Conveyancing Queensland: the complete guide for buyers and sellers
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of property from one person to another. In Queensland it has a distinctive shape: since 1 August 2025 the seller must give the buyer a signed Form 2 disclosure statement before the contract is signed, a private treaty sale carries a 5 business day cooling-off period that starts when you receive the contract, the biggest cost is transfer duty (Queensland's name for stamp duty), and the whole process must run through a solicitor, because Queensland has no independently licensed conveyancer. This hub explains how it all fits together and links to eight in-depth Queensland guides.
What conveyancing is in Queensland
Conveyancing covers everything between agreeing to buy or sell a property and the transfer of ownership being registered with Titles Queensland. For a buyer that means reviewing the Form 2 disclosure statement and the contract, arranging finance and inspections, and completing settlement. For a seller it means preparing the Form 2 statement and the contract before the property is marketed, and discharging any mortgage at settlement.
The document at the centre of it is the Form 2 seller disclosure statement, required by the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) since 1 August 2025. Because the seller must hand it over before the buyer signs, the most important facts about a property (its title, zoning, pool safety and community titles scheme details) are disclosed while the buyer can still walk away. This is a genuinely new sequence for Queensland, and it is the main way conveyancing here differs from before August 2025.
Who does conveyancing in Queensland
Queensland works differently from most other states here: there is no independently licensed conveyancer at all.
- Solicitors must carry out, or directly supervise, every conveyancing transaction, under a current Queensland Law Society practising certificate.
- Conveyancing staff within a law firm commonly handle the day-to-day paperwork, but always under a solicitor's supervision, not as an independently licensed practitioner the way you would find in NSW, Victoria or WA.
In practice this means the "conveyancer versus solicitor" choice that exists in some other states is not really a choice in Queensland: you are always, ultimately, engaging a solicitor. Engaging them early matters more here than the fee tier you choose, because the Form 2 review (for a buyer) or preparation (for a seller) is the highest-value work and it happens up front.
The stages, from Form 2 to settlement
- Form 2 and contract, before signing. The seller prepares the disclosure statement and contract; the buyer's solicitor reviews both. On a private treaty sale you can still negotiate or walk away; at auction this review must be done before you bid.
- Signing and deposit. Both buyer and seller sign the contract. The buyer pays the deposit, commonly up to 10%, held in trust.
- Cooling-off. On a private treaty sale the buyer has 5 business days to withdraw, starting from when they receive the fully signed contract, with a penalty of up to 0.25% of the purchase price. There is no cooling-off at auction.
- Between contract and settlement. The solicitor assesses transfer duty, runs final searches, coordinates finance and rate adjustments, and books settlement.
- Settlement. Most settlements complete electronically through PEXA: funds transfer, any mortgage is discharged, duty is paid, and the title transfers. The agent releases the keys.
The full walkthrough is in the Queensland conveyancing process guide.
What conveyancing costs in Queensland: at a glance
A Queensland solicitor typically charges about $900 to $3,500 all in for a standard residential matter (a market estimate, GST inclusive). That professional fee is usually the smallest part of what a buyer pays: transfer duty, set by the Queensland Revenue Office, is by far the largest cost. The duty figures below are computed from the current official standard rates.
| Purchase price | Transfer duty (standard rate) |
|---|---|
| $700,000 | $24,525 |
| $800,000 | $29,025 |
| $1,000,000 | $38,025 |
Two concessions cut duty sharply. Any owner-occupier pays a lower home concession rate (whether or not they are a first home buyer), and an eligible first home buyer of an established home pays no duty at all up to $700,000 ($0 at $700,000); a first home buyer of a genuinely new home or vacant land under a contract from 1 May 2025 or later gets an uncapped nil-duty concession with no price ceiling. The full breakdown, including the professional fee, disbursements and registry fee, is in the conveyancing cost Queensland guide, and you can estimate your own duty with the transfer duty Queensland calculator.
All eight Queensland guides
The Queensland cluster is eight in-depth guides plus this hub. Start with whichever matches where you are:
Calculators and state comparisons
To compare Queensland against other states, or to estimate your own numbers:
Buying or selling in New South Wales or Victoria instead? See the NSW conveyancing guide or the Victoria conveyancing guide.
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Frequently asked questions
Conveyancing Explained provides general information about property transactions in Australia. It is not legal advice and does not create a client relationship. For advice on your situation, engage a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent, or property solicitor in your state or territory.