Subscribe: RSS | Listen to the Property Developer Podcast

What happens when a property planning tribunal rejects your application?

We revisit a discussion with previous guest John Marquez to find how he went at the local planning tribunal. John had a town planning application for 10 units knocked back by council so decided to ask the independent umpire to review the application.

His planning application was refused by the local council following a lot of objections from the neighbours. He then decided to take his case to the local independent planning tribunal, called VCAT, to have it reviewed by an independent and impartial umpire.

The result of the hearing surprised John’s team, and today he shares what happened and the impact of the decision.

This is a really good discussion around what to do when council mucks you around and forces you to change direction.

Property Development Training

If you are interested in learning the fundamentals of property development, in your own time and at your own pace, then be sure to head over to www.propertydevelopertraining.com and take a look. I take you step by step through the development process so you know exactly what is needed to find a site, run a feasibility and complete a small scale property development, be that a duplex or 3 or 4 unit site. The training includes a bonus program called Taking It To The Next Level for people who may want to go into developing full-time, along with another bonus course called Raising Capital which covers how to raise money for your projects.

So head over to propertydevelopertraining.com and take a look… I would love to see you on the inside…

Property Developer Quiz

Keen to find out how ready you might be to become a developer? Then take the Property Developer Quiz (https://www.propertydevelopertraining.com/quiz) and get a sense of where you are at…

Become a Million Dollar Property Developer

Grab my book Become a Million Dollar Property Developer about my journey into property development. This book is ideal for anyone who intends to get into small-scale property development and wants an insider’s guide to successfully obtaining wealth, fulfilment, and glory.

In this book, Justin will share how he succeeded in delivering a 20-townhouse project on his first property development project and what he learned along the way.

Many people have a dream of becoming a property developer. They aspire to build properties, grow portfolios, and amass great wealth. However, many people often struggle with making the leap into property development.

This book has the answers for how you can make the leap into property development. Grab your copy now.

Social Connection

Property Developer Podcast Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/propertydeveloperpodcast
Property Developer Podcast Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/property_developer_podcast/
Property Developer Podcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/property-developer-podcast

Lesson learned from a property planning tribunal rejection

I’m very grateful to John for sharing that overview with you, as a lot of people would not be so forthcoming after a loss at a tribunal. As always, there are some good lessons from John’s experiences that we can all learn from. The points I took out of it are:

1. Have a contingency plan in place

Nobody likes to think they are going to lose a hearing or have their application refused, but you need to be prepared for that happening. What is your fallback plan for if that happens. Are you going to head to a tribunal or independent umpire, are you going to change your design, or are you going to exit the project? Maybe it is all three in that order, whatever it is, be ready to put it into play.

2. Hire the best people for the job

This may sound obvious, but when you have your back up against a wall you need to know that you have the very best people around you, helping you. This is where doing good due diligence on your team members before you engage them is so important. Ask around for who the best external town planner is for that local area or council, get them to review your initial application to see whether they think it will get through. Make sure you hire a designer who understands what council is looking for and how best to present your application if you are pushing the boundaries a bit. Chewing up time and money on delays getting your planning approval is a profit killer and energy drainer.

3. Stay focused on your ultimate objective

Challenges and setbacks are just part of the process with property developing. You can’t let them defeat you and stop you from progressing. You need to stay focused on what you are trying to achieve with your developing. For each project that may be around getting it done with a certain profit level, or margin, or within a certain timeframe, or over your career producing high quality developments that stand out, whatever it is, stay focused, and see things on the way, not in the way. This will help smooth out the bumps and jumps along the way.