Major compliance changes ahead for residential parks: Your 2026 obligations

The regulatory landscape for residential parks in Queensland continues to evolve as the final tranche of amendments to the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003 approaches commencement. With significant changes taking effect on 7 June 2026, including the introduction of the approved Form 19 Sale Agreement and the new maintenance and capital replacement plan (MCRP) requirements, park owners must ensure they are fully prepared to comply. These reforms build on a series of staged amendments implemented since 2024, each aimed at increasing transparency, strengthening consumer protections, and standardising operational practices across the sector.

Previous amendments

Park owners will recall that:

• the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Amendment Act 2024 (Amendment Act) was assented to on 6 June 2024;
• the amendments with respect to site rent increases, the buyback and rent reduction scheme, and termination orders commenced on assent (i.e. 6 June 2024);
• the amendments with respect to the approved ways of paying site rent commenced on 6 December 2024;
• the amendments with respect to the registration of residential parks, park website, and the comparison document commenced on 20 February 2025; and
• the amendments with respect to the new site agreement and re-sale process commenced on 6 December 2025.

Approved form of sale contract

Section 56B(1)(a), which requires a “seller” (as defined) to ensure that an agreement, for the sale to a buyer of a manufactured home positioned on a site in a residential park, is in the approved form, will commence on 7 June 2026.

The Government has published a new Form 19 Sale agreement that must be used for this purpose. 

Maintenance and capital replacement plan

The new provisions with respect to a MCRP will commence on 7 June 2026.

Park owners will recall that these provisions require a park owner to:

• ensure a MCRP is prepared and kept;
• ensure the MCRP includes certain information and is revised at certain intervals;
• give a copy of the MCRP to the Chief Executive at certain intervals and otherwise when changed;
• take reasonable steps to comply with the MCRP; and
• give a copy of the MCRP to the home owners committee within 28 days after it is revised, and to a home owner within 7 days after a request to do so.

These provisions allow for various additional requirements to be made by Regulation. The Governor in Council has now made the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Amendment Regulation 2026, which will commence on 7 June 2026.

Initially, by 7 June 2026, a park owner (of a park registered before 31 December 2025 and that is not otherwise exempt) will be required to prepare an interim MCRP to cover the period from 7 June 2026 to 31 December 2027.

Subsequently, the MCRP will be required to cover a period of 10 years and be revised every 2 years.

Park owners should familiarise themselves with the various information required to be included in a MCRP in Sections 11 to 14.

A park owner must consult when preparing and revising an MCRP, including that the park owner must send a notice to home owners and the home owners committee at least 90 days beforehand seeking input about various matters at least 28 days after the notice is given. The park owner must consider any submissions made by a home owner or the home owners committee.

However, this consultation requirement does not apply to the interim MCRP required to be prepared by 7 June 2026. Instead, within 28 days after the interim plan is prepared, the park owner must send a notice to home owners and the home owners committee detailing the interim arrangements, and seeking home owner and home owner committee input into the development of the full plan.

Park owners should also familiarise themselves with:

• the time/s when the MCRP is to be provided to the Chief Executive (Section 21);
• the maximum fee payable for providing a copy of the MCRP to a home owner (Section 22);
• the requirements to be exempt from the MCRP regime (Section 23); and
• the information required to be displayed on the park noticeboard (Section 24).

The Government has now published various templates to assist park owners implementing these requirements: 

Fee for giving disclosure documents

Lastly, the Amendment Regulation prescribes that, for section 56C(6) of the Act, the maximum fee that can be charged by a park owner for giving a buyer the disclosure documents is $0.70 for each page of the disclosure documents mentioned in section 29(2) of the Act, up to a maximum of $100.

Next steps ahead of 7 June 2026

Park owners will therefore need to:

• update existing forms of relevant sale contracts to utilise the new approved Form 19 Sale agreement and update and adjust references to all additional terms and conditions before 7 June 2026, and utilise that document from 7 June 2026; and
• prepare an interim MCRP by 7 June 2026 and give the required notice to home owners within 28 days; and subsequently revise the MCRP by 1 January 2028 and at the required intervals thereafter while consulting with home owners and the home owners committee.

The upcoming 7 June 2026 commencement introduces complex, interlocking obligations that carry compliance risks for park owners. Updating sale agreements, preparing an interim MCRP, managing consultation processes, and ensuring all statutory notices and disclosures are correctly issued are not simply administrative tasks - they are legal requirements with potential financial and regulatory consequences if handled incorrectly.

Engaging an experienced lawyer ensures your documents, processes, and timelines align with the Act and the new Regulation, reducing exposure to disputes, penalties, or challenges from home owners or the Chief Executive.