A plain-English checklist for developers and buyers of development land on the Gold Coast, in Logan, Brisbane and across South East Queensland: the twelve things to check during the due diligence period, where to find each answer, and what the results mean for price and yield.
Development site due diligence is the checking a buyer does between signing (or securing) a site and going unconditional. In Queensland it covers the title and survey plan, the zone and overlays under the council planning scheme, flood, contamination and heritage registers, water, sewer and power capacity, infrastructure charges, access and easements, vegetation and koala habitat, ground conditions, the seller's disclosure statement and the tax position. Most of it can be started online in a few days; the engineering and planning advice takes longer, so set a due diligence period that fits the site.
Due diligence is the checking you do before you are locked in to buying land. On a development site it answers one question: can I build what I have priced in, for the cost I have allowed, in the time I have allowed? A house buyer mostly checks the building. A developer checks the land, the planning rules, the services and the numbers, because a single constraint – a flood overlay, an easement through the middle of the lot, a sewer main that can't take more load – can cut the yield and change what the site is worth.
Most development contracts in Queensland give the buyer a due diligence period, often with a right to end the contract if the results are not satisfactory. Some sites are secured with an option or a contract that also waits for a development approval. Whatever the structure, the checklist below is the same.
Buy a current title search and the survey plan from Titles Queensland. The title shows the registered owner and every registered interest – mortgages, easements, covenants, leases and caveats. The survey plan shows the lot's dimensions and area. Titles Queensland lists a current title search at $25.71 and a survey plan image at $27.56 (excluding GST). Check that the area and frontage match what you have used in your feasibility, and read every easement and covenant: some restrict what can be built, and some sit exactly where the driveway or building would go.
The zone in the council planning scheme decides what uses are allowed and whether your proposal is code or impact assessable; overlays flag features such as flood, bushfire, heritage, environmental significance, building height and residential density. On the Gold Coast check the City Plan mapping and our guide to Gold Coast City Plan zones and overlays. Look at nearby approvals in PD Online to see what council has accepted on similar sites.
Check the site in the council flood overlay and on FloodCheck Queensland. Flood levels drive minimum floor heights, fill, the developable area and sometimes the number of lots. Note that the seller's disclosure statement does not have to include flooding history, so this check is yours.
Search the Environmental Management Register and the Contaminated Land Register. Land is listed when a notifiable activity – for example a service station, cattle dip, landfill, fuel storage or wood treatment – has been carried out on it. A listing doesn't stop development, but investigation and remediation take time and money. On former farmland or industrial land, consider a preliminary site investigation even if the land is not listed.
Search the Queensland Heritage Register and the local heritage overlay. A heritage-listed building or place can limit demolition and design.
Ask the water and sewer provider (City of Gold Coast, Logan Water, Urban Utilities or Unitywater, depending on the area) where the nearest mains are and whether they have capacity. Check where stormwater can lawfully go, and ask the electricity network whether a new substation or upgrade will be needed. Upgrades and long connections are some of the most expensive surprises in a feasibility.
Councils levy infrastructure charges on development approvals under their charges resolution. Work out the charges for your proposed yield, allow for any credits for existing lots or dwellings, and check whether the provider is likely to ask for trunk works or land contributions instead. Our guide on how a development site is valued shows how these costs flow into the land price.
Confirm legal access from a gazetted road, the width of the frontage and whether council or the state will allow a new intersection or driveway. Ask whether there are proposed transport corridors or resumption notices over the land – the seller must disclose any notices received.
Check Queensland Globe for regulated vegetation, koala habitat areas and mapped waterways and wetlands, and the council's environmental overlays. These can remove part of a site from the developable area or add offsets and conditions.
Commission a contour and detail survey and, for most projects, a geotechnical report. Acid sulfate soils are common on low-lying land on the Gold Coast and around Moreton Bay; rock, slope and poor soils add to earthworks and footing costs.
Since 1 August 2025 the seller must give you a signed disclosure statement (Form 2) and prescribed certificates before you sign. It covers the title and encumbrances, zoning, transport and resumption notices, contaminated land listings, tree orders and heritage. Have your solicitor check it against your own searches, and make sure the contract gives you the due diligence period, conditions and access for testing that you need.
Ask your accountant whether GST applies and whether the margin scheme can be used – the ATO sets out when it is available, and it must be agreed in writing before settlement. Allow for transfer duty under the Queensland Revenue Office rules. Then rerun the feasibility with everything you have found, and compare the price per lot or per square metre with recent development-site sales.
The searches in steps 1 to 5 and 9 can be done online in a day or two. Advice from service providers, surveyors, geotechnical engineers and town planners usually takes a few weeks. On a straightforward residential site, many buyers ask for a due diligence period of 30 to 60 days; larger, constrained or rezoning sites need longer. Budget for the searches, a survey, engineering and planning advice and legal fees – a small cost compared with buying a site that doesn't work.
Due diligence rarely gives a simple yes or no. It usually changes the yield or the cost, and so the price a developer can pay. A buyer who finds a constraint may ask for a lower price, a longer period or a condition such as a development approval. Sellers can make the process quicker and protect their price by having their disclosure statement, title, survey and any reports ready before the site goes to market – see how to sell a development site and land acquisition for developers.
GC Prestige sells development sites across the Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane and South East Queensland, and through its development arm, South AZ Developments, has secured 21 development sites. We prepare site information before a campaign so buyers can move through due diligence with fewer surprises. Browse current development sites for sale, or request an appraisal if you own land with development potential.
Development site due diligence is the investigation a buyer carries out before committing to buy land for development: checking the title, zoning, overlays, flood and contamination, servicing, infrastructure charges, access and the contract, so the price reflects what can really be built.
There is no fixed rule. For a simple residential site 30 to 60 days is common; larger or more constrained sites, or contracts that also wait for a development approval, often need longer. Agree a period that leaves time for engineering, planning and finance advice.
A development site due diligence checklist in Queensland should cover title and survey plan, zoning and overlays, flood, contamination and heritage registers, services capacity, infrastructure charges, access and easements, vegetation and koala habitat, geotechnical conditions, the seller disclosure statement, GST and duty, and comparable sales.
Search the Environmental Management Register and Contaminated Land Register kept by the Queensland Government. Land is listed when a notifiable activity such as a service station, cattle dip or landfill has been carried out on it. The seller's disclosure statement must also say if the land is on either register.
Check the zone and overlays in the City of Gold Coast's City Plan mapping, and look up past and current applications nearby in PD Online. In Logan, use Logan City Council's planning scheme mapping and PD Hub.
Yes. Since 1 August 2025 Queensland sellers of residential, commercial and vacant land must give buyers a signed disclosure statement and prescribed certificates before the contract is signed, including title details, zoning, contaminated land listings and heritage. It does not cover flooding history or past approvals, so buyers still need their own checks.
Infrastructure charges are levied by the council on the development approval, so the developer usually pays them, and they are factored into what a developer can pay for the land. Check the council's charges resolution for the current rates.
Through its development arm, South AZ Developments, GC Prestige has secured 21 development sites across South East Queensland. We can share site information we hold and connect you with the planners, engineers and solicitors who carry out formal due diligence. Call 1300 937 981 or request an appraisal on our website.
General information only, current at 12 November 2026. This guide is not legal, financial, tax or planning advice. Rules change, so check the official sources above and get advice from a solicitor, accountant, town planner or engineer for your situation. Updated 12 November 2026 by GC Prestige, 1300 937 981.