How Long Does a Conveyancer Take to Review a Contract?

How long does a conveyancer take to review a contract?

For a standard house or unit contract, expect advice within one or two business days of sending the contract to your conveyancer. When you have a deadline, many conveyancers will deal first with the points that decide whether you should sign, then follow up with the rest.

Contract review is the first step in a purchase, before the settlement clock starts. Our guide to how long conveyancing takes shows how it fits into the full timeline.

The review itself is careful reading. The time goes into checking the contract against the title, plan and certificates attached to it, reading the special conditions, and writing advice you can act on. The type of property makes the biggest difference.

What does a conveyancer check in a contract review?

A review answers one question: is there anything in this contract you should change, ask about or walk away from before you sign? The main checks are:

• the parties, price, deposit and settlement date match what you agreed
• the title, plan and any easements, covenants or caveats
• the seller's disclosure documents and the certificates your state requires
• special conditions, especially any that shift risk or costs to you
• finance, building and pest or other conditions, and their deadlines
• your cooling-off rights, or the lack of them at auction

For the full list, use our contract review checklist for buyers. The searches your conveyancer orders after signing, and how long they take, are covered in how long conveyancing searches take.

What slows a contract review down?

Most slow reviews are caused by missing information rather than by the reading itself. The usual culprits are:

• Missing attachments. A contract sent without its planning certificate, Section 32 attachments, strata certificate or disclosure statement cannot be fully reviewed until the rest arrives.
• Unusual special conditions. Non-standard clauses may need to be raised with the agent or the seller's conveyancer before advice can be finalised.
• Questions only you can answer. Whose names go on the title, how the purchase is being financed, whether you are a first home buyer and how you plan to use the property all affect the advice.
• Negotiating changes. If you want the settlement date, deposit or a condition changed, the final advice waits on the seller's response.
• Timing. A contract sent late on a Friday for a Saturday auction leaves very little working time, so send it as early as you can.

How to get a contract reviewed before an auction or offer deadline

A fast review mostly comes down to preparation on your side. These steps give your conveyancer what they need the first time.

1. Ask for the contract early. Request the contract from the agent as soon as you are seriously interested, not the day before the auction. In NSW a residential property cannot be offered for sale until the contract has been prepared, so it should already exist.
2. Send everything in one go. Forward the full contract with every attachment, plus any strata or building reports you already have, so nothing has to be chased.
3. State your deadline. Tell your conveyancer the auction date and time, or when your offer must be signed, so they can schedule the review around it.
4. Give your details upfront. Say who is buying, how you are paying, whether you are a first home buyer and how you will use the property.
5. Ask for the deal-breakers first. Ask for a short summary of anything that should stop you signing or bidding, followed by the full advice.
6. Run inspections at the same time. Book the building and pest inspection and order any strata report while the contract is being reviewed; see building and pest inspection reports.
7. Agree any changes before you sign. Ask the agent to confirm in writing that the seller accepts any amendments, because once you sign at auction there is no cooling-off period.

For the rest of your auction preparation, see our auction day checklist for buyers.

Should you have the contract reviewed before or after you sign?

Before. Once you sign, your chance to change the contract largely disappears, and in many sales there is no way out without cost.

• At auction: no state gives a cooling-off period for a property bought at auction, so the contract must be reviewed before you bid. In Victoria this also applies to sales made within three clear business days before or after a public auction.
• Private sales with cooling-off: you can still withdraw during the cooling-off period, but it usually costs a small amount set by law, and it does not let you renegotiate the terms. See our cooling-off period guide.
• Waiving cooling-off in NSW: a buyer who wants to exchange without a cooling-off period gives the seller a certificate under section 66W of the Conveyancing Act 1919, signed by the buyer's own solicitor or licensed conveyancer after explaining its effect. See the section 66W certificate explained.
• WA and Tasmania: there is no statutory cooling-off period, so a signed contract can bind you straight away unless it includes conditions or a cooling-off clause.

Does contract review take longer in some states?

The time is similar everywhere, but what your conveyancer reads differs by state.

• NSW: the contract arrives with the title search, drainage diagrams and the council's section 10.7 planning certificate attached, so the review can start straight away.
• Victoria: the Section 32 vendor statement, which the seller must give you before you sign, is a large part of the review, especially for units, where the owners corporation certificate is included. See conveyancing timelines in Victoria.
• Queensland: since 1 August 2025, the seller's disclosure statement and certificates must be given before you sign, and your solicitor checks them alongside the REIQ contract and its finance and building and pest dates.
• WA: most sales use an offer and acceptance form with the Joint Form of General Conditions, and the agent often prepares the offer. Have any special conditions checked before you sign it.

Can I get a free contract review?

Yes. When you buy through ConveyDirect, the contract review is free. We arrange fixed-fee conveyancing quotes in every state and territory and respond within two business hours, which matters when an auction or offer deadline is close.

Send the contract as soon as you have it, with a note of your deadline. See residential purchase conveyancing for what the service covers.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules, fees and timeframes change and differ between states, so confirm your own situation with a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent or solicitor.