Community title developments are increasingly popular across Queensland, particularly for residential estates, mixed-use developments and lifestyle communities. While they offer flexibility and commercial advantages for developers, they also involve complex legal, planning and compliance requirements that need to be managed carefully from the outset.
At Argon Law, our commercial and property lawyers have extensive experience in community title developments, advising community title developers from the simplest of duplexes in two lot schemes, to residential towers with ground floor commercial, to the most complex multi-layered schemes built over multiple stages. Our role is to work with your planning, surveying and sales team to help you structure your development correctly, manage risk, and ensure the project can be delivered smoothly, marketed effectively and operated efficiently once complete.
Our lawyers also regularly advise developers in establishing management rights to be sold off the plan with the residential lots.
We take a practical, commercially focused approach and work closely with your consultants, planners, surveyors and financiers to ensure the legal framework supports your broader development objectives.
A community title scheme is a form of land subdivision that allows multiple lots and shared property to exist within a single development, governed by a community management statement. It is commonly used for duplexes, unit complexes, townhouse developments, residential estates with shared infrastructure, mixed-use projects and staged developments.
Unlike standard freehold subdivisions, community title schemes require detailed documentation to regulate how lots are used, how shared areas are maintained, and how owners contribute to ongoing costs. Getting this structure right at the beginning is critical to avoiding disputes, delays and costly amendments later.
Argon Law supports developers across all aspects of community title projects, from early planning through to completion and ongoing management. This includes advising on the most appropriate structure for the development, preparing and reviewing community management statements, and ensuring compliance with Queensland’s community titles legislation.
Our property lawyers assist with staged developments, mixed-use schemes, layered arrangements and developments involving multiple bodies corporate. We also advise on easements, shared infrastructure, access arrangements, service agreements and the integration of community title schemes with planning approvals and development conditions.
Where required, we work alongside our property, commercial and dispute resolution divisions to provide whole-of-project advice, particularly for larger or more complex developments.
The way a community title scheme is structured can have a significant impact on the commercial viability of a project, its market appeal and its long-term management. Poorly structured schemes can deter buyers, create ongoing body corporate issues and expose developers to unnecessary risk.
Our lawyers help you document governance and cost-sharing arrangements that are clear, balanced and commercially sensible. This includes allocating responsibilities fairly between owners, managing shared facilities, and ensuring future owners understand their obligations from day one.
Our focus is on creating documentation that is legally robust but also practical and easy for owners, managers and buyers to understand.
Argon Law understands that preparing the documents for community title developments are rarely standalone legal exercises. They sit alongside planning approvals, financing arrangements, construction contracts, marketing strategies and settlement programs.
Our lawyers work collaboratively with your broader project team to keep the development moving and address issues early.
Our lawyers bring extensive experience in property and development law in Queensland, combined with a strong understanding of the commercial realities developers face. Our advice is practical, responsive and tailored to the specific needs of your project, whether you are delivering a small residential development or a large, staged community.
Clients choose Argon Law because we focus on outcomes, communicate clearly, and provide trusted advice that supports successful developments from concept through to completion and beyond.
Q. What types of developments use Community Title Schemes?
A. Community title schemes are commonly used for duplexes, unit complexes, townhouse developments, residential estates with shared roads or facilities, mixed-use developments, lifestyle communities and projects delivered in stages. They are particularly useful where shared property or ongoing management is required.
Q. Is a Community Title Scheme more complex than a standard subdivision?
A. Yes. Community title developments involve additional legal documentation, regulatory requirements and ongoing governance arrangements. This makes early legal advice especially important to avoid delays and future complications.
Q. When should a lawyer be involved in a Community Title Development?
A. Ideally, legal advice should be obtained during the early planning and design stage. Early involvement allows the scheme to be structured correctly and aligned with planning approvals, financing requirements and the intended market for the development.
Q. Can Community Title Schemes be staged?
A. Yes. Many community title developments are delivered in stages. Staged schemes require careful legal planning to ensure future stages integrate smoothly and there is some flexibility for the developer.
Q. What is a Community Management Statement?
A. A Community Management Statement, or CMS, sets out how the community title scheme will operate. It covers matters such as lot entitlements, the share of cost contributions being paid by each lot, use of shared property areas, by-laws, potential future development stages and governance arrangements. It is a critical document for both developers and future owners.
Q. Do Community Title Schemes involve bodies corporate?
A. Yes. Community title schemes are managed by one or more bodies corporate, depending on the structure of the development. Each body corporate has responsibilities for managing shared property and enforcing the scheme’s rules.
Q. How can Argon Law assist with disputes in Community Title Developments?
A. If disputes arise, our Litigation & Dispute Resolution division can advise developers, bodies corporate and owners on their rights and obligations and assist with negotiation, resolution and, where necessary, formal dispute processes.
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