BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND DEVELOPMENT LAWYERS
Property Development Lawyers in Brisbane and Queensland
Commercially focused legal support across the property development lifecycle—from site acquisition and due diligence to subdivision, project documentation, off-the-plan sales and settlement.
- Residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects
- Acquisition, subdivision, disclosure and project sale documents
- Coordination with planners, surveyors, lenders, agents and accountants
Site acquisition
Title, contract and legal due diligence before commitment
Subdivision
Proposed lots, easements, access and title creation
Project documents
Development, disclosure and sale documentation
Project completion
Conditions, settlements, leasing and handover
DEVELOPMENT LAW WITH PROJECT CONTEXT
Legal decisions shape the project well before construction starts
A development site is not only an acquisition. The contract, title, easements, planning pathway, access, services, ownership structure, finance conditions and intended exit strategy need to work together.
Ensure Legal helps developers identify the legal workstream early, document the project clearly and coordinate transaction milestones across the consultant team.
A CONNECTED LEGAL WORKSTREAM
From development strategy to registrable documents and sales
- Acquisition contracts, options, due diligence conditions and completion strategy
- Ownership, project vehicle, finance and foreign-investment considerations
- Easements, covenants, access, infrastructure and adjoining-owner arrangements
- Subdivision and proposed-lot disclosure documentation
- Off-the-plan contracts, disclosure plans, variations and settlement processes
- Commercial leasing or project disposal documentation where relevant
THE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE
Legal support matched to each project stage
Development risk changes as the project moves from feasibility to acquisition, approvals, title creation, sales and completion. The legal work should follow that sequence.
01 / ACQUIRE
Site acquisition and due diligence
Secure the site on terms that leave room to investigate the legal and commercial assumptions behind the project.
- Title and registered-interest review
- Due diligence and finance conditions
- Options, exclusivity and settlement strategy
02 / STRUCTURE
Project structure, duty and FIRB
The buyer entity, funding plan and foreign ownership position should be considered before the acquisition contract becomes unconditional.
- Company, trust or joint-venture context
- Transfer duty and tax-adviser coordination
- FIRB conditions and approval timing where relevant
03 / ENABLE
Approvals, access and project rights
Development approvals sit within a broader legal framework of title rights, services, access and third-party arrangements.
- Easements, covenants and access rights
- Infrastructure and adjoining-owner documents
- Consultant and authority coordination
04 / SUBDIVIDE
Subdivision and title creation
The plan, proposed-lot disclosure, easements and conditions must align with the approved project and intended sale strategy.
- Survey-plan and title-document coordination
- Easements, covenants and common access
- Proposed-lot disclosure and variation process
05 / SELL
Off-the-plan contracts and disclosure
Project sale documents should describe the proposed product, manage permitted change and create a workable path to settlement.
- Disclosure plans and statements
- Sunset, variation and project-condition clauses
- Body corporate and community-title material
06 / COMPLETE
Settlements, leasing and project exit
Completion requires coordinated notices, titles, finance, purchaser readiness and any operational lease or disposal documents.
- Settlement notices and completion preparation
- Staged or multi-lot settlement management
- Commercial leasing and project disposal support
BEFORE THE SITE IS UNCONDITIONAL
Development-site due diligence should test the project assumptions
Legal due diligence is one part of the feasibility process. It should be coordinated with planning, surveying, engineering, environmental, finance and tax advice so that title restrictions and contract dates are tested against the proposed use.
- Confirm the contracting entity, ownership structure and authority to proceed
- Review title, easements, covenants, leases and registered interests
- Match due diligence, finance, approval and access conditions to the programme
- Identify settlement deliverables, adjustments and third-party consents
- Document exit rights if a critical project assumption cannot be confirmed
SUBDIVISION & PROJECT SALES
Documents must stay aligned as the proposed lots change
Proposed-lot sales can involve a disclosure plan, disclosure statement, draft survey material, development approvals, easements, community-title documents and a detailed sale contract. If project details change, the contractual and statutory consequences need to be considered before notices are issued.
- Coordinate disclosure material with the surveyor and project team
- Define permitted changes, buyer notification and variation procedures
- Address sunset dates, title registration and settlement notice mechanics
- Prepare body corporate, common property and management documentation where relevant
- Maintain a consistent contract pack across stages and product types
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
The legal documents behind a development
The required document suite depends on the site, approval pathway, ownership model, product and exit strategy. A document register helps the team understand who prepares, approves, signs and relies on each item.
Transaction documents
- Site acquisition contracts and options
- Heads of agreement and exclusivity deeds
- Development or joint-venture documents
- Finance-related conditions and consents
- Sale, project disposal and settlement documents
Land and project documents
- Easements, covenants and access deeds
- Infrastructure and service arrangements
- Disclosure plans and proposed-lot statements
- Off-the-plan contracts and variation notices
- Agreements for lease, leases and licences
FOREIGN INVESTMENT & DEVELOPMENT LAND
FIRB and surcharge issues should be tested before the site contract
Foreign ownership can affect acquisition approval, contract conditions, duty, land-tax surcharge exposure and post-approval reporting. The analysis may also depend on whether the land is residential, commercial, vacant or intended for redevelopment.
- Identify whether the buyer entity or project vehicle is a foreign person
- Match approval timing and conditions to the acquisition contract
- Consider vacant-land development conditions and reporting obligations
- Coordinate FIRB, AFAD, land-tax and tax-adviser workstreams
- Keep evidence and notifiable-event processes aligned during the project
PROJECT TEAM COORDINATION
Development law works best when the consultant team is connected
The lawyer does not replace planning, surveying, engineering, valuation, finance, accounting or tax advice. The value comes from aligning those workstreams with the contract and project documents.
Planner, surveyor and engineers
Translate approvals, plans, services, access and technical constraints into the title and contract documentation.
Lender, accountant and tax adviser
Coordinate entity structure, funding conditions, security, duty, GST and tax assumptions with the transaction timetable.
Agent, project marketer and manager
Keep sales material, disclosure packs, contract versions, buyer communications and settlement processes consistent.
CONNECTED LEGAL SERVICES
Follow the issue to the right service
Development matters often cross into acquisition, leasing, conveyancing and foreign investment.
PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT INSIGHTS
Useful resources for development decisions and project documents
Use these Ensure Legal guides to prepare the questions, documents and consultant instructions that may need attention at the relevant project stage.
SUBDIVISION
A practical guide to proposed lots, disclosure plans, contract preparation and changes during the subdivision process.
OFF-THE-PLAN
Understand sunset dates, project changes, finance exposure, deposits and completion risk from a purchaser perspective.
SELLER DISCLOSURE
How the general seller disclosure regime interacts with property sales and why proposed lots require separate consideration.
FOREIGN DEVELOPERS
A development-focused introduction to foreign-investment approval, vacant land conditions and project compliance.
AFAD & LAND TAX
What foreign developers should consider when assessing AFAD and land-tax foreign surcharge relief and evidence requirements.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
Legal and commercial issues for developers and businesses assessing industrial sites, access, services and project timing.
RELATED GUIDANCE
Continue researching the issue that affects your project
These focused guides connect development work with body corporate, commercial land, source-of-funds and foreign-investment requirements.
PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FAQ
Questions developers ask before the next project milestone
Every project has a different site, approval pathway, ownership structure and commercial strategy. These answers provide a starting point only.
BRING THE PROJECT DOCUMENTS
Get legal advice aligned with the next development milestone
Tell us the site, project type, current stage, ownership structure and deadline. Include the proposed contract, title documents and available plans or approvals.
General information only. This page does not provide legal, planning, engineering, environmental, tax or financial advice. Property development, planning, disclosure, FIRB, duty, tax and settlement requirements depend on the site, project and parties and may change. Obtain advice from the appropriate professional advisers before signing or acting.