Property Development Lawyer Sunshine Coast
Legal Support for Subdivisions, Refinances & Development Projects
Developing property on the Sunshine Coast? A missed easement, incorrect title plan, or finance delay can stall your project and cost thousands.
At Legal Synthesis, our property lawyers handle the complex legal details, from subdivisions and easements to refinances and loan agreements, so your project moves forward correctly, fast, and stress-free.
→ Clear Legal Advice
→ Fast, Fixed-Fee Service
→ Queensland Law Expertise
→ Start-to-Finish Support
Contact us to book your free initial consultation
When You'll Need a Property Development Lawyer
Subdivision Projects:
Breaking up land into multiple titles? We manage the legal process from plan approval through to final registration.
Refinancing Development Projects:
Restructuring finance mid-project? We coordinate with lenders to update securities and protect your equity position.
Related Party Loans & Mortgages:
Funding your development through family or business entities? We document loans and register mortgages correctly to protect all parties.
Development Agreements & Joint Ventures:
Partnering with investors or landowners? We draft agreements that allocate risk, profit, and obligations fairly from day one.
We take care of the contracts, registrations, and compliance requirements so you can focus on delivering your development.
What's Included in Our Property Development Service
We manage every legal step from initial structuring through to final title registration.
Title & Planning Review
We review titles, planning schemes, and DA conditions to identify restrictions or compliance obligations before you commit to a site.
Development Contracts & Agreements
We draft and review contracts with builders, consultants, joint-venture partners, and purchasers under Queensland law, ensuring your commercial interests are protected.
Subdivision & Community Title Applications
Finance Documentation & Security Registration
We coordinate with lenders to prepare loan documents, register mortgages, and update securities as your project progresses through each stage.
Settlement & Title Registration
We manage final settlement for off-the-plan sales or staged releases, lodge new titles, and confirm registration so ownership transfers smoothly
Why Legal Details Matter in Development
Property development involves more than just construction; it requires strict adherence to the Land Title Act 1994 (Qld) and banking requirements.
We spot the issues others miss, protecting you from:
Titling Errors: Ensuring the plan of survey matches the legal documents perfectly.
Finance Delays: Meeting lender requirements quickly to keep cash flow moving.
Unsecured Loans: Documenting related party loans properly so they are legally enforceable.
Compliance Gaps: Ensuring all council conditions regarding easements or covenants are legally registered.
A clear legal strategy today prevents costly disputes or delays tomorrow.
Our Process
Acquisition & Due Diligence
Before you turn a sod of soil, we review the site contract and title. We check for existing easements, caveats, or zoning issues that could kill your yield, and advise on the best entity structure (e.g., SPV or Trust) to minimise tax.
Off-the-Plan Contracts & Disclosure
If you plan to sell lots before they are registered, we draft Off-the-Plan Contracts and Disclosure Statements that comply with the Land Sales Act 1984 (Qld). This allows you to secure pre-sales and funding while construction is underway.
Drafting Easements & Covenants
While civil works are happening, we draft the technical documents required for the new titles. This includes Easements (for drainage or access), Building Covenants, and Community Management Statements (for strata schemes).
Plan Sealing & Bank Consent
This is the critical bottleneck. As your surveyor submits the plan to Council for "sealing," we coordinate with your bank to secure the Partial Discharge of Mortgage. We ensure all consents are ready so the moment Council signs off, we are ready to lodge.
Registration & Settlement
We lodge the sealed plan and legal instruments with Titles Queensland. Once the new titles issue, we notify your financiers and immediately trigger the settlement process for your pre-sold lots to get cash flowing back to you.
Why Sunshine Coast Clients Choose Legal Synthesis
Lawyers Who Know Development
Handled by qualified property lawyers who understand the commercial reality of subdivisions and finance.
Clear, Straightforward Advice
We explain the legal jargon and keep you informed from drafting to registration.
Fast, Fixed-Fee Support
We know time is money in development. We price upfront and work efficiently to meet your deadlines.
Local Knowledge
We work across Maroochydore, Caloundra, Kawana Waters, Nambour and beyond, understanding the local property landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, you need a property lawyer to handle the legal creation of the new titles. While a surveyor handles the physical mapping and Council approves the layout, a lawyer is required to draft and lodge the specific title documents, easement requests, and mortgage consents with Titles Queensland to legally register the new lots.
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The final legal registration with Titles Queensland is quite fast, typically 3 to 5 business days once lodged. However, this is the very last step of a much longer process. A typical subdivision project takes 6 to 18 months to get through Council approval and civil construction.
As a property development lawyer, we step in during the final stages to manage the specific legal registration that turns your finished site into separate, sellable titles.
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No, those are specialist roles for Town Planners and Civil Engineers. However, we work alongside them. For example, if Council requires an easement for a sewer pipe, your Engineer designs it, but we draft the legal document that registers it on the title. We focus on the legal rights, while they focus on the physical site.
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A Related Party Loan is a formal contract documenting money lent between connected parties, such as family members, business partners, or a Trust and its beneficiaries. A formal written agreement and registered mortgage are often required to prove to the ATO, SMSF auditors, or banks that the loan is genuine and commercially binding, rather than just a gift.
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"Plan Sealing" is when the local Council signs off that your physical works (roads/drainage) are finished. While your Surveyor usually submits the application to Council, we coordinate the legal side, ensuring your Bank has consented to the new plan and that all legal documents are signed, so the moment the plan is "sealed," it can be lodged immediately.
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An easement is a legal right that allows a third party (such as the Council, Energex, or a neighbour) to access or use part of your land. In property development, Councils often mandate the registration of easements for essential services like stormwater drainage, sewerage pipes, or shared driveway access before they will allow new titles to issue.
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Yes, this is called selling "off-the-plan." To do this legally, we must prepare a rigorous Disclosure Statement and Contract that complies with the Land Sales Act 1984 (Qld). If you get this wrong, buyers can crash your contracts and get their deposits back, so it is vital to get legal advice before you start marketing.
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Banks are often the bottleneck. Before Titles Queensland will issue new titles, your bank must sign a "Partial Discharge of Mortgage" (releasing the old big lot so the new small lots can be created). Banks can take 10–15 business days to process this. We contact your bank early in the process to start this timeline, preventing it from holding up your final registration.
Ready to Move Your Project Forward?
Our Sunshine Coast property lawyers make development legals simple, compliant, and commercially sound. Get clear guidance on subdivisions, loans, and titles before you start.