Selling in QLD

Selling property in Queensland: the complete state guide

Selling in Queensland changed shape in 2025. The disclosure now sits right at the front of the deal. Before a buyer signs, you have to give them a Form 2 disclosure statement and a set of prescribed certificates. Get that wrong and the buyer can walk away at settlement, so the work that used to happen after a contract now happens before you go to market.

The rest of the Queensland sale is more familiar: the standard REIQ contract (usually prepared by your agent), a buyer cooling-off window that keeps your sale unbinding for five business days, compliance items that are squarely your job, and an electronic settlement about 30 days later. This guide walks the whole Queensland sale: what you prepare, what you're on the hook for, and what lands in your account at the end, with a link to the detailed explainer for each step.

The short version for Queensland sellers
Prepare your disclosure before you list. The Form 2 statement and prescribed certificates have to reach the buyer before they sign, and a defect in that disclosure can let them terminate right up to settlement.
Compliance is on you. Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms, and a pool safety certificate if there's a pool, are the seller's responsibility before settlement.
Get your conveyancer onto the contract before the agent does. In Queensland the agent usually prepares and presents the REIQ contract, so have any special conditions drafted or checked before it goes in front of a buyer.
Your sale isn't final for five business days. The buyer's cooling-off runs after signing (none at auction), so the contract you signed on Saturday can still unwind on Thursday.
Transfer duty isn't your cost. The buyer pays that. You pay agent commission, conveyancing and your mortgage discharge, and it's worth keeping your building insurance until settlement funds clear.

How selling in Queensland differs from NSW and Victoria

If you've sold in another state before, these are the parts of a Queensland sale that work differently.

Rule	Queensland	New South Wales	Victoria
Who prepares the contract	The real estate agent usually prepares and presents the standard REIQ contract	The vendor's solicitor or conveyancer prepares it before listing	The vendor's lawyer or conveyancer prepares the section 32 and contract
Seller disclosure	Form 2 disclosure statement given before the buyer signs	Prescribed disclosure documents attached to the contract	Section 32 vendor's statement before signing
Missing a deadline	Time is of the essence, so you can act on a buyer's missed deadline straight away, with no notice to complete required	Usually a notice to complete first	Usually a notice to complete first
Smoke alarms	Interconnected photoelectric alarms required before settlement	Working alarms required, less prescriptive	Working alarms required, less prescriptive
Buyer cooling-off	5 business days; you may keep 0.25% if they withdraw	5 business days; 0.25% forfeit	3 business days; smaller penalty

What's different about selling in Queensland

Topic	How it works in Queensland	Where the detail sits
Seller disclosure	You must give the buyer a completed Form 2 disclosure statement and the prescribed certificates before they sign the contract. A gap or defect can let them terminate.	Form 2 seller disclosure (QLD)
Contract preparation	In Queensland the agent usually prepares and presents the standard REIQ contract, so have your conveyancer draft or check any special conditions before it goes to a buyer.	Accepting an offer when selling
Compliance	Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms throughout, and a current pool safety certificate (or the prescribed notice) where there's a pool, are the seller's responsibility before settlement.	Compliance when selling
Insurance and risk	Legal risk passes to the buyer at 5pm on the first business day after the contract date, but keep your own building insurance until settlement funds clear.	Property condition, risks and insurance (QLD)
Cooling-off	The buyer gets five business days after signing and can withdraw for a penalty of 0.25% of the price. There is none at auction, so your sale is binding immediately only if you sell under the hammer.	Cooling-off when selling
Selling tenanted	An existing tenancy carries over to the buyer unless the contract requires vacant possession, so check the lease and notice periods before you sign.	Vacant possession & tenanted property (QLD)
Settlement timing	Around 30 days from the contract date, fixed in the contract and completed electronically through PEXA. Either side can extend by up to five business days.	Settlement obligations & extension rights (QLD)

The Queensland selling process, step by step

Prepare to sell, and prepare your disclosure. Appoint your agent, get the property market-ready, and have your conveyancer put together the Form 2 disclosure statement and prescribed certificates. In Queensland this comes first, not after a contract.
Go to market and accept an offer. Private treaty or auction. In Queensland the agent usually prepares the contract on the standard REIQ form, so get your conveyancer to draft or check any special conditions first. You confirm the price, deposit, settlement date and what's included before it goes to the buyer.
The buyer signs and pays the deposit. The deposit is held by the deposit holder named in the contract, usually the agent's trust account, not paid to you directly. Keep your building insurance running: legal risk passes to the buyer at 5pm the next business day, but you want cover until the money clears.
Cooling-off runs. Five business days, unless it was an auction sale. Your sale can still unwind in this window, so hold off on anything that assumes the deal is locked.
The buyer works through their conditions. Finance and building and pest sit with the buyer, and their dates are strict. If the buyer misses a 5pm deadline you can act on it straight away, since Queensland contracts don't force you to grant an extension. Meanwhile you line up your side: mortgage discharge with your lender, smoke alarm and pool compliance, and anything else the contract makes your job.
The contract goes unconditional. Every condition met, waived or expired. If the buyer defaults from here you may keep the deposit and chase your remaining loss, but that's a last resort, not a plan.
Settlement. Adjustments for the rates and water you've prepaid are worked out, your mortgage is discharged, and the balance is transferred to you electronically through PEXA on the settlement date.

