August 6, 2026
- solicitors@campbellslegal.com.au
- (07) 3849 3066
Queensland works differently from New South Wales and Victoria. Under the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), paid conveyancing work in Queensland must be carried out by a solicitor holding a current practising certificate — Queensland has no separate licensed conveyancer profession. Every firm advertising conveyancing here is a law firm.
That matters when something turns up mid-transaction. A conveyancer brings focused expertise to routine transfers, but a solicitor can do everything a conveyancer does and provide full legal advice if issues arise — an unregistered easement, a dispute over inclusions, a problem with the title, or a finance condition that needs renegotiating. Queensland Government
We've been acting for buyers and sellers on Brisbane's south side since 1986. Most of our conveyancing is fixed fee, quoted before we start.
to cool off after signing — ending 5pm on the fifth day
seller disclosure required before the buyer signs
to pay transfer duty once liability arises
The most useful thing we do is review the contract before you sign it. Once you've signed, your options narrow considerably.
Queensland's standard residential contract gives buyers a statutory cooling-off period. Under section 166 of the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld), it runs for five business days beginning on the first business day after you receive a copy of the fully executed contract signed by all parties, and ends at 5:00pm on the fifth business day. Withdrawing isn't a phone call — you must notify the seller in writing, through your solicitor, before the deadline, and a percentage penalty is deducted from your deposit before the balance is returned. In Queensland that penalty is 0.25% of the purchase price.
There is no cooling-off period on an auction purchase anywhere in Australia — which is exactly why a pre-auction contract review matters more, not less.
We'll also advise on special conditions, check the searches, liaise with your lender, and handle settlement.
Since 1 August 2025, selling in Queensland starts earlier than it used to.
Under Part 7 of the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) and the Property Law Regulation 2024 (Qld), a seller must give the buyer a completed Form 2 seller disclosure statement and a set of supporting certificates before the buyer signs the contract. The scheme applies broadly to freehold lots — houses, units, townhouses, vacant land and commercial premises.
If the buyer receives the statement after signing, or the disclosure is incomplete or inaccurate, they may cancel the contract under section 104 of the Property Law Act 2023. That's a real risk sitting over the whole transaction, so the disclosure pack needs preparing before the property is listed — not the week of the contract.
At auction, the contract is taken to be signed at the fall of the hammer, so a bidder registered before the auction must be given the documents before it starts.
We prepare Form 2 disclosure packs, order the certificates, review the contract, and see the sale through to settlement.
Off-the-plan contracts are longer, more one-sided, and settle years after you sign. Sunset clauses, variations to the plan, defect provisions and finance approval that has to survive to completion all need checking before you commit.
Duty concessions and the First Home Owner Grant have their own timing rules on off-the-plan purchases. We'll tell you where you stand before you sign, not after.
Transferring a property to a spouse, child or family trust. Transfer duty can still apply even where no money changes hands — the duty is assessed on value, not price paid.
Queensland Revenue Office
There are exemptions and concessions in some circumstances, and the structure matters for tax, asset protection and estate planning. Worth a conversation before anything is signed.
Queensland has several concessions and they don't all work together — you can only claim one concession per transaction.
The first home concession applies to a home valued under $800,000 and can save up to $24,525. The general home concession, available even if you've owned before, can save up to $7,175. First home buyers purchasing a new home, or vacant land to build their first home, may be eligible for a full concession reducing duty to nil.
If you claim a home concession you must move in within one year of settlement, and you must not sell, transfer or lease the property before moving in or within one year of moving in.
The First Home Owner Grant reverted to $15,000 for contracts signed after 30 June 2026.
Bring us your situation and we'll tell you which concession you qualify for before you commit.
A Queensland contract is a standard REIQ form with special conditions bolted on — and it's the special conditions that decide your options if something goes wrong. Send it to us before you sign. We usually turn a review around within a day, and it's the one point in the transaction where advice can still change the outcome.
Signing is the start, not the finish. What follows is a sequence of dates that don't move — finance, building and pest, settlement — and missing one can cost you the deposit or the property. From the moment the contract is signed, we take over the diary and tell you what's due before it's due.
Most residential conveyancing is fixed fee, quoted up front, with disbursements listed separately. You'll have a written costs agreement before we start.
Disbursements typically include title and land tax searches, council and water rates searches, and settlement fees. For sellers, the Form 2 disclosure pack has its own search costs.
Call us on (07) 3849 3066 for a quote on your specific transaction.
Settlement is the moment the property legally changes hands — money moves, the transfer registers, the keys are released. Queensland settlements now happen electronically through PEXA, so there's no room full of cheques and no waiting on a courier. We do the final searches, confirm the figures, and settle on your behalf. You don't need to be there. We'll call you the moment it's done.
Queensland has no separate licensed conveyancer profession — paid conveyancing is legal work performed by a solicitor, or done yourself at your own risk without professional indemnity insurance behind you.
Before you sign. We can review the contract, suggest special conditions, and flag problems while you can still do something about them.
Five business days, starting the first business day after you receive the fully executed contract, ending 5:00pm on the fifth business day. Terminating costs 0.25% of the purchase price. It doesn't apply at auction.
The legislation doesn't specify a strict timeframe, but the information must be current and accurate at the time it's given to the buyer. If circumstances change, it needs updating.
Yes — anywhere in Queensland, by phone, email and video, with electronic settlement.
Yes. See our Commercial Property page.
Conveyancing often sits alongside something else — a business purchase, an estate, a family arrangement. These are the areas our property clients most often need next.
Commercial conveyancing, leases and developments
Buying and selling businesses, companies and trusts
Separation, property settlements and children
Give us a call or send us a message, and we'll let you know how we can help. There's no charge for an initial conversation about your matter.
Send us a few details and one of our solicitors will call you back — usually the same business day.
Sending this form does not create a solicitor–client relationship. Please don’t include confidential or sensitive information until we’ve confirmed we can act for you.
Prefer to talk now? Call (07) 3849 3066, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm.