Residential Conveyancing
Your home is likely the biggest asset you’ll ever buy or sell. Our Strathpine conveyancing team protects your interests at every step.
Buying or selling residential property is one of the most significant financial decisions most people make. The Queensland conveyancing process has a number of strict deadlines and, since 2025, important new disclosure obligations. Getting it right protects you from costly mistakes.
The Strathpine residential conveyancing lawyers at Big Law have a reputation for creating successful, worry-free outcomes for our clients. Whether you are buying or selling a house, a unit, vacant land, or a rural or lifestyle block, we have the skills and experience to guide your transaction from contract to settlement.
Your lawyer is your adviser — and the only person in the transaction whose role is to protect your legal interests. The real estate agent acts for the seller; the bank acts for itself. We act for you.
Every transaction is a little different, but a typical residential conveyance in Queensland runs through these stages:
Before you sign, we review the REIQ contract and any special conditions, and explain your rights, risks and obligations. For sellers, we prepare your contract and disclosure documents.
Once the contract is signed by all parties, the five business day cooling-off period runs for buyers (except at auction). We confirm the key dates with you.
We work through the contract conditions — typically finance approval and a building and pest inspection — and advise you on satisfying or, if necessary, terminating under them.
We conduct title and property searches, review the seller disclosure material, prepare and verify the transfer documents, and identify anything that needs to be resolved.
We calculate adjustments for council rates, water and other outgoings, confirm figures with your financier, and book the electronic settlement.
The balance is paid, title transfers, and you receive (or hand over) possession. We confirm settlement has completed and notify the relevant authorities.
On 1 August 2025 the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) commenced, replacing the Property Law Act 1974 and introducing a mandatory seller disclosure scheme for the sale of freehold property in Queensland.
Before a buyer signs the contract, the seller must now give them a Form 2 Seller Disclosure Statement together with a set of prescribed certificates — for example, a current title search and registered plan. This is a significant shift away from Queensland’s traditional ‘buyer beware’ position, bringing the State into line with other jurisdictions.
If disclosure is incomplete or inaccurate, a buyer may have a right to terminate the contract before settlement. Sellers should prepare disclosure carefully; buyers should have it reviewed. Big Law handles both sides of this correctly.
If you are selling, we prepare a compliant disclosure statement and obtain the prescribed certificates so your sale is not exposed to a termination risk. If you are buying, we review the disclosure material against the contract and the searches so you know exactly what you are purchasing.
Under the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld), a buyer of residential property has a statutory cooling-off period of five business days. It begins on the first business day after you receive a copy of the contract signed by all parties and ends at 5pm on the fifth business day.
Because the window is short, the most useful thing you can do is have the contract reviewed before you sign — not after.
Your total cost is made up of two things:
Separately, a buyer generally pays transfer duty (commonly called stamp duty) to the Queensland Revenue Office. The amount depends on the purchase price and on whether a concession applies — for example, the home concession or the first home concession. Eligibility and rates are set by the Queensland Government and change from time to time, so we confirm the current position for your purchase as part of our advice.
Queensland offers transfer duty concessions and, in some cases, a first home owner grant for eligible buyers. We will check whether you qualify and factor it into your figures.
Both solicitors and licensed conveyancers can carry out conveyancing in Queensland. The advantage of a solicitor is that if a legal problem arises — a contract dispute, a defect in title, a tricky special condition, a related estate or family-law issue — your solicitor can advise and act on it without you having to engage someone new.
At Big Law, your conveyancing matter is handled by a law firm with the depth to deal with whatever the transaction throws up.
It is always best to have the contract reviewed before you sign. Once you have signed and the cooling-off period passes, you are generally bound. We can review the standard REIQ terms and any special conditions, and explain what you are committing to.
If you have already signed, contact us immediately — the five business day cooling-off period is short and we need time to act within it if anything needs to change.
For residential property in Queensland, the buyer has a cooling-off period of five business days under the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld). It starts the first business day after you receive a copy of the contract signed by everyone, and ends at 5pm on the fifth business day.
It does not apply to property bought at auction (or under a contract formed on the same day as a passed-in auction), and it can be waived or shortened by written notice. If you terminate during cooling-off, a fee of 0.25% of the purchase price is payable to the seller.
From 1 August 2025, the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) requires the seller of freehold property to give the buyer a Form 2 Seller Disclosure Statement and a set of prescribed certificates before the buyer signs the contract. This replaced Queensland’s old ‘buyer beware’ approach for these matters.
If a seller fails to comply, the buyer may in some circumstances have a right to terminate the contract before settlement. Whether you are buying or selling, getting the disclosure right matters — we prepare and review these documents carefully.
Settlement is when the balance of the purchase price is paid, the title transfers to the buyer, and the buyer becomes entitled to possession. In Queensland, settlement is now generally completed electronically through the PEXA platform.
Before settlement we conduct searches, check the contract conditions have been satisfied, prepare and verify transfer documents, calculate adjustments for rates and other outgoings, and coordinate with your bank and the other side.
Your total outlay has two parts: our professional fee, and disbursements — the third-party costs such as title and property searches, registration fees and, separately, transfer (stamp) duty payable to the Queensland Revenue Office.
At Big Law we offer transparent pricing with no hidden legal fees. Contact us for a quote tailored to your transaction.
Related Topics
Buying or selling a property is one of the most common triggers for updating your estate plan. If your will, powers of attorney, or beneficiary arrangements don't reflect your current assets, now is the right time to review them.
Own an investment property or thinking about adding a commercial asset to your portfolio? Commercial purchases and leases involve different rules to residential — we handle both and can guide you through the distinction.
If you're buying a property to run a business from, the premises is only part of the picture. We can help with the business structure, lease, and contracts alongside your conveyancing — so everything is set up correctly from the start.
Have your contract reviewed before you sign, or get a quote for your conveyance from our experienced Strathpine team.
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