NSW neighbours facing a nearby DA · planning information, not legal advice · A$149 flat
Your neighbour lodged a DA. Is it worth objecting to? We test the applicant's own figures against the real LEP, DCP and SEPP controls, cited clause by clause.
Send the DA documents. Within 5 business days you get a cited verdict: a grounds table plus a draft submission you review and lodge yourself, or a plain-English explanation of why not and a full refund within 24 hours. For NSW neighbours weighing an objection. One flat price: A$149 per DA (AUD, GST incl.). Planning information, not legal advice, and not a law practice.
Last checked against the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) and the NSW Planning Portal on 2026-10-04.
What the A$149 covers: A cited screen of one DA's stated figures (height, floor-space ratio, setbacks, parking, landscaping, solar access, zoning, overlays) against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP controls, with exact clause citations and a draft submission you lodge yourself.
It does NOT cover: Legal advice, representation, or a prediction of the council's decision. We screen the documents you send; we do not assess planning merit beyond the controls.
General information only, not professional advice.
General information only. Not legal or financial advice.
How this is checked: Every control cited is checked against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP on the NSW Planning Portal. Last verified 2026-10-04.
Questions? fairformco@gmail.com replies within one business day.
An independent Australian publisher of compliance checklists.
Methodology · Terms · Privacy
✓ No supportable grounds: full refund within 24 hours of the verdict. No arguments, no forms.
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If there is merit
MERIT FOUNDYou get a clause-cited grounds table plus a draft submission to review and lodge yourself, within 5 business days.
Illustrative format. Every ground cites its clause and the DA page it came from.
If there is not
NO MERITYou get a plain-English explanation of why, and every cent back within 24 hours. No arguments.
The refund promise is the trust mechanism, not a marketing line.
What the screen tests
The applicant's own figures, checked against the controls.
Below is the format of the grounds table. Every line cites the exact clause and the page of the DA document. Example values are illustrative, not a real assessment.
| Control tested | Clause cited | Applicant's figure | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building height | LEP cl 4.3, max 8.5m | 9.2m (DA p.14) | GROUND Exceeds by 0.7m |
| Front setback | DCP cl 3.2, 6m min | 6.0m (DA p.22) | COMPLIANT |
| Deep soil area | DCP cl 5.1, 25% min | 18% (DA p.31) | GROUND 7 points short |
| Solar access | DCP cl 6.4, 3h to living areas | Compliant (DA p.40) | COMPLIANT |
Illustrative example of the report format, not a real DA assessment. Reports are produced by qualified contract town planners working to a fixed rubric drawn from the public planning instruments. Never automated verdicts; never "AI says you will win."
Your report holds four things:
- The clause-cited grounds table: every finding traced to its clause and the DA page it came from.
- A draft submission to review and lodge yourself, if supportable grounds exist.
- The applicant's figures you supplied, checked line by line.
- A plain-English explanation of why, plus a full refund within 24 hours, if nothing supportable is found.
How it works
Three steps. One honest answer.
Send the DA
Upload the DA documents, or just the DA number, council, and site address. Before payment we confirm the DA is still on exhibition and check the address against our coverage and exclusion areas.
We run the cited check
The applicant's stated figures are tested against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP controls: height, FSR, setbacks, parking, deep soil and landscaped area, separation and solar access, permissibility, heritage and flood overlays, exhibition compliance.
Merit, or your money back
Supportable grounds get a clause-cited grounds table plus a draft submission, within 5 business days. Nothing supportable gets you a plain-English explanation and a full refund within 24 hours of the verdict. We would rather lose the fee than sell you a hopeless objection.
The honesty clause THE PROMISE
Some cases turn on judgement calls no screen can automate: neighbourhood character, view sharing. If yours is one of them, we tell you and refund you in full within 24 hours rather than sell you a report that cannot do the job. We make no success-rate claims of any kind; be wary of anyone who does.
Pricing
The A$149 step before the full fight.
For comparison, Town Planning Collective (NSW) advertises an online planning objection package from $1,200 + GST, with a planner-consultation tier from $1,800 and a site-inspection tier from $2,900 (their own objection guide page, checked 2026-10-04). MeritCheck is the cited screen you run first, before you spend the big money, or instead of it.
Buy once, free updates for 12 months. If the planning controls change between your screen and lodgement, the re-screen is free.
The professional alternative
from $1,200 + GST
Town Planning Collective, online objection. From $1,200 + GST (from their website, checked 2026-10-04). A town planner reviews the DA and prepares the objection for you; consultation and site-inspection tiers cost more. No no-merit refund is advertised: the fixed package price applies whether or not the DA turns out to have real grounds.
MeritCheck screen
A$149
Flat per DA, per address (A$119 each for 3+ households on the same DA). The cited screen you run first, before the big spend or instead of it.
General information only. Not legal or financial advice. Prices in AUD, GST incl.
Full clause-cited merit check, grounds table plus draft submission if merit exists, or plain-English explanation plus full refund within 24 hours if it does not. Delivered within 5 business days. One-off payment, charged once.
General information only. Not legal or financial advice.
Choose single household → STREET GROUP · 3+ HOUSEHOLDS, SAME DASame cited check per household address. Neighbours objecting to the same DA each get their own report at the group rate. Minimum 3 households (A$357 total), charged once. No subscription.
General information only. Not legal or financial advice.
Choose street group →✓ No supportable grounds: full refund within 24 hours of the verdict. No arguments, no forms.
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Coverage and exclusions: currently available in select NSW LGAs (Northern Beaches and Inner West first, expanding as the rule library grows). DAs in the City of Sydney LGA are never accepted. Every order's address is checked against NSW Government boundary data before payment; City of Sydney orders are declined with a full refund.
Free help, if you would rather not pay us
We sell a cited screen. If you would rather pay nothing, these free services can help you understand the DA and your options:
- NSW Planning Portal · DA tracking and planning-control explainers.
- LawAccess NSW · free legal information and referrals.
- Legal Aid NSW · free legal help for eligible callers.
- Your council's duty planner · free pre-lodgement and exhibition questions about a specific DA.
Not ready? Get the free DA exhibition checklist + join the list.
One page: what to check on the DA documents before you decide whether a screen is worth it. No account, no automation promises.
This opens your email app to send the request; we reply with the checklist. We only use your address to send it.
Scope
What the screen covers, and what it cannot
Tested against the controls
- Height vs LEP maximum, floor-space ratio, setbacks
- Parking rates, deep soil and landscaped area
- Building separation and solar access
- Permissibility in the zone, heritage and flood overlays
- Exhibition and notification compliance
Honestly excluded
- Neighbourhood character and view-sharing judgement calls. No screen can automate these. If your case turns on them, you are told and refunded in full within 24 hours.
- Not legal advice and not a law practice. Planning information only.
- No guaranteed objection outcome; no success-rate claims, ever.
- DAs in the City of Sydney LGA. Hard operational exclusion; orders are checked pre-payment and declined plus refunded.
The honest alternatives
- Read the controls yourself, free. The LEP and DCP for the site are public on the NSW Planning Portal and your council's website. It costs nothing but your weekend.
- Ask the council's duty planner, free. They will explain what the exhibition period allows and what a submission should address.
- Hire Town Planning Collective for the full objection. Online planning objection from $1,200 + GST, consultation tier from $1,800, site-inspection tier from $2,900 (their website, checked 2026-10-04). A professional planner prepares the objection for you. No no-merit refund is advertised: the fee applies whether or not the DA has supportable grounds.
- Hire an architect for neighbour advice. All Australian Architecture in Sydney advises neighbours on what a DA involves, whether the design complies with controls, and how to write an effective submission (pricing not published). Stronger on design impacts like view loss and privacy; an advisory service, not a fixed-scope cited screen.
Why the A$149 screen exists: before you spend the big money, or instead of it, you get a cited answer to one question: is there anything here worth objecting to? If not, you get your money back. No competitor we found, as at our review on 2026-10-04, offers a no-merit refund on a fixed-price screen.
Straight answers
Real objections, answered straight
Is this legal advice? Will you act for me?
Do you guarantee my objection will succeed?
My concern is neighbourhood character or loss of views. Can you help?
Who runs MeritCheck?
Why do you not take City of Sydney LGA orders?
What do you need from me, and how fast is the report?
What exactly do I get for A$149?
When is payment taken?
Who wrote this and why should I trust it?
MeritCheck is an independent Australian publisher of planning checklists. Every finding cites the exact LEP, DCP or SEPP clause it was checked against, so your planner or solicitor can verify each line. And the trust model is outcome-linked: if we find no supportable grounds, you get a full refund within 24 hours.
Why not just ask an AI chatbot or use a free template?
AI chatbots can invent clause numbers and misread planning controls; a submission built on invented clauses is worse than none. Our screen is checked against the actual controls on the NSW Planning Portal. The Portal itself is free if you want to do the reading yourself.
Before you spend big on the full fight, spend A$149 on the truth.
Clause-cited. Refund-backed. If there is nothing worth objecting to, you will know, and you will not pay for the privilege of finding out.
General information only. Not legal or financial advice.
✓ No supportable grounds: full refund within 24 hours of the verdict. No arguments, no forms.
Secured by Stripe · Apple Pay · Google Pay accepted