Question 1

What is a Capital Gains Tax valuation?

Accepted Answer

A CGT valuation is an independent market value assessment of a property at a specific date, used by the ATO to calculate the capital gain or loss when an asset is sold, transferred or changes purpose. The report must be defensible, signed by a Certified Practising Valuer, and supported by comparable sales evidence.

Question 2

When do I need a retrospective valuation?

Accepted Answer

Common triggers include: a property purchased before 20 September 1985 that has changed character, a main residence first used to produce income (the 'home first used to produce income' rule), inheritance and date-of-death cost-base resets, and transfers between related parties or into an SMSF.

Question 3

How far back can you value a property?

Accepted Answer

We routinely prepare valuations effective from 1985 onwards using historical sales databases, council records, contemporaneous photography and archived market commentary. Earlier dates are possible where evidence supports it.

Question 4

Will the ATO accept your valuation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our reports follow the ATO market valuation guidelines and the API Professional Practice Standards. Each report includes the valuer's qualifications, methodology, comparable sales schedule and a signed certification — the same format the ATO requests during reviews and objections.

Question 5

How long does a valuation take?

Accepted Answer

Standard residential reports are delivered within 5 business days of inspection. Urgent 48-hour turnaround is available for an additional fee. Commercial and rural valuations typically take 7–10 business days.

Question 6

Do you need to physically inspect the property?

Accepted Answer

For current market valuations, yes — a physical inspection produces the strongest report. For retrospective dates, a current inspection plus historical evidence (photos, plans, sale records) is the accepted methodology, and a kerbside or desktop assessment is sometimes appropriate.

Question 7

How much does a CGT valuation cost?

Accepted Answer

Standard metropolitan residential valuations start from $440 incl. GST. Commercial, rural and complex retrospective assessments are quoted individually. All fees are fixed and confirmed in writing before we begin.

Question 8

Can my accountant instruct you directly?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely — most of our work is referred by accountants and tax agents. We can liaise directly, send the report to both parties, and provide an invoice in the name of the property owner or the firm.

Question 9

How far back can a retrospective valuation go?

Accepted Answer

We routinely value to 20 September 1985 — the start of the CGT regime. Earlier dates are possible (we have prepared 1970s valuations for legacy estate work) where sufficient evidence exists.

Question 10

Do you need to inspect the property today?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in almost all cases. The accepted methodology pairs a current inspection with historical evidence describing the property as at the effective date.

Question 11

Will the ATO accept a retrospective valuation?

Accepted Answer

Yes, where it is prepared by a Certified Practising Valuer to the API Professional Practice Standards and the ATO MVPI, with a full comparable sales schedule and signed certification.

Question 12

Can a real estate agent appraisal be used instead?

Accepted Answer

No. The ATO does not accept agent appraisals as substantiation for material CGT positions — an appraisal is a marketing opinion, not an independent assessment.

Question 13

How much does a retrospective valuation cost?

Accepted Answer

Standard metropolitan residential retrospective valuations start from $440 incl. GST. Commercial, rural and multi-date assessments are quoted individually.

Question 14

How current does the valuation date need to be?

Accepted Answer

For most compliance purposes the valuation should be dated within 90 days of the transaction. SMSF annual valuations must reflect market value as at 30 June of the relevant financial year.

Question 15

Can you value the property without going inside?

Accepted Answer

A kerbside or desktop assessment is possible, but an internal inspection produces the strongest report and is what we recommend wherever access can be arranged.

Question 16

Do you value commercial and rural property?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Commercial, industrial and rural valuations are quoted individually and typically take 7–10 business days, as they require lease analysis and a wider evidence search.

Question 17

Will one report cover both CGT and stamp duty?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes — the market value conclusion is the same. Tell us at the quote stage if a state revenue office has a specific format requirement and we will match it.

Question 18

How much does a current market valuation cost?

Accepted Answer

Standard metropolitan residential valuations start from $440 incl. GST. Commercial, rural and specialised properties are quoted individually, with the fee fixed in writing before we begin.

Question 19

What date should the valuation be effective from?

