Conveyancing · Southport, Gold Coast

Conveyancing for buyers and sellers in Southport.

Contract review, seller disclosure and settlement on Southport apartments, townhouses and houses. Fiona Cox handles conveyancing at Fraser Lawyers, which acts for Southport buyers and sellers from its Bundall office.

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Reviewed by Blake Fraser, Principal Lawyer, Fraser Lawyers Last updated 4 November 2026

Southport is recognised as the central business district of the City of Gold Coast and holds the city’s largest area of office space. It sits about four kilometres north of Surfers Paradise, with the Nerang River along its south-eastern edge and the Broadwater to the east. Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus faces Gold Coast University Hospital in the east of the suburb, the G:link light rail runs through it, and the council opened a Chinatown precinct in the CBD in 2014.

The housing reflects that mix. At the 2021 Census a little over half of Southport’s occupied dwellings were flats or apartments, about a fifth were townhouses and other attached homes, and just under a quarter were separate houses. A Southport conveyance may concern a unit in a CBD tower, a townhouse in a small complex near the hospital, or a house on its own title in an established street. Each calls for a different set of checks.

The order of work does not change. Since 1 August 2025 the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) has governed Queensland property contracts, and on most sales the seller must hand over a disclosure statement before the buyer signs. The REIQ contract then fixes the dates for finance, for building and pest, and for settlement. Reading the disclosure and the contract side by side, before anything is signed, is where most later trouble is avoided.

Fraser Lawyers acts for buyers and sellers in Southport from its office at 86 Bundall Road, Bundall, and for clients across the Gold Coast and Queensland.

Scope of work

What we help with

Fraser Lawyers acts on Southport purchases and sales, including:

Matter: What it usually involves
Contract review before you sign: Going through the REIQ contract, special conditions and key dates on a Southport unit, townhouse or house.
Form 2 seller disclosure: Preparing the seller's statement and certificates, or checking the set given to a buyer, under the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld).
CBD apartment purchases: Reviewing the body corporate certificate, levies, sinking fund, by-laws and any onsite letting arrangement for a tower lot.
Townhouses in smaller schemes: Checking the community management statement, exclusive use areas and who maintains what in a small complex.
Houses on their own title: Title, easements, rates, water and the building and pest report for a detached Southport home.
Tenanted investment property: Advising on an existing tenancy, the lease terms and the rent adjustment at settlement.
Searches, requisitions and settlement: Searches, requisitions on the seller, the settlement statement and electronic settlement through PEXA.
Transfer duty: Working out transfer duty under the Duties Act 2001 (Qld) and whether a home or first-home concession is available.

Southport packs a wide range of property into a small area. A tower apartment usually comes with a large body corporate, a professional manager and often an onsite letting business. A townhouse in a complex of a handful of lots may have no manager at all, with the owners running the body corporate themselves. A house carries no body corporate but needs closer attention to the title, the structure and the council’s mapping. The first useful question on any Southport file is which of these is being bought or sold.

Cooling-off Five business days from the contract date on most residential sales, under the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld).
Seller disclosure For most sales since 1 August 2025, a Form 2 statement and prescribed certificates are due before the buyer signs.
Usual timeline The REIQ standard is 30 days to settlement, commonly with 14 days each for finance and for building and pest.
Southport apartments More than half of occupied Southport dwellings were flats or apartments at the 2021 Census, so body corporate records feature on many files.
When to get advice Before you sign, while the terms can still be changed.

Process

How a Southport conveyance runs, from contract to registration.

Every Queensland residential conveyance moves through the same broad stages. On a Southport file the detail at each stage depends heavily on whether the property is part of a community titles scheme.

Before signing. The contract and the seller’s disclosure are read together. Special conditions, the finance and building and pest dates and the settlement date are explained. A seller’s disclosure is prepared before the property is offered.
Cooling-off. Section 166 of the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) gives the buyer under most residential contracts 5 business days from the contract date to terminate. A buyer who does so forfeits 0.25% of the price to the seller. Auction contracts carry no cooling-off right.
Conditions. The buyer’s lender works toward formal approval, and the building and pest inspection is carried out. For an apartment, a building and pest report covers the lot, so the body corporate records do the work for the common property.
Searches and requisitions. Title, council rates, water and, for a lot in a scheme, body corporate searches are obtained, and requisitions go to the seller’s solicitor.
Settlement and registration. Adjustments for rates, water and levies are calculated to the settlement date, settlement completes in PEXA, and the transfer is registered under the Land Title Act 1994 (Qld).

