Two audiences, two search journeys
These businesses share a page type but not a buyer. It helps to treat them as separate campaigns even if one company does both.
Landlords choosing a manager
They search for management services, fees, inclusions and how an agent handles tenants and maintenance. The rental listings themselves are found elsewhere.
Tenants and applicants
They search listings, but they also check the agent's reputation and how enquiries and repairs are handled.
Apartment and townhouse buyers
They search for a project by name or suburb, then compare floor plans, completion dates and the developer.
Land buyers and builders
They follow release timing, estate information and the next stage, often over many months.
Property management: winning landlords
In the ACT, property management falls within the real estate agent licence. Access Canberra ties the licence to acting for someone else in a property sale, purchase, lease or management arrangement, and a business doing so in the ACT must hold one. Owners corporation management has its own conditional licence for managers who do only that work.
A landlord comparing managers looks for a clear description of what is included, how rent and repairs are handled, and proof that other owners are satisfied. A page that explains the management process, including inspections, reporting and communication, answers that directly. If you show owner reviews, the ACCC says incentivised reviews must be disclosed and genuine negative ones must not be removed.
Fee pages are the hardest to write. We do not publish other agents' fees and we do not invent yours. We help you explain what is included, what affects the fee and how to ask for a proposal, so landlords can compare on substance.
Off-the-plan rules that shape project pages
The ACT Planning directorate says developers must provide a Disclosure Statement for new off-the-plan contracts, covering floor plans, unit entitlements, proposed owners corporation rules and an estimate of fund contributions. Under ACT sale-of-residential-property legislation, a seller cannot rescind under a sunset date or delay event clause without the buyer's consent or a Supreme Court order.
A project page that ignores these protections invites doubt. One that links to the disclosure information, states the indicative completion date and explains how the sale process works builds trust with careful buyers and their solicitors.
The ACT developer licence timeline
ACT Planning's licensing scheme for property developers applies to residential building projects with three or more dwellings. Single dwellings, dual occupancies, class 3 buildings such as hotels and student accommodation, and residential aged care buildings are excluded. The scheme phases in by activity, and for off-the-plan sales the licence is held by the owner of the land.
The start date for off-the-plan sales needs care. ACT Planning's scheme page gives 1 April 2027 for the licence requirement on selling or advertising off-the-plan. The Legislation Register's 1 October 2026 republication of the Property Developers Act 2024 still shows the off-the-plan amendments as uncommenced, which fits that later date. A buyer leaflet on the same website says 1 October 2026 for off-the-plan, and the register does not support that. Check the scheme page and the register again before you schedule project page changes.
| Date | Activity covered | What it means for marketing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2026 | Development applications, building approvals, residential building work and certificates of occupancy | Developer details on your site should match the licence held |
| 1 April 2027 (per ACT Planning) | Selling or advertising residential property off-the-plan | Advertising an off-the-plan sale needs a licence, so project pages should be reviewed before that date |
| Resales before a certificate of occupancy | On-selling an off-the-plan dwelling bought from a licensed developer | The licence number must appear on any later advertisement or contract for sale |
Land releases and why they favour long-lived pages
Region Canberra reported on 9 June 2026 that the ACT Government's indicative land release program provides enough land for about 26,000 homes over five years, mostly multi-unit. It lists 4,293 homes for 2026-27, with 15 percent set aside for public, community and affordable housing. Master Builders ACT questioned whether the targets would be met, so describe a release by its published stage and date, not as a promise of supply.
The Suburban Land Agency sells land through different routes. When we checked, its website showed tenders for sites such as Kingston Quarter and Watson Section 76, single residential land in Whitlam, packaged lots in Jacka and a put-and-call option for builders. Each route attracts a different buyer, and each needs its own explanation.
For search, this means an estate page should last. Releases come in stages over years, buyers return to check progress, and a page that is replaced or deleted after each stage throws away whatever trust it earned.
What we do for a project or management brand
The steps differ in emphasis for managers and developers, but the order holds.
- Audit the structureWe check how the site is organised, how stages and listings are handled, and whether pages are removed when a project sells out.
- Check what Google can readGoogle says it can only index content visible in the rendered HTML and discover links that use an anchor element with an href. We test floor plans, price lists and filters against that.
- Build the lasting pagesOne page per estate or building, one per management service, each answering the questions buyers and landlords ask before they enquire.
- Write the district contextWe describe the surrounding town centre, transport and amenities in factual terms, based on public sources.
- Make registering interest simpleVisitors should find the registration form, WhatsApp link or phone number within seconds, on a handset as much as a desktop.
