Compulsory acquisition valuations · Australia-wide
Compulsory acquisition valuations that secure full compensation.
Independent compensation valuations for landowners, tenants and businesses whose land is being taken for roads, rail and other public works. We work alongside you and your lawyer to establish everything you're entitled to — from the first notice, through negotiation, to expert evidence at Tribunal or Court.
- Your full claimLand, lease and business loss under one roof
- Court-readyExpert evidence and cross-examination experience
- NationalSydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth
- ISO certifiedISO 9001 quality · ISO 27001 information security
Affected by an acquisition?
- Supreme Court of Victoria
- Supreme Court of NSW
- Supreme Court of QLD
- Land and Environment Court
The basics
What is compulsory acquisition?
Compulsory acquisition is the power of government to take private land — or an interest in it, such as a lease or easement — for a public purpose, like a road, rail line, school or utility, without the owner's agreement.
In return, the law entitles those affected to compensation. How much depends on the interest taken, the loss it causes and the legislation in your state — which is why an independent, evidence-based valuation is the foundation of every sound claim.
Who we act for
Discuss your matter →Landowners
Homeowners, investors, developers and farmers losing all or part of their land.
- Whole and partial takings
- Severance and loss in value of land kept
- Lost development potential
Tenants & lessees
A lease is a separate interest in the land — and often a separate claim from the owner's.
- Value of the leasehold interest
- Service stations, food and retail leases
- Relocation and fit-out costs
Businesses
Operators forced to move or close, valued by our in-house business valuers.
- Business losses and disruption
- Relocation and re-establishment
- Extinguishment where a move isn't viable
We regularly work with the lawyers acting for claimants, and are often briefed on several claims on the same project.
Compensation
What compensation can include
Market value is only the starting point. Depending on your state and circumstances, a claim can cover several separate heads of compensation — and each needs its own evidence.
Market value
What the interest would have sold for on the open market at the date of acquisition, ignoring any effect of the project itself.
Special value
Value the land holds for you specifically, over and above market value — such as a use tied to your adjoining operations.
Severance
Loss in value of the land you keep when only part is taken — reduced access, awkward shapes or lost development potential.
Injurious affection
A fall in the value of your remaining land caused by the public work carried out on the land taken.
Disturbance
Relocation and re-establishment costs, business losses, and reasonable professional fees incurred because of the acquisition.
Business loss valuations →Solatium
A payment for the non-financial disadvantage of being forced to leave your home, available in some states and with caps that vary.
The names, availability and limits of each head differ between states and the Commonwealth. Your lawyer and valuer will confirm what applies to you.
Act early
Received a notice of acquisition?
Get independent advice before you respond or accept an offer. Statutory time limits apply, and in many cases the reasonable cost of your valuation can be recovered as part of your claim.
Interests we value
Every interest in the land
An acquisition rarely affects just one party. Owners, tenants, businesses and easement holders can each have a separate claim — and our property and business valuers assess them under one roof.
Where a business trades from acquired land, our business valuers assess the loss alongside the property claim — one consistent set of evidence.
Freehold — whole and partial takings
Residential, commercial, industrial, rural and development land, including before-and-after valuations where only a strip or part of a site is acquired.
Leasehold interests
The value of a tenant's lease lost to acquisition — often significant for service stations, quick-service restaurants and long-term retail and industrial leases.
Businesses on acquired land
Business losses, relocation and re-establishment, or total extinguishment where a business can't reasonably move.
Easements, strata & stratum
Easements for pipelines and transmission lines, strata lots and subsurface stratum acquired for tunnels.
Specialised property
Quarries and extractive resources, fuel and convenience sites, outdoor advertising sites and other assets where value is driven by trading or resource.
The process
How we work with you
The same valuer from first call to final settlement — or to the witness box if it comes to that.
- 1
Early advice
We review the notice, the interest affected and your timeframes, and outline what a claim is likely to involve.
- 2
Inspection & valuation
A full inspection and a compensation valuation covering every relevant head of claim, backed by market evidence.
- 3
Negotiation
We test the other side's valuation, meet with their valuer and support your lawyer through settlement discussions.
- 4
Expert evidence
If agreement isn't reached, a court-compliant expert report and evidence at tribunal or in court, including cross-examination.
Legislation
Compulsory acquisition law in your state
Each jurisdiction has its own Act, heads of compensation and dispute process. We work under all of them.
Why Sovereign
Why claimants and their lawyers brief us
Compensation disputes are won on evidence. Ours is built to be tested.
