Conveyancing costs in Queensland
What conveyancing actually costs in QLD
A residential sale is a fixed $990 including GST and a residential purchase is a fixed $1,499 including GST, anywhere in Queensland. Below is the full picture — what the fee covers, what the searches cost, and how much transfer duty you will pay.
Contract review
Free
pre-signing contract review, no obligation
Residential sale
$990
incl. GST
Residential purchase
$1,499
incl. GST
Fixed and confirmed in writing before you engage us — no hourly billing
No Charge Guarantee
We review your contract before you sign at no charge. If you go ahead and the contract is later terminated under the cooling-off period, the finance condition or the building and pest condition, we do not charge you a professional fee — you only pay for any searches or third-party disbursements already ordered, at cost. When you buy or sell your next property, we act for you on our usual fixed fee.
- Free contract review before you sign — sale or purchase
- Terminated in the cooling-off period? No professional fee
- Finance not approved? No professional fee
- Building and pest report unsatisfactory? No professional fee
- You pay only for searches and disbursements already ordered, at cost
Both fees are handled by a solicitor, not a conveyancing clerk. If the contract goes wrong — a defect, a caveat, a failed finance clause, a dispute over the deposit — we can advise you and act. A conveyancing-only firm has to send you elsewhere and you pay twice.
What the fixed fee includes
- Reviewing the contract and advising you on it
- Managing cooling-off, finance and building and pest dates
- Ordering and reviewing the standard searches for your property
- All correspondence with the other side, agent and your bank
- Preparing the settlement statement and adjustments
- Attending electronic settlement and confirming the result
- Post-settlement notifications to council and water
Disbursements, itemised
These are paid to third parties, not to us, and we pass them on at cost. The exact set depends on your property. Ranges are indicative for a standard Queensland residential transaction.
| Item | Typical cost | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Title search and registered plan | $40 – $80 | Buyer and seller |
| Council rates and water search | $70 – $180 | Buyer |
| Body corporate search and disclosure | $150 – $350 | Units and townhouses |
| State searches (land tax, transport, contaminated land) | $30 – $150 | As relevant |
| Titles Office registration fees | From $250 | Buyer, scales with price |
| Electronic settlement (PEXA) fee | $110 – $150 | Buyer and seller |
| Building and pest inspection (paid direct) | $500 – $700 | Buyer |
| Transfer duty | See table below | Buyer |
Queensland transfer duty rates
Transfer duty is paid to the Queensland Revenue Office and is almost always a buyer's biggest cost. Which table applies depends on whether you are buying the property as your home or as an investment.
Investment and general rate
| Purchase price | Duty payable |
|---|---|
| Up to $5,000 | Nil |
| $5,000 – $75,000 | $1.50 per $100 over $5,000 |
| $75,000 – $540,000 | $1,050 + $3.50 per $100 over $75,000 |
| $540,000 – $1,000,000 | $17,325 + $4.50 per $100 over $540,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $38,025 + $5.75 per $100 over $1,000,000 |
Home concession rate (you will live in it)
| Purchase price | Duty payable |
|---|---|
| Up to $350,000 | $1.00 per $100 |
| $350,000 – $540,000 | $3,500 + $3.50 per $100 over $350,000 |
| $540,000 – $1,000,000 | $10,150 + $4.50 per $100 over $540,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $30,850 + $5.75 per $100 over $1,000,000 |
First home buyers get a further concession on top of the home rate, and buyers of a newly-built first home may pay no duty at all. Foreign buyers pay an additional acquirer duty surcharge. Concessions and thresholds change with each state budget — we confirm your exact figure in writing before you sign, and you can check the current rates with the Queensland Revenue Office.
More detail in our guides on stamp duty in Queensland and how to get a title search.
Costs by region
Our fee is the same wherever the property is. What changes region to region is the search set — and that is where the real cost differences sit.
Moreton Bay
Redcliffe, Scarborough, Margate, North Lakes, Caboolture and the peninsula. We have an office at 15 Fortune Street, Scarborough, so there is no travel loading on a Moreton Bay file.
- Same fixed fees — $990 sale, $1,499 purchase incl. GST
- Older peninsula homes: add a building and pest and, often, a council building records search for unapproved decks, carports and sheds
- North Lakes and Newport unit purchases carry body corporate search and levy adjustment costs
- Typical buyer disbursements: $450 – $750 before duty
Sunshine Coast
Caloundra, Golden Beach, Pelican Waters, Currimundi and the wider Coast, run from our Golden Beach office at 40 Theresa Street.
