Tenure renewal (lease or licence)

If your organisation currently has a lease or licence, Brisbane City Council will contact you to discuss renewal between nine and twelve months before it is due to expire.

Eligibility criteria

To apply to renew a lease or licence agreement at a Council facility, you must:

be an incorporated association or equivalent
be a not-for-profit community-based organisation
have open membership (constitutions or articles must state that membership is open to the public)
demonstrate how you will meet the financial obligations of the tenure arrangement
maintain appropriate insurances including $20 million public liability cover for the term of the tenure
conduct activities that meet Council objectives and that are not primarily used for purposes such as political gain, places of worship, commercial gain or illegal activities.

For leases only, you must also have a damage policy covering full replacement value of all buildings and fixtures.

Key performance and assessment criteria

Council will assess your organisation's application for renewal of tenure against the following key performance and assessment criteria.

Demonstrated need for activities in the local area or within Brisbane.
The proposed activities will increase community, sport, recreation and/or cultural participation levels.
Capacity and willingness to share the facility with other community organisations.
Viability of the organisation and the capacity to manage a community facility, including financial capacity to meet maintenance and operational costs and any agreed development commitments.
Evidence that the grant of tenure will be in the public's best interest.
Commitment to continuous improvement of the community facility.
Evidence that the proposed use and any proposed development complies with Queensland Government and Council legislation.
Ability to meet any other criteria deemed relevant by Council in relation to a specific community facility.

Renewal process

Renewing a lease or full licence has five steps.

Step 1 - application

For a licence renewal, fill in the:

Licence application form - CC1016 (PDF - 69kb).

For a lease renewal, log into the Community Leasing Information Portal and complete the online form.

For both leases and licences, organisations must return the completed application forms along with copies of these documents:

certificate of incorporation
constitution (if it has changed)
most recent audited financial statements
certificate of currency for $20 million public liability insurance
certificate of currency for building insurance (if applicable)
current liquor/gaming licences (if applicable).

Help completing applications

For help filling out an application, download:

When you fill out your lease/licence renewal application, review the terms and conditions of your existing tenure arrangement. This includes the permitted operating hours and use of the premises. If you want to change any terms, note this in your application.

For further advice on completing a community lease or licence application phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

Step 2 - assessment

Council will check your application to make sure it is completed correctly and includes all the supporting documents.

Upon receipt of a completed application, a Council officer from the Community Facilities Operations team will arrange to meet with representatives of your organisation at the premises to:

undertake a site inspection
discuss your organisation's lease or licence agreement and management of the facilities.

This meeting is a key opportunity for your organisation to review its operations, identified needs and clarify its future direction.

After the onsite meeting, Council will assess your application. This will include input from internal stakeholders, the local Councillor and a financial analyst.

We may ask you to submit more information to support your application, including extra financial statements. For leased properties, you may be asked to provide a more detailed breakdown of any proposed works.

Step 3 - approval

After assessing your application, Council will prepare a submission for approval.

If the premises is on land managed in trust by Council, ministerial approval will also be required.

If your application has been successful, the submission will recommend that your organisation’s lease or licence be renewed.

Once approved, Council will send your organisation an approval letter detailing the terms and conditions of the renewal. If your organisation has any concerns about the terms and conditions of the approval, you should contact Council immediately.

You can use your Council approval letter as evidence of tenure for funding applications.

Step 4 - execution

After the renewal is approved, your formal lease/licence documents will be prepared by City Legal (Council's legal services provider). You will be given contact details for the person preparing your lease/licence.

City Legal will send the lease/licence documents to your organisation to execute. Your organisation will need to:

place the common seal of the association where indicated.
have two of the committee members sign the document.

Officers signing the documentation need to write the date of signing and print their full names in the spaces provided in the sealing clause. Other instructions will be forwarded with the lease/licence documents.

Stage 5 - registration

Once your organisation has executed the documents, you need to return all of them to City Legal. Your organisation will need to pay City Legal professional fees.

City Legal will arrange for Council to execute the documents. Leases are also lodged with the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy for registration.

City Legal will send your organisation an executed, registered copy of your lease or licence. Keep this document in a safe place. Your current and future committees must be able to easily access your lease or licence document for reference or use at any time.

More information

For further advice or assistance with renewing a community lease or a licence:

log on to the Community Leasing Information Portal
phone Council on 07 3403 8888.