Quality screen
Reject the “cheap for a reason” stock
A low price can hide resale risk when the bedroom borrows light, the floor plan is deep, storage is weak and the balcony is token.
Internal bedroom
Single aspect
Minimal storage
Token balcony
Victorian apartment design standards
Not all apartments are built equal.
Since 2017, Victoria’s design rules transformed what counts as liveable. We help you buy on the right side of that line.
Find a Better-Value ApartmentQuality signals
2017
Design rules changed
VC136
Planning amendment
Clause 58
5+ storey apartments
2021
External amenity update
The problem
The era of the “dog-box” apartment.
For years, Melbourne approved apartments with windowless “borrowed-light” bedrooms, deep dark floor plans, almost no storage, and balconies too small to use.
Research found a large share of new apartments were low quality — cramped, dark, and hard to live in. They were nicknamed “dog boxes,” and they can be harder to rent, harder to resell, and harder to finance.
Dark and compressed
Light and liveable
So what changed?
Victoria drew a line in the floor plan.
On 13 April 2017, the Victorian Government introduced the Better Apartments Design Standards through Amendment VC136. The standards apply through Clause 55 for lower-rise apartments and Clause 58 for buildings of five or more storeys. A 2021 update added external amenity rules. Compliance depends on when the planning permit was lodged, so some newer-looking buildings may still be pre-standard.
External bedroom windows
Every bedroom needs daylight from a real window. No more borrowed light.
Minimum room sizes
Main bedrooms 3.0 × 3.4m; other bedrooms 3.0 × 3.0m.
2.7m ceilings
Taller, brighter habitable rooms with better perceived volume.
Cross-ventilation
At least 40% of apartments must breathe through more than one aspect.
Real storage
Prescribed minimum storage volume per apartment.
Usable balconies
Minimum private open space sized to actually use.
The rules apply by a building’s planning permit date from 13 April 2017 — not just how new it looks.
Here’s the difference
A better apartment reads better in seconds.
The standards turn vague “quality” into visible checks: real light, workable room sizes, airflow, storage and outdoor space.
Pre-2017 stock
Cheap can be costly.
Bedroom light
✗ Borrowed-light or internal bedroom
Room size
✗ Often compressed and furniture-led
Ceiling height
✗ Lower, darker feel
Ventilation
✗ Single-aspect, limited airflow
Storage
✗ Minimal or awkward
Balcony
✗ Token ledge or unusable shape
Post-2017 standard
Quality is easier to see.
Bedroom light
✓ External bedroom window
Room size
✓ Minimum bedroom dimensions
Ceiling height
✓ 2.7m habitable-room ceilings
Ventilation
✓ Cross-ventilation benchmark
Storage
✓ Prescribed storage volume
Balcony
✓ Usable private open space
What it means for your money
Bad design can mean a six-figure value gap.
If a well-designed apartment is worth about $600k, a weaker pre-standard comparable can sit far lower because buyers discount darkness, poor layouts and resale risk.
Simple $600k example
Well-designed compliant apartment
$600k
Clear light, compliant bedrooms, storage, balcony, stronger buyer demand.
Pre-standard older comparable
$414k–$517k
Based on the same 16–45% premium working backwards from a $600k benchmark.
The gap
$83k–$186k
That is the indicative difference between a $600k quality benchmark and a weaker pre-standard comparable after applying the documented premium range.
What buyers are discounting:
Internal bedrooms, poor light, single-aspect airflow, no real storage, token balconies and harder resale confidence.
This is an illustration, not a valuation. Part of the premium reflects new-build costs, and well-located older boutique apartments can also hold value — design quality + location + price matter together.
How Solomon Bloom helps
We turn apartment quality into a simple yes/no screen.
Instead of showing random listings, we filter out the apartments most likely to disappoint buyers, valuers and future tenants.
Quality screen
Screen every listing against the standard
We check planning timing, bedroom windows, ceiling height, ventilation, storage and usable outdoor space before recommending anything.
Permit date
External windows
2.7m ceilings
Usable balcony
Quality screen
Shortlist apartments that should hold value
The goal is not the newest apartment. It is the apartment where design quality, location and price make sense together.
Better light
Owner-occupier appeal
Cleaner resale story
Stronger value defence
We still pull live comparables for every client — this page is the screening logic, not a substitute for due diligence.
Why Solomon Bloom
We help you separate design quality from marketing polish.
We assess light, layout, ventilation, storage, balcony utility and resale depth — not just finishes.
We compare new, established and boutique older stock so you do not overpay for the wrong “new”.
We help buyers find apartments where design quality and location justify the price premium.
Next step
Get a better apartment
shortlist.
Tell us your budget, timeframe and preferred area. We will identify apartments with stronger light, layout, resale depth and value protection.
"Delivering superior real estate outcomes through expert guidance and unwavering integrity."
Our Offices
Melbourne
4002/90 Lorimer Street, Docklands VIC 3008
Adelaide
32 Flinders Street, Kent Town SA 5067
Singapore
312B Clementi Ave 4, 335-177 Clementi Ridges, Singapore 122312
SOLOMON BLOOM
MELBOURNE · ADELAIDE · SINGAPORE
This page is general information, not financial or property advice. Design-standard compliance depends on a property’s planning permit date and approval pathway. Price figures are indicative market estimates, not guarantees of future value. Always obtain independent advice and verify a property’s specifics before buying.