Accepted Answer

The date the dwelling was first used to produce income — typically the first day of the first lease, or the day a home office or granny flat began earning. Your accountant will confirm the date; we value to it.

Question 20

Does s118-192 apply to every rented former home?

Accepted Answer

No. It applies only where the dwelling would otherwise have been fully exempt and was first used to produce income after 20 August 1996. Where it does apply, the deemed market value acquisition is mandatory, not optional.

Question 21

Can you value a property that has since been renovated?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We value the property as it stood at the effective date, using historical evidence — photographs, plans, council records — to describe it before the works.

Question 22

Do I need a valuation if I only rented one room?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes, plus an apportionment. Section 118-190 reduces the exemption by reference to the floor area and the period of income-producing use, and both need to be evidenced.

Question 23

How much does a main residence valuation cost?

Accepted Answer

Standard metropolitan residential valuations start from $440 incl. GST. Apportionment work on unusual configurations is quoted individually.

Question 24

The date of death was years ago — can you still value it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This is standard retrospective work; we regularly value estates from the 1990s and earlier using historical sales evidence and council records.

Question 25

Can the report be used for both probate and CGT?

Accepted Answer

Yes. One date-of-death valuation serves the probate inventory and the beneficiary's cost base. Tell us if the solicitor needs a particular format.

Question 26

Who should engage the valuer — the executor or the accountant?

Accepted Answer

Either. Most of our estate work is instructed by the estate solicitor or the accountant; we can invoice the estate directly and copy the report to all parties.

Question 27

What if the property has already been sold?

Accepted Answer

We can still value retrospectively. The sale price is evidence but not the answer — market value at the date of death may differ, particularly where the sale was some time later.

Question 28

How much does a deceased estate valuation cost?

Accepted Answer

Standard metropolitan residential valuations start from $440 incl. GST. Multiple properties within one estate are quoted together, usually at a reduced rate per property.

Question 29

Does an SMSF need a valuation every year?

Accepted Answer

Assets must be reported at market value every year. A full valuation is not always required annually for residential property, but the auditor must see objective, supportable evidence — and for commercial or related-party property a current independent valuation is the safest position.

Question 30

Can a trustee or a member value the property?

Accepted Answer

No. The valuation must be independent of the fund and its members. A valuer with any interest in the property or relationship to the members cannot provide it.

Question 31

What effective date should the report carry?

Accepted Answer

30 June of the relevant financial year for annual reporting, or the transaction date for an in-specie transfer, pension commencement or related-party acquisition.

Question 32

Will the auditor accept your report?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our reports are prepared to API Professional Practice Standards with a full comparable sales schedule and an independence declaration — the format every major SMSF auditor asks for.

Question 33

How much does an SMSF valuation cost?

Accepted Answer

Standard metropolitan residential valuations start from $440 incl. GST. Commercial and business real property is quoted individually and typically takes 7–10 business days.

Question 34

Can you act as a single expert witness?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We are regularly appointed as a single expert in family law property matters, and we accept joint instructions from both parties' solicitors.

Question 35

How long does an expert report take?

Accepted Answer

Typically 7–10 business days from inspection, longer where the property is complex or the instructions raise multiple questions. Urgent court timetables can usually be accommodated — tell us the date at the quote stage.

Question 36

Do you attend court?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Attendance for cross-examination, joint expert conferences and conferences with counsel are all available and quoted separately from the report.

Question 37

Which code will the report comply with?

Accepted Answer

We confirm the jurisdiction with the instructing solicitor and prepare to the applicable code — Part 7 of the Family Law Rules 2021 in the Federal Circuit and Family Court, the Harmonised Expert Witness Code in most superior courts, GPN-EXPT in the Federal Court.

Question 38

How much does an expert report cost?

Accepted Answer

Expert reports are quoted individually, because the scope depends on the questions asked and the complexity of the property. The fee is fixed in writing before we begin.

General

Retrospective Valuations

Current Market Valuations

Main Residence Exemption

Deceased Estate Valuations

SMSF Valuations

Expert Witness Reports