- Report on enquiriesRegistrations, calls and messages are reported by page, so you can see which projects produced them.
What to have ready before a project or management audit
A short brief lets us give useful first advice instead of generic comments. Gather these items before you contact us.
The sale or management route
Say whether you sell off-the-plan, sell land, manage rentals, manage owners corporations or a mix, because each needs different pages.
Your licence position
Tell us which licence or licences apply to the business, so we can see where the page must show them. We never add a licence number you have not given us.
Project facts you can publish
Gather the indicative completion date, dwelling types and the link to disclosure information that your solicitor has approved.
Your current enquiry path
Note where registrations and landlord enquiries arrive today, such as a form, phone or email, so we can report on them.
Habits to build and to avoid
Property projects attract a lot of exaggeration. Search engines and regulators both take a dim view of it.
Build
- Keep sold-out project pages live with a clear status and links to current stages.
- State completion dates as indicative where the contract does.
- Show who the developer or managing agent is, including any licence number required.
- Link buyers to disclosure information or tell them how to request it.
Avoid
- Publishing renders or artist impressions without saying so.
- Quoting yields, growth or rental returns without a source.
- Making a separate page for every unit type that says the same thing.
- Hiding the licence details that the rules require.
Frequently asked questions
What do landlords search for when choosing a property manager?
They look for management fees, what is included, how repairs and rent are handled, and evidence of how an agent treats owners and tenants. We build pages that explain these topics plainly and make it easy to ask for a proposal, without copying competitors' wording.
Do property managers in the ACT need a licence?
Yes. Access Canberra says a business that sells, buys, leases or manages property for others in the ACT needs a real estate agent licence. Managers who only look after owners corporations can apply for a conditional owners corporation managing agent licence. Show the licence details your business holds on its website.
Does the ACT developer licence affect how we advertise off-the-plan?
Yes. The ACT Planning directorate states that from 1 April 2027, selling or advertising residential property off-the-plan needs a property developer licence, for projects of three or more dwellings. Check your project against the scheme with your lawyer and update pages before that date.
Should we delete a project page when the project sells out?
Usually no. Keep the page, mark it as sold out and link to the next stage or a related project. Removing it throws away the visits and links it earned. A short, honest status line is better than a deleted page or a misleading one.
Can search engines read our floor plan viewer and price list?
Only if the content is visible in the rendered HTML. Google says it cannot index what is not there, and that it discovers links only when they are anchor elements with an href. We test interactive tools and add plain text versions where needed.
Is a separate website needed for each estate or building?
Often a single site with strong pages per project is simpler and builds authority faster. A separate site can suit a large, branded estate with its own marketing team. We advise on this during the audit, because the right answer depends on how many projects you run.
How long before project pages bring registrations?
Typically months. Buyers follow projects slowly, and new pages take time to be trusted. Fixing structure and profiles can help sooner. We do not promise rankings, so we report on registrations and enquiries instead.
What does the free SEO audit include?
Our free audit looks at your site and Google profile and returns a plain-English summary of what matters most, such as how projects are structured or whether key content can be read. It is a modest first look. Write to us by form, WhatsApp or email. Our answer arrives inside one business day.
Sources and further reading
- ACT Planning: Property developers licensing scheme: Licence for projects of 3 or more dwellings; 1 October 2026 start for development, building and certificate activities; 1 April 2027 for selling or advertising off-the-plan; licence number on resale advertising
- ACT Legislation Register: Property Developers Act 2024 (republication R9, 1 October 2026): Schedule 2 part 2.4 (off-the-plan licence and advertising rules) listed as uncommenced at 1 October 2026; licence number required in off-the-plan advertisements
- ACT Planning: Thinking of buying a unit or apartment off the plan in the ACT: Disclosure Statement contents; rescission limits under the Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003; this leaflet gives 1 October 2026 for off-the-plan, which the Legislation Register does not support
- Access Canberra: Licensing for business, real estate and stock and station agents: Real estate agents sell, buy, lease or manage property; agents need a licence in the ACT
- Access Canberra: Owners corporation managing agent licensing: Conditional licence for managers who only manage owners corporations
- Region Canberra: Budget to rely less on greenfield land sales: 2026-27 indicative land release program: about 26,000 homes over five years, 4,293 in 2026-27, 15 percent public, community and affordable
- Suburban Land Agency: Current sale routes including tenders, put and call, Whitlam and Jacka
- Google Search Central: JavaScript SEO basics: Content must be visible in rendered HTML; links need an anchor element with an href
- ACCC: Online reviews: Incentivised reviews must be disclosed; removing genuine negative reviews can mislead