Home buyers and renters face a slew of new rules across the country in 2026, ranging from tighter home lending to the end of sought-after grants and tax concessions.
Governments and authorities at all levels are tweaking the rules this year, making it easier for some and harder for others on their property journey.
It comes as home prices continue to march higher, with the latest PropTrack Home Price Index showing the national median home price rising 8.4% to $883,000 during the year to January 2026.
The changes include everything from giving renters more rights to speeding up home building and auction rule changes. Here are nine rule changes coming in 2026.
Home loans
New limits on high debt-to-income mortgages for both owner occupiers and investors nationwide are set to take effect this month.
Last November, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) announced new rules to prevent banks from lending more than 20% of new home loans to owner occupiers and investors with a debt ratio of six times their income or more.
Borrowers will face tighter home loan lending conditions in 2026. Picture: Getty
At the time, the banking regulator had seen risky lending pick up as property prices reached new highs, despite banking lending standards remaining sound.
“Although broader risks are contained, we have seen in the past that they can build rapidly when interest rates are low or declining, borrowers extend themselves and competition among banks for new mortgage lending intensifies, which can lead to easing lending standards,” APRA chair John Lonsdale said.
New home building
A wave of changes to new home building and planning rules continues to sweep Australia in order to build more new homes faster.
The changes have been coming in thick and fast, including the federal government’s recent plan to sell off large parcels of land held by Australia's defence forces to build more homes.
Plenty of planning and zoning changes are expected this year. Picture: Getty
NSW recently announced temporary groundwater licence exemptions that will reportedly fix a bottleneck that has been adding months to new home building across the state.
Meanwhile, South Australia kicked off 2026 with six new government plans outlining where 43,000 new homes could be built across the state over the coming decades.
These are unlikely to be the last home building and planning reforms seen this year, as authorities continue to examine ways to cut red tape and speed up home building nationwide.
Auctions
Victoria plans to overhaul the rules around auctions and reserve prices later this year in a bid to stamp out underquoting.
The Victorian state government announced plans last year requiring real estate agents to publish vendors’ reserve prices at least seven days before auction day or the fixed date of sale.
New auction rules are expected in Victoria this year. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers
It’s an Australian-first move to tackle underquoting, which happens when a property is deliberately advertised at a much lower price than its expected sale price or the owner’s asking price.
The Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) has unveiled a counter proposal, requiring vendors to confirm their reserve price falls within a 10% advertised price range no later than three business days before auction.
“With the potential to trigger inflated reserve prices, a fall in clearance rates and an increase in offers prior to auction, the government’s proposal threatens to compromise the transparency and effectiveness of the public auction process,” REIV chief executive Toby Balazs said.
The government is still finalising the changes, but expects to legislate new auction rules in 2026.
Grants and tax concessions
Grants and concessions across the country are set to expire this year, quietly increasing the cost of buying a home for some buyers.
Queensland’s $30,000 First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) - offered to first-home buyers or builders of new homes - is set to close in June 2026.
In Victoria, stamp duty concessions for off-the-plan apartments, units and townhomes are set to run until October this year.
Some home buyer grants and stamp duty concessions are set to run out this year. Picture: Getty
That said, grants and concessions are often extended, with the Northern Territory the latest to extend its HomeGrown build grants until September 2027.
Renters
About one in three households rent in Australia, and authorities have been strengthening renter rights in recent years, with 2026 proving to be no exception.
Victoria will become the first state in Australia to introduce a portable rental bond scheme later this year, allowing renters to transfer an existing bond directly from one rental property to another rather than forking out thousands of dollars upfront for a new lease.
In Tasmania, renters will have greater pet rights from next month. Picture: Getty
In Tasmania, renters will have greater pet rights when new laws come into effect next month, bringing renter rights in line with other jurisdictions.
More renter reforms are expected after the federal, state and territory governments agreed to a raft of changes through National Cabinet in 2023, which are still being delivered.
Potential Capital Gains Tax discount changes
The controversial Capital Gains Tax (CGT) discount is making waves once again, with speculation rife that the federal government may slash the discount in the upcoming federal budget in May. No changes to the CGT discount have been announced or confirmed.
The CGT discount is a tax rule in Australia that lets you pay tax on only half of the profit you make from selling an investment - such as an investment property - if you’ve owned it for more than 12 months.
Economists, unions and other groups have called for cuts to the discount to discourage investors from investing in property in a bid to reduce competition for homes.
However, investors, property groups and other voices have warned that changes to the CGT discount could hurt home prices and the rental market.
Recent analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Office showed that the CGT discount in its current form would cost the federal budget $247 billion in forgone revenue over the next 10 years.
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