In this guide
Australians have always had a love affair with property and with the strong capital growth achieved over recent decades, it’s no wonder this includes the use of retirement savings to fund property investments.
June 2025 statistics show self-managed super funds (SMSFs) own almost $163 billion in direct property assets, comprising:
- $105 billion in Australian non-residential property
- $57 billion in Australian residential property
- $213 million in foreign non-residential property
- $426 million in foreign residential property.
This represents around 16% of all assets held in the $1 trillion SMSF market.
The popularity of direct property ownership with SMSFs has also resulted in greater regulatory scrutiny from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and SMSF auditors. So, it is essential that SMSF trustees are aware of the strict rules around the personal use of their fund’s assets.
Restrictions on personal use
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