How Long Does Conveyancing Take in QLD?

How long does conveyancing take in Queensland?

Most Queensland sales settle four to six weeks after the contract is signed, and Queensland Government guidance says almost all settle within 30 to 90 days. The exact period is whatever the buyer and seller negotiate and write into the contract. For how this compares with other states, see our national guide to how long conveyancing takes.

Inside that period, a Queensland contract runs to several deadlines, most of them worked out from the contract date:

How does the REIQ contract set the timeline?

Through its Reference Schedule, which records the settlement date, the finance date and the building and pest inspection date. Most Queensland home sales use the standard contract prepared by the REIQ and the Queensland Law Society. For contracts from 1 August 2025, a single Contract for the Sale and Purchase of Residential Real Estate replaced the earlier separate contracts for houses and for units in community titles schemes, to fit the new seller disclosure laws.

Two points about the Reference Schedule catch people out:

• Blank items switch conditions off. The finance clause only applies if the finance amount, financier and finance date are all filled in, and the building and pest clause only applies if an inspection date is filled in. Leave them blank and the contract is not subject to them.
• Special conditions can add deadlines. Agents and sellers often add special conditions, such as a subject-to-sale clause, that carry their own dates. Our guide to REIQ contract special conditions explains the common ones.

How long is the cooling-off period in Queensland?

Five business days. The cooling-off period starts on the day the buyer receives a copy of the contract signed by both parties (or the next business day, if that is a weekend or public holiday) and ends at 5pm on the fifth business day.

• No cooling-off at auction. It also does not apply to a contract signed with a registered bidder by 5pm on the second clear business day after the property was passed in.
• It can be waived or shortened. The buyer can do this by giving the seller written notice, which some buyers do to make an offer more attractive. Get advice before you do.
• Withdrawing has a cost. If the buyer terminates during cooling-off, the seller can keep a small termination penalty, set by law as a fraction of the price, from the deposit and must refund the rest within 14 days.

The cooling-off period runs alongside the finance and building and pest dates, not before them. See our cooling-off guide for how Queensland compares with other states.

When are the finance and building and pest dates?

They fall on whatever dates the buyer and seller negotiate and write into the contract. There is no fixed number of days in law, so ask for enough time to get a lender's formal approval and a licensed inspector's report before you sign.

• Building and pest date. The contract is conditional on the buyer getting a satisfactory written building and pest report by this date. If the buyer does not give the required notice by 5pm on the date, the seller may be able to terminate. Buyers often set this date before the finance date, so they know the condition of the property before committing to a loan.
• Finance date. The contract is conditional on the buyer obtaining loan approval on satisfactory terms by this date. Approval that is still subject to valuation or other lender conditions is not the unconditional approval the contract contemplates, so check with your lender before confirming finance.

If either date looks tight, ask for an extension in writing before it passes, not after. Our guides to building and pest reports and what happens if finance falls through cover the next steps.

How did the 2025 seller disclosure rules change the timeline?

They moved work to the start. Since the Property Law Act 2023 commenced on 1 August 2025, a Queensland seller must give the buyer a disclosure statement in the approved form, with the prescribed certificates, before the buyer signs the contract. Apart from limited exceptions, the parties cannot contract out of this.

In practice, the seller's solicitor now orders searches and prepares the disclosure statement before the property is marketed, so a seller who has not done this cannot accept a signed offer straight away. Buyers get more information before signing, so fewer issues should surface afterwards.

The rules have teeth. If the disclosure documents are not given, or are inaccurate or incomplete on a material matter that would have stopped the buyer signing, the buyer can generally terminate by notice at any time before settlement. Sellers should allow time for this step when planning a sale; see residential sale conveyancing.

Why are Queensland settlement deadlines so strict?

Because REIQ contracts make time of the essence. A party who is not ready to settle on the settlement date is in default, and the other side can usually terminate and, if the buyer is at fault, keep the deposit. That is stricter than in some other states, where a short delay is more often dealt with through penalty interest and a notice to complete.

There is some flexibility:

• A short extension right. Current REIQ residential contracts let either party extend the settlement date by notice, for up to five business days in total, without the other side's consent. Anything longer needs written agreement.
• Weekend and holiday dates. If the settlement date in the contract is not a business day, the Property Law Act moves it to the next business day unless the parties agree otherwise.
• System outages and disasters. If an electronic settlement cannot go ahead because systems at the land registry, the revenue office, the Reserve Bank, a financial institution or the electronic lodgement network are down, the Act moves settlement to the next business day without either party being in breach. Separate protection applies when events such as floods or cyclones stop a party settling.

If you think you might miss the date, tell your solicitor as early as possible. See dealing with a delayed settlement for what happens next.

Can a Queensland sale settle faster?

Yes. A cash buyer, or a buyer whose formal loan approval is already in place, can agree a short settlement and can shorten or waive cooling-off by written notice. Short finance and building and pest dates, or none at all, also speed things up, but they remove protection, so only drop them if you are confident about both the loan and the property.

What cannot be skipped is the seller's disclosure, which must be in the buyer's hands before signing. In Queensland, residential conveyancing is handled by solicitors, with conveyancing clerks working under their supervision, so have yours engaged before you sign. ConveyDirect arranges fixed-fee quotes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and across Queensland, with a response within two business hours and free contract review when you are buying.

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.