The dual occupancy guide explains how two homes on one lot are approved in Wollongong. This page covers the version buyers ask about most often after that: the dual key home.
What is a dual key home?
A dual key home is one building that holds two self-contained dwellings. Each has its own front door, kitchen, bathroom and living area, and the two usually share a roof, a lobby or a lockable internal door. Most are on one title, so the owner can live in one part and rent the other, or house a parent or adult child with real privacy.
Is “dual key” a planning term in NSW?
No. Neither the Standard Instrument LEP nor the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009 has a land use called “dual key”. Council assesses the design as whatever it actually is, and that classification sets the rules for the size of each part, the parking, and whether the two can later be split onto separate titles.
What are the three ways a dual key can be approved?
| Approved as | Size of the second dwelling | Separate title later? |
|---|---|---|
| Dual occupancy (attached) | Two principal dwellings, set by the lot's floor space and design controls | Possible where the subdivision standards are met |
| House with a secondary dwelling | Capped: 60 m² under the state rules; in Wollongong the greater of 60 m² or 67% of the main dwelling's floor area | No: a lot with a secondary dwelling approved under the Housing SEPP cannot be subdivided |
| One house with a connecting door | Not a second dwelling at all | No |
The layout on paper can look identical in all three cases. The approval is what changes the asset.
When does a dual key make sense?
- Two generations, one property: a parent or adult child gets their own front door without a second title to manage.
- Live in one, rent the other: one mortgage, one block, two incomes from day one.
- Lots that cannot be subdivided: where the lot is too small or too narrow for two titles, a dual key can still deliver two dwellings.
If you already know you will want to sell the two parts separately, a dual key approved as a secondary dwelling is the wrong vehicle. Design it as a dual occupancy from the start, and read Torrens title or strata before the plans are drawn.
What should you check before designing one?
- Zone: dual occupancies are permitted with consent in the R2 Low Density Residential zone across NSW; other zones depend on the LEP.
- Lot size and width: start with the minimum land size tests.
- Services: separate water meters, electricity and stormwater add cost, but they are what make the two parts genuinely separate.
- Fire and sound separation: two dwellings in one building need separation under the National Construction Code, which shapes the walls and floor between them.
- BASIX: each dwelling needs to meet the BASIX energy and water targets.
Dual keys in Wollongong
In Wollongong the question is usually not whether a dual key can be built but which classification the block supports. Near the four nominated Wollongong town centres (Corrimal, Dapto, Fairy Meadow and Warrawong), the state's low and mid-rise standards can apply to a dual occupancy; the town centres page lists them. Elsewhere the LEP and the Development Control Plan decide.
Because the classification decides the value, I check it on site before anyone pays for design. If you are weighing up a dual key, start with a Wollongong builder who checks blocks for dual occupancy and dual key designs before you commit to a layout. Families planning around a parent should also read dual living and multigenerational homes.
Sources
Checked on 25 October 2026.
- NSW Planning, Secondary dwellings: the 60 m² floor area limit and the rule that a lot with a secondary dwelling cannot be subdivided.
- NSW Legislation, Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009: land use table and clause 5.4 (secondary dwelling size).
- NSW Planning, Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy: summary of key provisions: dual occupancy permissibility, the non-discretionary standards and subdivision.
General information from a builder, not planning or legal advice. Confirm the controls for your lot with your council, a certifier or a solicitor.