Community title: shared-scheme lots that are not strata
Community title creates a land-lot estate with shared association property and a management body. It is not the same as strata, but the terminology differs by state.
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A community title scheme subdivides an estate into individual land lots plus shared association property (private roads, gates, parks, recreation facilities). Unlike a strata plan, lot boundaries are drawn on the ground by survey, not off walls and ceilings. Every Australian state now has a form of community title, but the naming is a trap: in Queensland, “community titles scheme” is the umbrella term for both what the other states call strata AND what they call community title. Before quoting or contracting inside any gated or master-planned estate, pull the management statement, check for design guidelines and approval triggers, and confirm whether you also need association sign-off on top of a council permit.
What a community title scheme is
A community title scheme is a form of land subdivision where individual lots are defined by surveyed ground boundaries (like ordinary freehold land) and a body of lot owners collectively owns and manages shared areas. Those shared areas go by different names in each state, association property in NSW, common property in Queensland and WA, community property in SA. The shared areas typically include private roads, gateways, landscaped buffers, recreational facilities, and drainage reserves.
The critical structural difference from a strata plan is in how lot boundaries are defined. In a strata scheme, the lot is a cube of airspace inside a building, bounded by floors, walls, and ceilings. In a community title scheme, each lot is a piece of land (which may have a house, villa, or yet-to-be-built dwelling on it), with boundaries measured and pegged on the ground and projecting vertically. The building on the lot is the lot owner’s own structure to insure and maintain, not part of any shared property (unless the management statement says otherwise).
Community title schemes are used for gated residential estates, master-planned communities, marina developments, retirement villages, and lifestyle resorts. Layered or tiered schemes are also possible: a master community scheme can contain subsidiary strata schemes (for apartment buildings within a larger estate), so you may encounter both types of plan on the same development. The community scheme sits at the top and the strata scheme at the subsidiary layer (verified 2026-06-11: NSW Community Land Development Act 2021, Part 2 scheme types; Queensland Government, BCCM layered arrangements).
State naming: the terminology trap
This is the load-bearing content for anyone working across states.
| State | Legislation | Name for the scheme | Name for shared areas | Management body |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Community Land Development Act 2021 / Community Land Management Act 2021 | Community scheme (community, precinct, or neighbourhood) | Association property | Association |
| VIC | Owners Corporations Act 2006 / Subdivision Act 1988 | Plan of subdivision with owners corporation (no separate “community title” label) | Common property | Owners corporation |
| QLD | Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (BCCM) | Community titles scheme (covers BOTH strata-type and community-type) | Common property | Body corporate |
| WA | Community Titles Act 2018 (commenced 30 June 2021) | Community titles scheme | Common property | Community corporation |
| SA | Community Titles Act 1996 | Community scheme | Common property | Community corporation |
NSW: NSW had a separate community title framework alongside strata since the 1980s. It was comprehensively updated by the Community Land Development Act 2021 and the Community Land Management Act 2021. Lots in a NSW community scheme are ordinary land lots with surveyed boundaries, not building-airspace lots. The entity holding the shared areas is called an “association”, not an owners corporation (verified 2026-06-11: NSW Registrar General, community schemes guidance at registrargeneral.nsw.gov.au).
Victoria: Victoria does not have a separate “community title” label. Large residential estates with shared private roads and amenities are structured as plans of subdivision with multiple owners corporations overlaid, using the Owners Corporations Act 2006 and Subdivision Act 1988. The lot boundaries are surveyed land boundaries, not building-defined. This produces a practical outcome similar to community title, but under a different name. Developers set rules for the owners corporation by a rules schedule recorded with the plan.
Queensland (important): “Community titles scheme” in QLD is an umbrella term. In every other state, “community title” refers specifically to the land-lot type as distinct from strata. In QLD, the BCCM Act uses “community titles scheme” to cover ALL body corporate schemes, including what NSW calls strata (apartment blocks defined by building plans) and what NSW calls community title (land-lot estates). QLD distinguishes the internal structure by plan type: a building format plan creates strata-like lots bounded by the building structure, and a standard format plan creates land lots bounded by ground survey (verified 2026-06-11: Queensland Government, body corporate format plans guidance at qld.gov.au). If a QLD contract references a “community titles scheme”, do not assume it is a land-lot estate: it could be a standard apartment block.