We test the offer
We know how acquiring authorities build their valuations, and where their assumptions leave compensation on the table.
Genuinely independent
No institutional ties or panel pressures shaping our opinion. Tribunals weigh independent evidence accordingly.
Tested under cross-examination
Expert evidence in the Supreme Courts of Victoria and Queensland, VCAT, the Land and Environment Court and the Supreme Court of NSW.
Property and business in-house
Land, leasehold and business loss claims assessed by one team, on one consistent set of evidence.
Several claims, one project
We're often acting for a number of owners and tenants on the same project, bringing deep local evidence to every claim.
National reach
Offices in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, acting on projects in every state.
Led by experienced experts
Meet the full team →Peter Ferrier
Managing Director
AAPI · MRICS · CPV
Acts for landowners, tenants and businesses on major road, rail and public works projects, with expert evidence given in the Supreme Courts of Victoria, Queensland and NSW, VCAT and the Land and Environment Court.
- Court experienceExpert witness in courts and tribunals across Australia
- Australia-wideActing on acquisitions in every state
Chris Shepherd
Executive Director, NSW & ACT
AAPI · CPV
Led compulsory acquisition and land value work for the Valuer General NSW across more than 1,000 matters, including Native Title cultural loss, and now acts for landowners, tenants and businesses on compensation claims across NSW.
- 1,000+Compulsory acquisition matters
- Since 2006In property, across all major asset classes
Tim Priestley
Executive Director, QLD
AAPI
Leads Sovereign’s Queensland practice, valuing development sites, commercial, residential and specialised assets. A long-standing adviser to the corporate sector, he brings the same rigour to compensation claims.
- 25+ yearsValuing commercial and specialist property since 1999
- Complex claimsExpertise across complex and high value claims.
Daniel Ekins
Director, Valuation & Advisory
AAPI · GAICD · CPV
Values a broad range of property, from residential and commercial holdings to institutional-grade assets and major development sites, with compulsory acquisition and litigation experience including Sydney Metro West and the new Shellharbour Hospital.
- Since 1985In valuation, asset management and funds management
- Every marketFrom local property to $1bn+ CBD sites
Recent compulsory acquisition matters
All case studies →Sydney Metro West · Sydney CBD
Partial acquisition of a major CBD hospitality and development holding
Part of a landmark city holding was acquired for a new metro station. We assessed compensation on a before-and-after basis, capturing the effect on the land retained.
Partial taking · Before & afterSuburban Rail Loop · Melbourne
A major petroleum company's leasehold interest in a metropolitan service station
We assessed the lessee's interest using the site's trading performance, including the assessment of multiple heads of claim.
Lessee interest · Trading-based analysisWestern Sydney · Road upgrades
Claims along the Elizabeth Drive and Mamre Road corridors
Acting on multiple acquisitions for road upgrades serving Western Sydney's fast-growing industrial and airport precinct.
Multiple claims · Growth corridorFAQs
Compulsory acquisition questions, answered
Can't see your question? Call us — you'll speak to a valuer, not a call centre.
Call 1300 710 000How is compulsory acquisition compensation calculated?
It starts with the market value of the interest acquired, disregarding the project's own effect, and can add other heads such as special value, severance, disturbance and — in some states — solatium. The legislation in your state sets the rules.
Should I accept the acquiring authority's offer?
Not before getting independent advice. The authority's offer is based on its own valuer's assessment. An independent valuation tells you whether it reflects your full entitlement and gives your lawyer evidence to negotiate with.
Who pays for my valuation?
In many jurisdictions, reasonable valuation and legal costs incurred because of the acquisition can be claimed as part of your compensation. Your lawyer can confirm how this applies to your matter.
I'm a tenant, not the owner. Can I claim compensation?
Often, yes. Tenants can have a claim for the value of their leasehold interest and for business losses, relocation or extinguishment — separate from the landowner's claim.
What if only part of my land is acquired?
Compensation can cover both the land taken and any loss in value of the land you keep. We value the property before and after the acquisition to measure that loss.
Can your report be used at Tribunal or Court?
Yes. Reports for disputed claims are prepared to comply with the relevant court or tribunal's expert evidence rules and code of conduct, and our valuers give evidence and are cross-examined.
Compulsory acquisition valuers around Australia
- SydneyNew South Wales
- CanberraACT
- MelbourneVictoria
- BrisbaneQueensland
- AdelaideSouth Australia
- PerthWestern Australia
Talk to a compulsory acquisition valuer
Whether you've just received a notice or you're heading to a hearing, we'll tell you where you stand and what comes next.