Returning records to your body corporate
A body corporate must keep certain records. It can ask a person who has its records (or other body corporate property) to return them.
How and when you must return records depends on your body corporate’s Act.
This page applies to:
- community titles scheme bodies corporate under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (BCCM Act)
- subsidiary bodies corporate under the Building Units and Group Titles Act (1980) (BUGT Act)
- higher-level bodies corporate under the following Acts:
- Mixed Use Development Act 1993 (MUD Act)
- Integrated Resort Development Act 1987 (IRD Act)
- Sanctuary Cove Resort Act 1985 (SCR Act).
Higher-level bodies corporate can be a:
- community body corporate or precinct body corporate under the MUD Act
- principal body corporate or primary thoroughfare body corporate under the IRD Act and SCR Act.
Most bodies corporate in Queensland fall under the BCCM Act and have a:
- community titles scheme (CTS) number
- community management statement (CMS) registered.
The other Acts apply to bodies corporate that do not have a CMS recorded at Titles Queensland.
If you’re not sure, contact Titles Queensland to find out which Act your body corporate is registered under.
Learn more about BCCM services and Acts affecting some bodies corporate.
You can read about returning records to:
- community titles schemes under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (BCCM Act)
- bodies corporate under other Acts.
Returning community titles scheme records
Documents held by an individual
A body corporate can ask for its records to be returned if the person got the records as:
- a member of the body corporate
- a member of the committee
- a body corporate manager
- a service contractor
- an associate of someone in this list.
This applies if someone has:
- a body corporate record or document
- a body corporate asset
- the body corporate seal.
The committee must pass a resolution for the records or other property to be returned. The person who has the items must return them within 14 days of getting the committee’s notice. They must return the items to whoever is named in the notice.
For schemes registered under the Specified Two-lot Scheme Module, the request can be given by 1 or both lot owners.
Often a body corporate will ask someone to return records after their body corporate management contract ends or when they stop being a committee member. However, the body corporate can ask for records to be returned at any time.
It is an offence not to do so. A fine of up to $3,338 (current from 1 July 2025) applies.
A person cannot keep the body corporate’s records to force it to pay a debt or meet some other obligation.
Documents held by a body corporate manager
If a body corporate manager’s engagement ends and they have records in electronic form, the body corporate can ask them to give it the records:
- on a disc or other accessible form (such as an electronic or scanned file)
or
- on paper.
The body corporate manager must pay any costs.
Returning records under other Acts
Bodies corporate under other Acts are:
- group titles plan or building units plan subsidiary bodies corporate under the Building Units and Group Titles Act 1980
- higher-level bodies corporate, including
- principal or primary thoroughfare bodies corporate under the Integrated Resort Development Act 1987 and Sanctuary Cove Resort Act 1985
- community or precinct bodies corporate under the Mixed Use Development Act 1993.
A body corporate under other Acts can ask a person to return any of the following items it owns:
- the body corporate roll
- financial records
- any other records
- any other property of the body corporate, including keys.
The committee must pass a resolution for the records or other property to be returned.
The person who has the items must return them within 7 days of getting the committee’s notice. They must return the items to the committee member named in the notice.