Maleny QLD 4552

Maleny sits 93 km from Brisbane CBD in Queensland, around 1 hour 25 minutes by car. Census data records 3,959 residents with a median age of 59 and a median household income of $59,488 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The town grew 6.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $390 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,625. Maleny is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. Of 3 schools within the town boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is high.

Is Maleny a good town?

Maleny scores a A (73/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and safety.

Schools

Mixed results

3 schools · 1 above peer schools

Transit

Very walkable

Walkability 76/100 · 92.6 km · 87 min drive to Brisbane

Prices

Median available

Median $1.2M

Safety

Low all-round risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 31/100

Community

Mid-range socio-economic

SEIFA decile 6/10 · median age 59 · 3,959 residents

A

Liveability Rating

73 / 100 · Ranked #123 in QLD

Each bar is Maleny's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).

Schools quality
72
Some above similar
Safety
89
Bushfire None · Crime Low

Flood data for Queensland covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.

Socio-economic
58
Mid-range
Walkability
83
Walkable
CBD access
55
92.6 km · 87 min drive to Brisbane
How it's calculated: Schools rank 72 × 25% + Safety rank 89 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 58 × 25% + Walkability rank 83 × 15% + CBD access rank 55 × 10% = 73 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Maleny?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

73 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Maleny's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.2 million, roughly 26% above where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$1,200,000

last 7 quarters

4% below its 3 neighbours (median $1,255,000)

↑ +26.3% year-on-year

Based on 117 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 45 days — median across 49 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 5 sales $908K
  • 3 bed 54 sales $1.09M
  • 4 bed 46 sales $1.36M
  • 5 bed 8 sales $1.27M

Land

$837,500

last 5 quarters
↑ +63.6% year-on-year

Based on 22 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 54 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Maleny are currently listed at around $1.4 million on average. Based on 50 houses listed in the past six months.

Houses

$1.4M

last 3 months
↑ +13.9% vs previous 6 months from $1.23M
Since 2022: $951K → $1.41M (+48%)

50 houses listed in the last 6 months.

Units

$795K

3 units listed in the last 6 months.

53 of the suburb's 1,707 dwellings (3.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Rental Market

Advertised rents · last 6 months

Houses in Maleny rent for around $850 a week on average, based on 14 houses listed for rent in the past six months.

$850/wk

last 2 months
↑ +13.3% vs previous 6 months from $750/wk
Since 2021: $557/wk → $610/wk (+9%)

14 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

16 rentals advertised against an estimated 324 rented homes (4.9%) in the last 6 months.

Rent agreed on new leases

Jul–Sep 2026
All rentals
$700/wk
16 bonds
+45% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

99 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 30% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4552.

SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.

Gross rental yield

Indicative
House
3.2% around the typical range
Bottom 14% in QLD

$850/week ($44,000 a year) on a $1.4 million median

Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Short-Stay Rentals

88 active Airbnb listings: 77 whole homes and 11 rooms. Whole homes are about 4.1% of the town's homes.

Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.

Is Maleny safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Maleny sits in the low band, with 27 incidents recorded in 2025 — up about 4% on the prior year.

27 offences

3.8% since 2024
Drug Offences 15 (55.6%)
Assault 8 (29.6%)
Other Offences Against Person 4 (14.8%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2020–2024

13 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal

Where they happened

Landsborough - Maleny Road 5 (38.5%)
Grandview Road 3 (23.1%)

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Schools

Three schools serve Maleny, and performance is broadly at peer-suburb levels with one standout. Maleny State School leads the pack.

58
out of 100
Average
3 schools in this town
1 above similar · 2 at similar
  • • 1,133 students across 3 schools (avg 378)
  • • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Independent
  • • ICSEA 1029-1074, median 1050 (above the national baseline of 1000)
  • • Largest: Maleny State High School (647 students)

Primary

Government · Prep-6 · 409 students
ICSEA 1050 (higher than 68% of Australian schools) · 26% top-SEA students
Above similar
Independent · Prep-6 · 77 students
ICSEA 1074 (higher than 77% of Australian schools) · 35% top-SEA students
At similar

Secondary

Government · 7-12 · 647 students
ICSEA 1029 (higher than 59% of Australian schools) · 17% top-SEA students
At similar

Walkability

Maleny is very walkable on foot — at 76/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the town there are 2 supermarkets, 19 parks and 12 cafes to anchor that walking radius.

76
out of 100
Very Walkable
Top 6% in QLD
Public Transport within 1 km 48
Schools within 1.5 km 80
Parks within 800 m 100
Supermarkets within 1 km 80
GPs within 1 km 100
Pharmacies within 1 km 80
Childcare within 1 km 100
Hospitals within 5 km 80

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Maleny.

30
out of 100
Bottom 17% in QLD
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
5.2 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
3.3 arrivals/hr
Saturday
1.9 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
4 min
Span of service
13.3 hours

Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Maleny.

