Independent Land Lease Community Adviser in Brisbane
Choosing a land lease community is a big decision and you deserve the right support
Land lease communities have become one of the most popular options for people thinking about their next home in Brisbane and it is easy to see why. The homes are often modern and single level, the grounds are looked after for you and most communities have a clubhouse with something on nearly every day of the week. For a lot of people it turns out to be a very good fit.
What is less familiar is how the arrangement works underneath. You own the home and lease the land it sits on, paying an ongoing site fee, under a document called a site agreement. It sits under a different law and a different financial model from a retirement village, so the questions worth asking are different too, from how the site fee has moved over the past five years, to what the arrangements are when the time comes to sell, to how the whole thing compares over ten or fifteen years with the other options on your list. Those are fair questions and there is no reason you should already know the answers. If you would like the model explained from the beginning, my guide to what a land lease community is and how the model works in Queensland covers it in plain English. I have also compared land lease with a retirement village side by side.
Answering them alongside you is exactly what I do. At Hazel & Fred, I provide independent, personalised guidance to help you move forward with clarity and confidence. I am not selling you a home, I am not tied to any community, operator or comparison site and I take no commission from anyone. I am simply in your corner, helping you decide whether a land lease community is right for you and, if it is, which one.
I am a Registered Property Valuer, Licensed Buyer's Agent and Town Planner with 25+ years of experience in the Brisbane and South East Queensland property market. I have also guided my own family through these decisions, which is what prompted Hazel & Fred in the first place.
Or call me on (07) 3366 1116
Who I help
Planning Ahead
You are in good health and want to make a considered, unhurried decision about where you live next. Land lease sits on your list alongside a retirement village and a smaller conventional home. You would like independent guidance before committing to any of them.
Supporting a Parent
You are an adult child helping Mum or Dad work through the options. The model is unfamiliar and the paperwork reads differently from anything they have signed before, so you want someone trustworthy to guide the process and take the pressure off your family.
Facing a Sudden Change
A health event or life change has created urgency, just as a community with availability has come up. You need clear, calm guidance and someone who can help you move quickly without making a rushed decision.
Choose your level of support
People come to me at different stages of the decision. I offer three levels of service, so you can start where you are.
The Retirement Clarity Roadmap
Best for people in the early stages. You are curious about land lease living, you may have visited one community and you would like a clear framework before going further.
What's included:
An initial questionnaire and consultation to understand your situation, priorities and concerns
A general review of suitable land lease communities, with 3 worked examples so you can see how the options compare
A general review of site fees, pricing and availability across the communities that fit your brief
A written Roadmap setting out your options in plain English, the questions worth asking and the next steps to think through
Warm referrals to trusted professionals (legal, financial, downsizing support) where useful
Follow-up conversations after the Roadmap goes out, to revisit decisions as your thinking develops
You walk away with clarity and direction, not pressure. There is no commitment to take a next step. If you step up to a fuller level of support within 30 days, the Roadmap fee is credited in full.
The Selection Partner
Best for people ready to inspect, compare and move toward a decision. You've moved past general exploration and want a real shortlist, scheduled visits and someone walking alongside you as you weigh up the options.
What's included:
Everything in The Retirement Clarity Roadmap, with the review of communities and pricing tailored to you rather than general
A tailored shortlist of 3 to 5 land lease communities, based on your situation, budget, lifestyle and location preferences
Each shortlisted community contacted directly to confirm the current site fee, its increase history, availability and any potential deal-breakers before you visit
Up to 4 inspections I book and attend with you, with a debrief after each one
Warm introductions to trusted professionals, including a lawyer who works with this legislation and a financial planner
General guidance on preparing your home for sale, plus ongoing check-ins through the decision phase
A written report and recommendation once the inspections are complete, naming the two or three communities worth putting your name down at, with the costs, the estimated wait and the trade-offs set out
You walk away with a clear view of your real options and the two or three communities worth putting your name down at. The Selection Partner is complete at that point. If you would like support through the wait and the move itself, Making the Move can be added when you are ready.
The Transition Partner
Best for people who have made the decision, or who would value a steady hand from the first conversation through to moving day. There is a lot to coordinate: selling the family home, choosing the right community, the move itself and the family conversations that go alongside it. You want someone walking the whole path with you.