Western Australia: WA introduced community title as a separate tenure to strata via the Community Titles Act 2018 (commenced 30 June 2021). A WA community scheme subdivides land into multiple tiers (up to three), with each tier having its own community corporation and common property. A community development statement governs the overall development controls for the scheme and requires Planning Commission approval. This is distinct from a WA strata plan or survey-strata plan, which remain under the Strata Titles Act 1985 (verified 2026-06-11: Landgate, community titles in WA at landgate.wa.gov.au).
South Australia: SA is notable because strata title as a new tenure effectively ceased in SA when the Community Titles Act 1996 commenced. New developments that would previously have been strata went to community title instead. SA has two sub-types: a community strata scheme (lot boundaries run off building elements, equivalent to the old strata approach) and a community land scheme (surveyed ground boundaries, the classic “community title” type). Pre-1996 strata titles continue to exist. The body is called a community corporation (verified 2026-06-11: Strata Data, strata vs community title SA at stratadata.com.au).
Builder-facing reads
Working inside a community title scheme adds layers on top of the standard council approval process. The key checks before you quote or sign:
Pull the management statement (or community management statement). Every community title scheme has a management statement (NSW, VIC rules schedule, SA) or community management statement (QLD) registered with the titles office. This document sets the by-laws, maintenance obligations, dispute resolution process, and, critically, any design controls that bind lot owners and their builders.
Design guidelines and architectural approval. Many estates have a design guidelines document (sometimes annexed to or separately registered alongside the management statement) that restricts materials, colours, roof forms, fence types, setbacks, and even plant species. These are private restrictions, not planning controls, and a council DA or CDC approval does not override them. The association or community corporation (or its appointed committee) must separately approve the design before works start. Missing this step can result in a direction to pull down non-compliant work.
Check who needs to approve the contract. In a community title scheme, the lot owner engages the builder, but the association or community corporation may have a right to approve or reject proposed building works under the management statement. Confirm whether written association approval is a pre-condition of the building contract before exchanging contracts.
Layered schemes: check every level. A lot inside a subsidiary strata scheme that sits within a master community scheme may need approval at both levels (the owners corporation for works affecting the strata common property, and the community association for compliance with the estate design guidelines). Two approval processes, two bodies, potentially two sets of by-laws.
Title search and management statement retrieval. The management statement for an NSW community scheme is registered at NSW LRS and retrievable via InfoTrack or NSW LRS directly. In QLD, a community management statement search is available through Titles Queensland or CITEC Confirm. In SA, it is registered at the Lands Titles Office.
What can go wrong
Assuming council approval is sufficient. A building approval for a class 1a dwelling inside a gated estate does not discharge the association’s design guideline requirements. Builders who start on site after DA but before association approval face stop-work directions from the association and potential claims for non-conforming work.
Misidentifying scheme type in QLD. In Queensland, assuming a “community titles scheme” is a land-lot estate rather than an apartment block (or vice versa) leads to wrong advice on maintenance obligations, insurance responsibilities, and lot boundary locations. Always confirm the plan type (building format or standard format) before advising.
Not reading the community development statement (WA). A WA community scheme’s development controls flow from the community development statement approved by the Planning Commission. These can include staging requirements, land use restrictions, and development timelines that bind the developer and, by extension, builders engaged by lot purchasers before the estate is fully built out.
Ignoring staged scheme structure. Community schemes are often created in stages. Early-stage lots may sit inside a partially constituted scheme where the full amenity has not been built, levies are not yet set, and the management statement may be in draft form. A builder contracted to build on a Stage 1 lot needs to understand what infrastructure is and is not yet in place.
References
- NSW Registrar General, Community schemes guidance, via registrargeneral.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11)
- NSW Community Land Development Act 2021, via legislation.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11)
- Queensland Government, Body corporate format plans, via qld.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11)
- Landgate, Community titles in WA, via landgate.wa.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11)
- Strata Data, Community title vs strata title in South Australia, via stratadata.com.au (verified 2026-06-11)
- Community Titles Act 1996 (SA), via legislation.sa.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11)
Related
- Strata plan: lot boundaries and common property explained
- Owners corporation: who controls the common property
- How to read a plan of subdivision (DP, PS, strata plan) in AU
- Site area calculation
- Form 18 disclosure QLD
See also
Last updated: 2026-06-11. Verified: 2026-06-11. Quarterly review for currency.