Tourism lease and licence holder assistance
In response to the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Queensland Government is providing support to those in the tourism sector who are adversely affected by economic conditions as a result of coronavirus.
If you hold a lease or licence for tourism purposes and receive rental invoices quarterly, you can apply for a land rent deferral.
If your application is approved, rental invoices due between 1 February 2020 and 31 July 2020 will instead be payable by 1 January 2021. No penalty interest will accrue on overdue balances for this period.
In addition, you will receive a refund if you have already paid your rent for the first quarter of 2020.
If the lease is transferred, however, the deferral of rent stops from the day of the transfer settlement and all outstanding monies must be paid.
Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- hold a term lease, perpetual lease or road licence for tourism purposes. You are not eligible if you hold a permit to occupy
- receive your rental invoice quarterly
- currently be trading or operating under the terms of your lease or licence and in substantive compliance with your lease or licence conditions
- be suffering financial hardship as a result of adverse economic conditions related to the purpose of the lease as a result of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
How to apply
Your application should include:
- LA00—Application form part A (PDF, 92.1KB)
- LA24-1—Application for deferral of rent for tourism leases and licences (PDF, 99.9KB)
- Any additional attachments, as requested
To help us assess your application, you will need to provide information demonstrating the direct negative impact on your financial situation or liquidity as a consequence of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Examples of information that can be provided include:
- a decline in occupancy rates or tourism ticket sales
- reduced patronage
- booking cancellations relating to the operation of the tourism lease.
The information supporting your application should be provided by:
- a suitably qualified person (i.e. chief financial officer, accountant)
or - the lease or licence holder via a completed statutory declaration and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace.
To avoid processing delays, read the forms carefully and include all required information.
Lodging your application
You can lodge your state land application by emailing it to SLAMlodgement@dnrme.qld.gov.au or by posting it to Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, PO Box 5318, Townsville QLD 4810.
Contact us
If you have any questions about lodging your application, email SLAMlodgement@dnrme.qld.gov.au or call (07) 4447 9179.
You can contact your nearest business centre to arrange a pre-lodgement meeting.
How your application is assessed
We will assess your application against legislative requirements and our own policies, procedures and guidelines.
Policies and legislation
What happens next?
Once we have investigated the application, we will send you a written notice. If your application is approved, the notice will state the time for which the deferral applies.
While the deferred rent must still be paid after the deferral period ends, no penalty interest is payable by the lessee or licensee on the deferred rent for that period. All approved deferrals will be reviewed to ensure the circumstances are still current