The main statutes are the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) (contract and disclosure), the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) (cooling-off), the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld) (community titles schemes), the Duties Act 2001 (Qld) (transfer duty) and the Land Title Act 1994 (Qld) (registration).

Apartments in Southport

Reading the body corporate records on a Southport unit.

Most Southport apartments are lots in a community titles scheme under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld). The buyer takes over the seller’s place in the body corporate at settlement, along with the levies, the by-laws and any arrangements the body corporate has already made. Those records should be read before the contract is signed, or at least before the conditions fall away.

The points that usually matter are the administrative and sinking fund levies, any special levy already struck or proposed, the balance of the sinking fund against the works the building is likely to need, recent minutes that mention defects, disputes or major repairs, and the by-laws on pets, parking, renovations and use of the common property.

Larger buildings often have a caretaker and an onsite letting business. Under the Act, a service contractor is a person engaged by the body corporate for at least a year to supply services such as caretaking (s 15), and a letting agent is a person the body corporate authorises to run a letting business for the scheme (s 16). Their agreements are usually long and are a cost the owners carry, so they are worth understanding on a purchase.

Cooling-off

What the five business days give a buyer, and what they do not.

Section 166 of the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) lets a buyer under most residential contracts end the contract within 5 business days of the contract date without giving a reason. If the buyer does so, the seller keeps 0.25% of the purchase price and the rest of the deposit goes back. The buyer can also waive or shorten the period by written notice to the seller under s 167.

The period is short and it runs whether or not finance or inspections have been organised. It is not a substitute for reading the contract before signing, and it does not change the finance or building and pest dates.

Some contracts carry no cooling-off right at all. The main example is a contract formed at auction. Section 160 also excludes several other situations, including a contract with a registered bidder made within two business days after the property is passed in at auction, and certain purchases by publicly listed corporations, the State, or a buyer acquiring three or more lots.

Costs and transfer duty

What a Southport conveyance costs, in two parts, plus duty.

The cost of a conveyance has two components. Professional fees cover the legal work. Disbursements are amounts paid to others on your behalf, such as title searches, body corporate certificate fees and registration fees. Before any work begins, Fraser Lawyers gives a written costs disclosure under section 308 of the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) setting out the basis of the fees, an estimate and the disbursements expected.

Transfer duty is a separate State tax charged under the Duties Act 2001 (Qld). It must be paid before the transfer can be registered. A home concession or first-home concession may reduce it where the buyer meets the criteria, and the first-home settings were revised in 2025. The Queensland Revenue Office publishes the current rates and thresholds, and the firm works out the duty position on each purchase.

Buying or selling in Southport

What to check on a Southport property.

Southport’s mix of CBD towers, townhouse complexes and older residential streets means the checklist changes from one property to the next. A few points come up often.

For a tower apartment, look past the levy figure to the sinking fund forecast and the minutes. A building of some age may have major works ahead, such as lifts, waterproofing or facade repairs, and the owners at the time pay for them. Ask whether the lot is in a letting pool and on what terms.

For a townhouse in a small scheme, check who insures and maintains each part of the building, whether courtyards or car spaces are exclusive use areas, and whether the body corporate holds regular meetings and keeps proper accounts.

For a house, the title, any easement for sewer or stormwater, and the building and pest report are the usual focus. Parts of Southport sit beside the Nerang River and the Broadwater, so the City of Gold Coast’s flood level search report and its City Plan mapping are worth checking before signing. The flood report gives an estimated designated flood level and the ground level at the centre of the property, though not the flood extent.

For a tenanted property, check the lease end date, the rent, any bond held and whether the tenant will stay after settlement.

Time limits

Deadlines and risks.

Under the standard REIQ contract time is of the essence, so a missed date can cost a party rights it assumed it had. The ones that matter most on a Southport file are these.

Cooling-off ends quickly. The 5 business days under s 166 of the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) start on the contract date. After that, ending the contract needs a ground in the contract itself.

