CAPITAL GAINS TAX — PROPERTY VALUATIONS
Independent property valuations for CGT. Ensure your tax liability is not overstated.
With the upcoming 1 July 2027 Capital Gains Tax reform, there has never been a more important time to ensure your property is properly valued. We prepare independent property valuations for CGT purposes — as at today, or as at any date in the past — documented to meet the ATO’s stated requirements.
We respond to every enquiry within one business day.
Request a Valuation Quote
HOW WE WORK
Built to be relied upon by the owner and accepted by the ATO.
Prepared to ATO requirements
Reports set out the methodology, comparable evidence and reasoning relied upon, in the form the ATO’s market valuation guidance calls for.
Current or retrospective
Where the relevant date has passed, we value as at that date using the sales evidence and market conditions that existed at the time.
Independent of any sale
We do not sell property, hold agency appointments, or earn commission on any transaction involving a property we value.
Every property type
Residential, commercial, industrial, rural and specialised assets — assessed by valuers who work in that class of property.
Fixed fee, agreed first
Scope, fee and timeframe confirmed in writing before work begins. No variation unless the scope changes and you approve it.
Supported if it is queried
We retain the working papers and evidence file, and the valuer who signed the report is available to explain and support it.
WHEN IT’S REQUIRED
Circumstances that call for a property valuation.
Several of these are commonly missed at the time the event occurs, and only identified later — when the valuation is harder to establish.
A primary place of residence changed into an investment property
Where a primary place of residence is rented out and converted into an investment property, the cost base for future capital gains tax typically relies upon a market valuation as at that date. If no valuation was obtained at the time, a retrospective assessment can be undertaken even after the property has sold.
Partial main residence exemption
Where a dwelling has been part home and part income-producing, or the land exceeds two hectares, apportionment requires a supportable market value at the relevant date.
Transfers between related parties
Transfers to family members, family trusts, companies or self-managed funds may trigger a CGT event, requiring a market valuation, where the parties are not dealing at arm’s length — whatever consideration passes.
Deceased estates
For post-CGT dwellings, the cost base to the estate or beneficiary may be set by reference to market value at the date of death.
1 July 2027 Capital Gains Tax Reform
From 1 July 2027, CGT changes may make a property’s market value immediately before that date an important consideration for owners of eligible assets acquired earlier. Where significant capital growth has occurred, obtaining independent valuation evidence is strongly recommended. A professional valuation provides documented evidence of market value immediately before 1 July 2027 and can assist in determining how any capital gain is allocated between the relevant periods.
Change of use or subdivision
Land moving from capital account to trading stock, subdivided holdings, and properties whose use changes materially may require value to be fixed at the point of change.
Residency changes
An individual ceasing to be an Australian resident faces a deemed disposal of certain assets at market value, and foreign residents face specific rules on Australian property. Both require a valuation at a defined date.
Self-managed superannuation funds
Where a fund acquires, disposes of or holds real property, market value must rest on objective and supportable evidence — including on in-specie transfers in and out of the fund.
THE EVIDENCE STANDARD
The ATO does not assess a figure. It assesses the process behind it.
Its guidance requires a valuation to objectively demonstrate the process undertaken, in accordance with valuation industry practice. That single requirement determines what holds up and what does not.
Higher chance of ATO rejection
- A selling agent’s appraisal, prepared to secure a listing rather than to evidence value.
- An automated online estimate, generated by a model that has has little or no human valuer input.
- A council rates notice or land tax assessment, which measures something different for a different purpose.
- An insurance replacement figure, which addresses rebuilding cost and not market value.
- The sale price of a neighbouring property, offered without adjustment or analysis.
- A retrospective figure produced by discounting today’s value by a general market index.
What we document
- The purpose, the interest valued, the basis of value and the exact date of valuation.
- The valuer’s qualifications, registration and declaration of independence.
- A full description of the property, its title particulars, planning controls and physical characteristics.
- Comparable sales contemporaneous with the date of valuation, analysed and adjusted rather than merely listed.
- The valuation approach adopted and the reasoning for it, with a cross-check where the property class allows.
- All assumptions and limiting conditions, so the reader knows exactly what the conclusion depends on.
THE DELIVERABLE
What the report contains.
A signed valuation report prepared for taxation purposes — written so your accountant, your lawyer, and if necessary a reviewer at the ATO can follow it without calling us to explain it.
Instruction and scope
Who engaged us, the purpose of the valuation, the interest valued, the basis of value and the date of valuation.
Credentials and independence
The valuer’s qualifications, registration and experience, with a declaration of no interest in the property or its sale.
Property identification
Title particulars, land area, zoning and planning controls, easements and encumbrances, and the improvements as they existed at the date of valuation.
Inspection or basis of assessment
What was inspected and when — or where the date is historical, the basis on which the property’s condition at that date has been established.
Market commentary at the date
Conditions prevailing in that location and property class at the relevant date, drawn from evidence available at the time.
Comparable sales evidence
Transactions contemporaneous with the date of valuation, each analysed and adjusted for differences in location, size, condition and timing.
Approach and reasoning
The approach adopted — direct comparison, capitalisation of income, summation or hypothetical development — and why it fits this property.
Cross-check where applicable
A secondary approach applied as a sense check, with any divergence explained rather than averaged away.
Assumptions and limiting conditions
Every assumption made explicit, particularly where the date is historical and certain matters must be assumed rather than observed.
Signed conclusion of value
The assessed market value at the relevant date, signed by the valuer responsible for it.
HOW IT WORKS
Scope and fee
A short conversation with a valuer to confirm the property, the correct date of valuation and the CGT event involved. You receive a fixed fee, a timeframe and a specific list of documents required.
Inspection and analysis
Inspection where the date and circumstances call for it, followed by comparable evidence research and analysis referenced to the date of valuation.
Signed report
The full report issued to you or your adviser, with the valuer available to discuss the reasoning — and to respond if the position is later reviewed.
From enquiry to signed report.
BEFORE YOU ENGAGE US
Questions we’re asked.
What date should the valuation be as at?
The date can vary depending upon the CGT event, as an example, the required date could be the date the property changed from a PPOR to an investment property, or it could be the date a tax law changed (such as 1 July 2027), or the date of the change in ownership where there is no contract. Where a concession or eligibility test is involved a different date may apply. Tell us the circumstances and we will confirm the date before quoting.
Can you value as at a date several years ago?
Yes. Retrospective assessments are common when it comes to CGT valuations. We are able to discuss the matter with you and agree on a list of assumptions as to the asset condition.
Will the ATO accept the report?
No valuer can guarantee how a specific matter will be assessed, and we will not suggest otherwise. What we can do is prepare the valuation so that the methodology, evidence and reasoning are fully set out in the form the ATO’s guidance calls for — which is the basis on which a market valuation is assessed.
What happens if the valuation is queried?
The valuer who signed the report responds. We retain the working papers and the evidence file, and we can explain and support the reasoning to your adviser or to the ATO. That capability is part of the reason the report is thoroughly explained.
What information will you need from us?
Where we are instructed to provide a desktop assessment, we request a description of the property and any supporting photographs that may be available.
What does it cost?
Fees are fixed and quoted upfront, and depend on the size and complexity of the property.
Establish the position while the evidence still exists.
Tell us the property address, the required date of valuation and the purpose. We’ll confirm your requirements and provide a fixed fee and a timeframe — before you commit to anything.
Not sure whether your matter needs a formal valuation at all? That’s exactly the kind of question we’re happy to answer before you engage us.