Property acquisition, development & sale

Overview

Our Property & Development group works side by side with property developers, substantial property portfolio owners, religious and educational institutions, government authorities and significant overseas corporate investors on every phase of their property development projects in all sectors and asset classes, from corporate structuring, site acquisition and due diligence, to development, leasing and sales. We help our clients maximise available opportunities.

We are an integral part of the property and development industry. We were the first practice in Australia to develop an online property contract exchange platform, which revolutionised buying and selling real estate in Australia.

Australians are obsessed with acquiring, developing and owning real estate. We share this obsession. The senior members of our Property & Development group sit on advisory boards or committees of property industry and associated entities.

We are known for giving responsive, practical, solution-focused advice, which is especially valued when structuring complex developments that involve multiple uses, various management structures, and complicated titling issues.

Our property development expertise spans everything you would expect, and some less familiar issues, including:

preparing and negotiating project development agreements, joint venture agreements, development management agreements and 'fund through' agreements
acquiring sites or buildings, drafting bylaws and development contracts, and addressing environmental and heritage issues
preparing and negotiating construction access licences for ground anchors, shoring and crane oversail
preparing and negotiating infrastructure agreements with government authorities
titling advice and drafting title instruments including community management statements, building management statements and strata management statements
preparing off the plan sales contract and related disclosures
negotiating landowner agreements, managing commercial and retail leases, and overseeing resale of leased properties
for rural properties, we handle acquisitions, management agreements, agricultural leases, easements, water rights, and disposals
due diligence services cover risk assessment, title investigation, service evaluations, access reviews, compliance checks, tenancy and service contract reviews, dispute resolution, strata title management, intellectual property security, insurance, depreciation, and foreign investment reviews
manage easements and covenants, including creation, variation, compulsory acquisition, and litigation
foreign investment review , GST and stamp duty advice
contamination and flood-related matters
agreements with adjoining landowners, including agreements regarding easements, shared facilities, boundary adjustments and co-contribution to the cost of providing services or infrastructure
acquisition of large rural holdings, management, agistment and cropping agreements, negotiating access to water resources and the drafting of long-term agricultural leases