- Same fixed fees — no coastal premium
- Canal and waterfront lots at Pelican Waters and Golden Beach need revetment wall, jetty and pontoon enquiries
- New estates at Baringa and Aura carry infrastructure charges and developer disclosure to check
- Typical buyer disbursements: $450 – $800 before duty
Elsewhere in Queensland
Settlement is electronic state-wide, so we act for buyers, sellers and executors outside our two office regions on the same fixed fees, entirely by phone, email and video.
- Same fixed fees — no travel charge and no coastal premium
- Identity verified by video or through a local agent; contracts signed digitally
- Acreage and rural-residential blocks need water, bore, easement and vegetation checks
- Typical buyer disbursements: $500 – $900 before duty
Brisbane
Northside, inner city and the greater Brisbane region. Electronic settlement means a Brisbane purchase is handled exactly as a local one.
- Same fixed fees — $990 sale, $1,499 purchase incl. GST
- Character and demolition control precincts: check the Brisbane City Plan overlays before you sign
- Apartment purchases carry body corporate, sinking fund and levy searches
- Higher median prices mean transfer duty, not legal fees, drives your total cost
Wills, estates and elder law
A simple will is a fixed $495 including GST and an enduring power of attorney is a fixed $330 including GST. A testamentary trust will starts at $2,200 including GST. A grant of probate on its own is a fixed $3,300 including GST, and full estate administration — including obtaining the grant of probate — is a fixed $8,800 including GST for up to three bank accounts, the retirement village exit or one property transfer, and distribution to up to six beneficiaries. More complex estates, estate disputes and litigation are quoted separately before we start.
Ask for a quoteFee questions
How much does conveyancing cost in Queensland?
At Coastside Law a residential sale is a fixed $990 including GST and a residential purchase is a fixed $1,499 including GST. Across the Queensland market legal fees for a standard residential conveyance typically run from about $800 to $2,500. On top of the legal fee you pay disbursements — searches, registration fees and, for buyers, transfer duty — which go to third parties at cost.
What is the total cost of buying a house in Queensland?
For a buyer the legal fee is usually the smallest part. Budget for the fixed legal fee ($1,499 incl. GST with us), searches of roughly $200–$400, building and pest of about $500–$700, Titles Office registration fees, and transfer duty — which on a $700,000 home bought as your residence is the single largest figure. Sellers pay the legal fee, a small number of searches and the agent's commission.
Is the fixed fee really fixed?
Yes, for standard residential conveyancing. If something genuinely outside a standard transaction arises — a caveat, a dispute, a contract termination — we tell you before we do the work and agree the additional fee with you first.
What are disbursements?
Amounts we pay to third parties on your behalf: title and council searches, body corporate searches, Titles Office registration fees and settlement platform fees. We pass them on at cost with nothing added.
Is transfer duty included in the conveyancing fee?
No. Transfer duty is paid to the Queensland Revenue Office and depends on the price and your concession eligibility. It is usually a buyer's largest single cost. We calculate it and tell you the figure early.
Do conveyancing fees differ between Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay?
The legal work is the same across Queensland and our fixed fee does not change by suburb. What changes is the searches — a Sunshine Coast beachfront lot, a Moreton Bay unit in a body corporate scheme and a Fraser Coast acreage block each need a different search set, so disbursements vary more than fees do.
Is a cheaper conveyancer worth it?
A very low advertised fee usually excludes searches, adds per-item charges, or means a non-solicitor firm that cannot advise you if the contract goes wrong. Compare the total, and check whether a solicitor is actually handling the file.
When do I pay?
Generally at settlement — from the proceeds on a sale, or with the balance of the purchase price on a purchase. Some searches are paid earlier because they are ordered at the start.
Fees shown are current at the time of publication and apply to standard residential transactions. Disbursement ranges and duty rates are a guide only — duty rates and concessions are set by the Queensland Revenue Office and change from time to time. We will confirm your fee in a written costs agreement before we start work, as required under Queensland law.
Talk to a local lawyer today
Call us, or send an enquiry and we'll come back to you with a fixed fee and clear next steps.