69
connectivity score / 100
Top 22% in QLD
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
39%
Premises covered
2,314
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 39%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 25%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 19%
Fibre to the curb (FTTC) 16%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 1%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

Supermarkets
2 in town
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
12 in town
Parks & Reserves
19 in town
Sport & Recreation
1 in town
Beaches
None
Waterways
8 in town
Childcare
4 in town
GPs
4 in town
Pharmacies
2 in town
Hospitals
2 in town
Police Stations
1 in town
Banks & Bank@Post
3 in town
Fuel Stations
2 in town
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
3 in town
Arts & Culture
3 in town
Places of Worship
1 in town

Sunshine Coast: council population

The whole council area, not just Maleny · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
381,957
+2.0% in a year
Change
+7,659
people since 2024
Density
170
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+580
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+4,159
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+2,920
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
6/10
7/10 within QLD
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
4/10
4/10 within QLD
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
8/10
9/10 within QLD
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 9 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.

Maleny is home to about 4,000 residents, with a median age of 59 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $59,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

3,959

6.0% since 2016

Median Age

59

3.5% since 2016

Median Household Income

$59,488/yr

16.6% since 2016
Bottom 24% in QLD

Census Median Rent

$390/wk

16.4% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,625/mo

1.6% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.1

4.5% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$32,136/yr

18.2% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

5.0%

36.7% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

10.9%

19.9% since 2016

Total Dwellings

1,707

10.0% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

81.0%

4.0% since 2016

Houses

91.4%

0.9% since 2016

Rental Stress

34.1%

no change since 2016

Mortgage Stress

32.8%

12.8% since 2016

Work From Home

26.7%

81.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 1,560 (91.4%)
Townhouses 111 (6.5%)
Flats / Apartments 36 (2.1%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 945 (57.6%)
Mortgage 383 (23.4%)
Renting 312 (19.0%)
Of those rentals, social housing 20 (6.4%)

20 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 312 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
73.5%
English Spoken at Home
90.3%
Employment Rate
41.1%
0.5% since 2016
Completed Year 12
50.7%

Occupations

Professionals 362 (25.2%)
Managers 219 (15.3%)
Technicians & Trades 192 (13.4%)
Community & Personal Service 188 (13.1%)
Labourers 145 (10.1%)
Sales 143 (10.0%)
Clerical & Administrative 118 (8.2%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 50 (3.5%)

Religion

No Religion 1,896 (47.9%)
Christianity 1,559 (39.4%)
Buddhism 70 (1.8%)
Other Religions 32 (0.8%)
Hinduism 22 (0.6%)
Islam 9 (0.2%)
Judaism 3 (0.1%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 295 (7.5%)
New Zealand 124 (3.1%)
Germany 45 (1.1%)
India 28 (0.7%)
Scotland 28 (0.7%)
Canada 22 (0.6%)
South Africa 20 (0.5%)
Netherlands 19 (0.5%)

When They Arrived

Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.

2016-2021 65 (1.6%)
2011-2015 47 (1.2%)
2001-2010 124 (3.1%)
1991-2000 75 (1.9%)
1981-1990 142 (3.6%)
Before 1981 391 (9.9%)

65 residents (1.6%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.

Where New Residents Came From

Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.

12.3% of residents (473) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (359).

Overseas 117 (3.0%)
Brisbane Inner City 62 (1.6%)
Brisbane - South 51 (1.3%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,851 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Languages Spoken at Home

Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.

German 21 (0.5%)
Vietnamese 9 (0.2%)
Mandarin 8 (0.2%)
Spanish 7 (0.2%)
Russian 7 (0.2%)
French 6 (0.2%)
Cantonese 3 (0.1%)
Italian 3 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 108 (2.7%)
5-14 358 (9.0%)
15-19 180 (4.5%)
20-24 91 (2.3%)
25-34 219 (5.5%)
35-44 328 (8.3%)
45-54 466 (11.8%)
55-64 638 (16.1%)
65-74 835 (21.1%)
75-84 532 (13.4%)
85+ 200 (5.1%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 524 (49.4%)
Couple Families 284 (26.8%)
One Parent Families 198 (18.7%)
Group Household 46 (4.3%)
Other Families 9 (0.8%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 727 (61.0%)
Worked from Home 318 (26.7%)
Walked Only 75 (6.3%)
Car (passenger) 62 (5.2%)
Train 7 (0.6%)
Bus 3 (0.3%)

4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (62 of 1,436).

City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.

Local Jobs

People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.

About 1,828 people work here; 1,436 employed residents live here.

Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.3 per resident). At least 18% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.

Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Education

Bachelor Degree 594 (15.0%)
Certificate III & IV 538 (13.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 452 (11.4%)
Postgraduate Degree 245 (6.2%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 147 (3.7%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 78 (4.6%)
1 car 779 (46.1%)
2 cars 573 (33.9%)
3 cars 162 (9.6%)
4+ cars 100 (5.9%)

Council Rates

Sunshine Coast
FY 2025-26

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,690 a year through Sunshine Coast based on 2025 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,690/yr
27% above the QLD average of $1,328 · median of 59 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

Building Approvals: Sunshine Coast

The whole council area, not just Maleny · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 2,962 new dwellings were approved across Sunshine Coast. That mix is 1,757 houses and 1,205 units. Approvals are down 41.1% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
2,962dwellings
-41.1% YoY
Houses
1,757
detached dwellings
Units
1,205
townhouses + apartments

New Homes Planned

New homes planned in this town: 304 to 840 homes

  • Within 2 years 85 to 195 homes
  • In 2 to 5 years 58 to 160 homes
  • In 5 to 10 years 54 to 165 homes
  • No timeframe set 107 to 320 homes

Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (49 parcels), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

The Aboriginal party for this area is Jinibara People.

Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. Native title over this area has been determined.

Air Quality

CLEAN

PM2.5 averaged 4.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³).

PM10 averaged 12.3 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0.

From the Nambour (South East Queensland) monitoring station, 15.8 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Somerset Dam, 49.1 km

High rainfall.

Elevation
409 m
above sea level, at the town centre
Distance to the ocean
25.8 km
Near high-voltage lines
0.3% of addresses
8 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
Annual rainfall
950 mm
81 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
—
Winter min (Jul)
—

Elevation is the ground at the town centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

EV adoption

1.6%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.11% in 2021
+0.6 points this year
Top 10% in QLD

In postcode 4552, 137 of 8,708 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.6% (225 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.2%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.11%
2022
0.21%
2023
0.44%
2024
0.95%
2025
1.57%

Rooftop solar

89
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.7 kW each

In postcode 4552, 3,690 rooftop-solar systems totalling 21.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,154 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 321 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
161
2020
194
2021
227
2022
164
2023
202
2024
165
2025
318
2026
161

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$30,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.

$30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, with no end date. IT DID NOT REVERT TO $15,000: the tier was due to end 30 June 2026 and the 2026-27 Queensland Budget (23 June 2026) continued it for contracts signed from 1 July 2026. This file carried a "due to revert" note until 2026-09-18 — it was never true, and a note predicting a change is not the same as a change. Cap is "less than $750,000" including land and contract variations — less than, not up to. New homes only: "There are no home owner grants for established homes."

Verify eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$6,258
Loan amount
$960,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,293,053
Deposit
$240,000
Stamp duty
$42,350
Cash needed at settlement
$282,350

Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Queensland Revenue Office

The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $30,000 — see what qualifies with Queensland Revenue Office.

Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Fisher

Currently held by Andrew Wallace Liberal National Party of Queensland

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Andrew Wallace 44.0% 56.0% +2.6
2022 Andrew Wallace 41.3% 58.7% -4.0
2019 Andrew Wallace 37.3% 62.7% +3.5

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.

State Electorate

Glass House District

Currently held by Andrew Powell Liberal National Party of Queensland

Next state election: 28 October 2028.

Year Winner Won with
2024 Andrew Powell LNP 60.2%
2020 Andrew Powell LNP 51.6%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.

Looking at a specific address in Maleny?

Every figure above is a town average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Maleny to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Maleny

Is Maleny a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Maleny is low (31/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Maleny?

Maleny has no recorded bushfire history. These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Maleny a good place to live?

Maleny has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (73/100), ranked against other QLD suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.

What is the population of Maleny?

Maleny, QLD had a population of 3,959 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Maleny, QLD?

The postcode for Maleny, QLD is 4552.

How far is Maleny from Brisbane?

Maleny is 93 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 87 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Maleny?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Maleny was $59,488 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Maleny?

The median advertised rent in Maleny is $850 a week for houses (14 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.

What is the median age in Maleny?

The median age of residents in Maleny was 59 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in Maleny?

There are 3 schools inside the Maleny boundary: 1 above and 2 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Maleny walkable?

Maleny scores 76/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the air quality in Maleny?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Maleny (Nambour (South East Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 4.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 12.3 µg/m³. That puts Maleny below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.

What is the weather like in Maleny?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Maleny, Somerset Dam (49.1 km away), 950 mm of rain a year over 81 rainy days over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Maleny?

First-home buyers in QLD may be eligible for $30,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by Queensland Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Maleny belong to?

Maleny sits within the Sunshine Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Maleny?

The average residential rates bill through Sunshine Coast is $1,690 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Maleny?

Across Sunshine Coast, 2,962 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 41.1% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Maleny in?

Maleny sits within the federal Division of Fisher, currently held by Andrew Wallace (Liberal National Party of Queensland).

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Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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