The Gold Coast City Council now charges different rates based on apartment floor level. In some cases, that’s up to $1,000/year more in ongoing costs for the buyer!

Your council rates can increase by 50%, just for living higher up with a view! Same building. Same floorplan. But higher rates… just for the view!

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Hi everybody - George Sourris, Empire Legal.

Today's topic: The Gold Coast “view tax” – unpacking the cost buyers often don’t consider…

 The Gold Coast "view tax" - how apartment levels are now priced in tiers. If you're buying an apartment on the Gold Coast, there's a cost most buyers don't factor in. Because until recently, hardly anyone talked about it. Your council rates can change depending on what floor you are on. Not the suburb, not the building, not the size - the level.

This is what we call the Gold Coast view tax, and it's now playing out very clearly throughout tiered council rates in high-rise building. This law changed in July 2024. We shared this with our network when this change happened in 2024, but today we want to take a deeper dive.

What's actually happening?

Gold Coast City Council assesses apartments based on individual site values, not a flat rate across the building. That site value takes into account height, aspect, ocean, river, or skyline views, and market desirability of that outlook. The result? Apartments in the same building are effectively grouped into pricing tiers.

Higher tier = higher rates. The real world pricing tiers. Using examples reported publicly, the tiers broadly break down like this.

Tier 1 - low levels with limited outlook. Typically lower floors, levels 1 to 4, obstructed or partial views. Minimal water aspects. Annual council rates - no change. This is where many buyers assume all apartments sit, but that's only the starting point.

Tier 2 - low level apartments with partial views. Typically mid-rise levels, so we're talking levels 5 through 10. Clearer outlook, partial ocean, river, or skyline views. Annual council rates - 10 to 20% increase. This is often a surprise for buyers who did not expect paying more for higher levels.

Tier 3 - mid-level apartments with medium views. Typically mid-rise levels, so floors 11 through 20, a clearer outlook, partial ocean, river or skyline views. Annual council rates - 20 to 30% increase. Again, a surprise for buyers. This doesn't happen in Brisbane. It's only the Gold Coast.

Tier 4 - high levels - premium outlook. So typically floors 21 through 40, uninterrupted ocean, river, or city views. Annual council rates - 30 to 40% increase. Same building, same floor plan, but paying up to 40% more council rates, purely because of the height with the view.

Tier 5 - highest levels - premium outlook. Typically upper floors, so level 40 and above, uninterrupted ocean, river or city views. Annual council rate increase - 40 to 50%. Again, same building, same floor plan, but paying up to 50% extra in council rates because of the height and the view.

What does this mean long term?

Let's make this real. A buyer choosing between a level 4 apartment, so tier 1 rates at $2,000 per annum vs a level 40 apartment, tier 5 rates, at up to $3,000 per annum, so plus 50%.

The difference - $1,000 a year just for the view tax. That's $12,000 over 10 years. And of course, before any future rate increases are factored in. This is not a one-off cost. It's an ongoing holding cost.

Where buyers get caught out.

Most buyers budget for: a high purchase price for better views, higher body corporate, possibly higher insurance. What they don't budget for: tiered council rates, higher land value assessments, and bigger settlement adjustments.

We often hear buyers are surprised when their first rate notice arrives, or the seller's adjustments at settlement is higher than expected. At that point, the decision is already locked in.

Why this matters at settlement?

Council rates are adjusted between the buyer and the seller on settlement, on a pro-rata basis. If you're buying a higher tier apartment, you're stepping into a higher annual rates position. And of course this is before land tax. For investors, this stacks on top of higher unimproved land values, increased land tax exposure, and lower net yield than initially forecast. The Gold Coast doesn't just price views into the purchase price, it prices them into the ongoing cost of ownership.

Final takeaway.

On the Gold Coast, hype matters, views matter, and council rates are no longer a one size fits all. Before you buy, you should know: what tier your apartment sits in, what the current rates actually are, and how that affects your long-term holding and costing.

This is exactly why conveyancing isn't just about signing contracts. It's about informing our clients to make great decisions.

Does your conveyancer provide information like this to you, for free? At Empire Legal, we do. Keep in mind this view tax is specific to Gold Coast City Council only.

Empire Legal - fixed fee, no kickback, and advice that looks beyond settlement day.

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Ladies and gentlemen, please keep in mind that all advice is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. This is authorised by George Sourris, Empire Legal, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

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Note: all information is general in nature and as each matter is unique please contact our office for tailored advices: the above does not constitute legal advice.