⚠️ Before you go to contract: don't let a buyer sign without your Form 2 disclosure and certificates in place. A gap in that disclosure is the most common way a Queensland sale falls over at the last minute. The buyer can terminate at settlement, and you're back on the market having lost weeks.

What it costs to sell in Queensland

You don't pay transfer duty. That's the buyer's cost in Queensland, not yours, which is a common point of confusion. What you do pay is agent commission (negotiable in Queensland, with no fixed scale, commonly around 2.5% plus a marketing budget), conveyancing, and the cost of discharging your mortgage. See what it costs to sell a property for the full list.

The parts that catch people. Your lender charges a discharge fee to release the mortgage, and a fixed-rate loan can add break costs on top, so it's worth checking early because they can be substantial. Conveyancing itself is a fixed fee; see what conveyancing costs in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. And if the property isn't your main residence, capital gains tax may apply to the sale, so get advice from your accountant before you commit. Discharging your mortgage covers the lender side.

Common questions about selling in Queensland

Quick answers to what Queensland sellers ask most.

What is the Queensland Form 2 seller disclosure, and when must I provide it?

It's a disclosure statement, given with the prescribed certificates, that you have to provide to the buyer before they sign the contract. If it's missing or defective the buyer can have a right to terminate, even at settlement, so it's worth preparing before you list. See the Form 2 explainer.

Who prepares the sale contract in Queensland, the agent or the conveyancer?

In Queensland the real estate agent usually prepares and presents the standard REIQ contract to the buyer. That's why it pays to have your conveyancer draft or check any special conditions before the agent puts the contract in front of anyone.

What happens if my buyer misses a 5pm finance or inspection deadline in Queensland?

Because time is of the essence, you can usually act on it straight away. Queensland contracts don't force you to grant an extension or serve a notice to complete first, though it's worth getting your conveyancer's advice before you end a contract.

Do I need to keep my home insurance after signing a contract in Queensland?

Yes, keep it running until settlement funds clear. Legal risk passes to the buyer at 5pm on the first business day after the contract date, but keeping your own building policy in place until the money lands protects you if something goes wrong before settlement.

What smoke alarm rules do I need to meet when selling a home in Queensland?

Queensland requires interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms, and you need to comply before settlement. It's a seller obligation, so sort it early rather than in the final week. See compliance when selling.

Selling somewhere specific in Queensland?

Local knowledge, compliance and a fixed-fee quote from the team covering your area.

Selling in Queensland is straightforward once the disclosure is done properly and early. If you're getting ready to list, get a fixed-fee quote and have your disclosure and contract prepared before you go to market. That's the step that keeps the sale from unravelling later.

General information only, not legal advice. Conveyancing law varies by state and changes over time, so confirm your situation with a licensed conveyancer or solicitor.

Explainers

What is the Form 2 seller disclosure statement in Queensland?

In Queensland, sellers must give the buyer a Form 2 disclosure statement and prescribed certificates before the buyer signs the contract, under the mandatory seller disclosure scheme in the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld), commenced 1 August 2025. If the seller fails to give it, the buyer can terminate at any time before settlement; if it's given but materially inaccurate, the buyer may also be able to terminate.

What compliance do you need when selling a property?

Selling requires working smoke alarms, a compliant pool barrier with the right certificate, and cladding disclosure in affected apartment buildings.

What does it cost to sell a property in Australia?

Selling costs agent commission, marketing, conveyancing fees, mortgage discharge and possibly capital gains tax, plus an ATO clearance certificate to avoid 15% withholding.

How do settlement adjustments work when you sell?

Settlement adjustments split the property's ongoing costs (council rates, water, and any body corporate or strata fees) between you and the buyer as at the settlement date, so each side pays only for the days they own the property. Your conveyancer calculates them on a statement of adjustments.

What happens if the buyer defaults or can't settle?

A buyer who misses settlement without an extension or condition is in default: you can usually forfeit the deposit, terminate and sue. NSW and Victoria need a 14-day notice first; Queensland allows a unilateral five-business-day extension.

What's different about selling a strata, unit or townhouse?

Strata sellers need a body corporate certificate — section 184 in NSW, section 151 in Victoria, Form 33 in Queensland — covering the scheme's finances, insurance and by-laws, delivered before the buyer signs in Victoria and Queensland.

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