The Transition Partner is The Selection Partner and Making the Move together. Making the Move is the stage that begins once you have chosen and are ready to put your name down. It can also be added to The Selection Partner later, when the time is right. Because sought-after communities can have an estimated wait of a year or more, plenty of people prefer to take that decision when they reach it rather than at the start.
What's included:
Everything in The Selection Partner, including the shortlist of 3 to 5 communities and up to 4 inspections
Your name placed on the list at up to 3 chosen communities
Monthly contact with each of those communities while you wait for a place, for up to 12 months
Up to 3 property viewings I attend with you as homes become available
A personalised transition plan with timeline, mapping the key milestones from decision through to move-in (signing the site agreement, sale of the family home, downsizing, moving day)
General guidance on selling your home and choosing an agent, plus warm introductions to trusted downsizing and settling-in support
Support when you sign your paperwork, with your lawyer handling the site agreement and your financial planner the money questions
Regular follow-up check-ins by call, email or video, including family liaison as needed
A final handover summary that ties off what has been delivered and what comes next
You walk away with your place secured and a calm, well-supported move, settled into your new home, with someone alongside you the whole way.
Why independent advice matters
Most people looking at land lease communities encounter advice from community sales staff and online comparison sites, all of whom have a financial interest in the outcome. That is simply how this part of the market is built. It is worth knowing before you weigh up what you are told.
Hazel & Fred is different. The fee is transparent, fixed and agreed before any work begins. No commissions from any community, operator or professional I refer you to. My only interest is helping you make the right decision.
That independence is rare in this space. It matters more here than almost anywhere else, because the differences between one community and the next sit in the detail rather than on the display board.
The Lighthouse List
The Lighthouse List is my proprietary database of retirement communities across Brisbane, land lease communities among them. I built it because no public, independent source of this information exists. Brochures come from the communities themselves, comparison sites take commissions and government databases focus on aged care rather than retirement living.
Every entry is built from direct contact with the community or operator rather than from marketing material. Each one confirms the current site fee, the increase history, the selling arrangements, availability and any known issues. The list is refreshed monthly, so the comparison I put together for you is drawn from current information rather than last year's brochure.
FAQs
What does a land lease adviser do?
1
I help you work out whether a land lease community suits your situation, then compare the ones worth considering across Brisbane and South East Queensland. That means confirming current site fees and the increase history with each community, reading the disclosure material alongside you so you understand what it shows, then attending inspections with you. My job is structure, research and a calm second pair of eyes.
Is a land lease community the same as a retirement village?
2
No, though the two are often mentioned in the same breath. A land lease community in Queensland operates under the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003, where you own the home and lease the site underneath it for an ongoing site fee. A retirement village operates under the Retirement Villages Act 1999, where you usually pay an entry contribution for a lease or licence and a deferred management fee applies when you leave. Two different laws, two different financial models and two different sets of questions to work through.
Do you review site agreements?
3
No. A site agreement is a legal document and reviewing it is the work of a lawyer who specialises in this legislation. I read the disclosure material alongside you so you understand what it shows, then connect you with a specialist lawyer for the agreement itself. Free legal information is also available through the Queensland Retirement Village and Park Advice Service. That separation protects you.
Can Commonwealth Rent Assistance apply to site fees?
4
It can, because a site fee is treated as rent, which is generally not the case for an owner resident in a retirement village. Whether you qualify and how much you would receive depends on your circumstances, so that question belongs with Services Australia or a financial planner rather than a sales office. I am not a financial adviser. What I can do is make sure the question is on your list before you compare communities.
What happens on the call?
5
It is a free 30-minute phone call, with no obligation to go further. I listen to where you are in the process, what you are weighing up and what kind of support would actually help. By the end you will know whether Hazel & Fred is the right fit and what the next step looks like. You do not need to prepare anything in advance.
Or call me on (07) 3366 1116
“Sam at Hazel & Fred was calm, kind and incredibly patient. He made something that felt overwhelming suddenly feel manageable and gave us the support to make the right decision.”
Beck and her partner moved from their Bardon family home into a nearby community.
