase of the land, for professionally qualified advisors, such as a solicitor and/or land valuer, that you have chosen.

If negotiations are unsuccessful and the parties cannot reach purchase agreement we may abandon the process.

This is where we conduct the acquisition of land by compulsory process in accordance with the Land Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986 and are required to also follow a specific process.

As a first step in the formal process of compulsory acquisition you will receive a Notice of Intention to Acquire. The purpose of the notice is to let you know that we intend to compulsorily acquire your land.

If you want to sell your land to us rather than waiting for us to take the next step in the compulsory acquisition process, you may be able to come to an agreement on price with us at this time.

Your position will not be prejudiced by dealing with us under the Notice of Intention to Acquire because you are entitled to be paid exactly the same compensation as would apply under a compulsory acquisition process.

In some cases, agreement can be reached and the matter finalised without the need to proceed to the next stage.

In the next stage, DELWP will publish a Notice of Acquisition in the Victoria Government Gazette.  This formalises the acquisition and vests the land in our name, meaning that you are no longer the legal owner of the land.

In most cases we must wait for two months after serving a Notice of Intention to Acquire before publishing a Notice of Acquisition.

We will then work with you to get your agreement on the terms by which we will enter into possession of the land.

If the land is your principal place of residence or business, we will not take possession of your land for at least three months without your agreement. To reduce the impact on you, we will endeavour to give you as much notice as possible before taking possession of your land.

Please be aware that negotiated purchases and compulsory acquisitions are conducted in accordance with legislative requirements, our policies and procedures and the Government’s Policy and Instructions for the Purchase, Compulsory Acquisition and Sale of Land.

The Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 and the Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987 authorise the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change or the Secretary, DELWP to purchase and compulsorily acquire land.

We are required to make you an offer of compensation within 14 days of publishing a Notice of Acquisition.  Upon receiving an offer of compensation, you can request that we pay an advance of the compensation offered. This payment will be made within 30 days of receiving the request and will not affect your entitlements to continue negotiating a final settlement.

Once agreement is reached on the amount of compensation payable, the balance of any compensation owing will be paid to you as soon as possible. Interest will be payable on the unpaid compensation from the date of receiving your agreement until we pay the amount to you.

If after publication of a Notice of Acquisition an agreement on compensation cannot be reached, the matter becomes a disputed claim and may be referred (by either you or DELWP) to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal or the Supreme Court for a resolution.

For personal reasons you may need to sell your property after the proposed plans for the property are known (e.g. it is reserved in a Planning Scheme). In these cases, prospective buyers are likely to know about future DELWP proposals. We recognise that this may affect the sale price of your property. In these circumstances, the following option may be available to you.

Loss on Sale Compensation may be available for any loss suffered on the sale of your property – for example if it is sold for less than it would have normally (if it were not reserved for a future project). If you are considering claiming Loss on Sale Compensation you must notify us at least 60 days before the proposed date of sale. In this time we can then check that you are eligible for this compensation and make arrangements to assess the loss.

Compensation may also be payable if you apply for a planning permit to develop your land and it is refused on the basis that the land is required for a public purpose.

Conditions apply and you should discuss any potential claims of this nature with us.

We have produced downloadable brochures which outline the processes involved with the negotiated purchase and compulsory acquisition of land.

This information is intended as a general introduction only – you should refer to the relevant legislation for more specific information.

Land purchase, acquisition and compensation fact sheet (DOCX, 161.9 KB)
Land purchase, acquisition and compensation Frequently Asked Questions (DOC, 47.5 KB)