Finance approval has a deadline. A unit in a large tower or a building with a strong short-stay letting profile can attract more lender scrutiny, so leave room in the finance date and keep in touch with the lender.

Body corporate issues need early review. Once the conditions are satisfied, a special levy or defect found in the records is far harder to act on.

Disclosure gaps are a pre-signing issue. A missing or materially wrong Form 2 may let a buyer terminate, but that right has limits and is better avoided than relied on.

What we do

How Fraser Lawyers acts in these matters.

No lawyer controls how a conveyance unfolds. Lenders, valuers, body corporate managers, the council and the other party all play a part. What Fraser Lawyers does on a Southport file is plain and methodical.

The firm reviews the contract and the disclosure before signing, prepares the disclosure on a sale, reads the body corporate records on a unit or townhouse, runs searches and requisitions, prepares the settlement statement, works with the lender and settles through PEXA. Fiona Cox handles conveyancing at Fraser Lawyers.

If something goes wrong, such as an adverse search result, a condition that cannot be met or a dispute over adjustments, the firm explains the options and the time available to act.

Pathway

The likely path.

Step 1. Contract and disclosure review.

Before signing, the contract and the Form 2 disclosure are read together and the key dates and special conditions explained. On a sale the disclosure is prepared before the property is offered.

Step 2. Cooling-off and conditions.

The 5 business day cooling-off period under s 166 of the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) runs from the contract date. Finance and building and pest are dealt with inside the dates in the contract.

Step 3. Body corporate, searches and requisitions.

For a lot in a scheme, the body corporate records are reviewed. Title, rates and water searches are obtained and requisitions raised on the seller’s solicitor.

Step 4. Getting ready to settle.

The settlement statement is prepared with adjustments to the settlement date, transfer duty is assessed under the Duties Act 2001 (Qld), and the PEXA workspace is set up with the lender.

Step 5. Settlement.

Funds move electronically, any mortgage is discharged, and the transfer is lodged for registration under the Land Title Act 1994 (Qld).

Frequently asked

Questions we hear often.

Plain-English answers to the questions clients tend to ask. If your question is not here, call us.

Get in touch

Do I need a lawyer for a Southport conveyance, or will a settlement agent do?

Both are permitted in Queensland, but the scope differs. A solicitor can advise on the contract before you sign, explain the special conditions, deal with title or disclosure problems and act if a dispute arises before settlement. Fraser Lawyers acts from the contract stage, and Fiona Cox handles conveyancing at the firm.

How long does a Southport purchase take to settle?

The REIQ standard is 30 days from the contract date, with finance and building and pest dates usually set at 14 days. The parties can agree a longer or shorter period. Once the contract is signed, the dates bind both sides and can only be moved by agreement.

Can my Southport apartment be let out through the onsite manager?

Often, yes, but it is a choice. Under s 16 of the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld), a letting agent is authorised by the body corporate to run a letting business for the scheme, acting for the owners who choose to use its services. An owner may use another agent or let the lot privately, subject to the by-laws and any planning limits on the building. On a purchase, check whether the lot is in a letting pool and what that agreement requires.

Is there a cooling-off period on a Southport contract?

On most residential contracts, yes. Section 166 of the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) gives the buyer 5 business days from the contract date. A buyer who terminates in that time loses 0.25% of the price to the seller. A contract formed at auction has no cooling-off period.

What will the seller have to disclose?

Under the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld), most sellers must give a Form 2 disclosure statement and prescribed certificates before the buyer signs. They cover title and encumbrances, rates and water, planning and building notices and, for a lot in a scheme, body corporate information. A buyer may be able to terminate before settlement if disclosure is not given, or is inaccurate in a way that would reasonably have affected the decision to buy.

What does a conveyance cost?

Professional fees cover the legal work, and disbursements cover searches, certificates and registration paid to third parties. Both are set out in a written costs disclosure under s 308 of the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) before work starts. Transfer duty under the Duties Act 2001 (Qld) is separate and may be reduced by a home or first-home concession.

Buying or selling in Southport? Start with a free 15-minute call.

Tell us about the property and how far the sale has progressed, and we will explain what is involved and the sensible next step. The initial 15-minute scoping call is free and there is no obligation. Fraser Lawyers is based at 86 Bundall Road, Bundall, and acts for buyers and sellers in Southport and across Queensland.