Buying a house in Queensland: what to check before you sign

Before you sign a contract for a house in Queensland, read the Form 2 seller disclosure statement, then check the zoning and overlays, flood, bushfire, title and easements, the building and pest condition, the pool safety certificate (or the body corporate records for a unit) and the ground, and get a home insurance quote that includes flood. Form 2 leaves out flood history, planning limits, building approvals and the condition of the building.

Check	What it tells you	Where to get it
Form 2 seller disclosure	Title, zone, notices, pool, rates	The seller, before you sign
Zoning and overlays	Permitted use, plus overlay rules	Council planning scheme map, Queensland Globe
Flood	Type and level of flooding at the lot	Council flood report
Bushfire	Whether the area is mapped bushfire prone	Council overlay, Queensland Fire Department
Title and easements	Owners, mortgages, easements, covenants	Titles Queensland title search
Building and pest	Structural and pest condition	Licensed inspector
Pool safety certificate	Whether the pool barrier passed	Seller, or a Form 36 if none
Body corporate (units)	Levies, by-laws, disputes	Certificate and records search
Ground	Reactive clay, fill, acid sulfate soil, slope	Desktop study, then a site investigation
Insurance	Flood cover and its price	Insurer quote

What does the Form 2 seller disclosure statement cover?

Form 2 is the statement most Queensland sellers must give a buyer before the buyer signs, a rule that started on 1 August 2025 under the Property Law Act 2023. It applies to houses, townhouses, units, commercial property and vacant land. It includes a title search and survey plan, encumbrances (interests such as easements and leases), the zone, heritage and contaminated land listings, tree orders, resumption and building notices, rates, water charges, pool details and, for units, the body corporate documents.

The form's own first page says it does not include flooding or other natural hazard history, structural soundness or pest infestation, current or past use, building or development approvals, limits imposed by planning laws, services connected to the property or asbestos. If the seller gives inaccurate or incomplete information on a material matter, you may be able to terminate up to settlement, but only if you did not know and would not have signed. See what Form 2 leaves out of a listing.

How do I check zoning and overlays in Queensland?

Search the address in the council's planning scheme map. The zone says what the land is for. Overlays add rules on top, such as flood, bushfire, heritage and steep land. The free Queensland Globe shows lot and plan numbers, area and tenure, and this guide shows how to use it. Form 2 gives you the zone name but not the overlays.

LayeredGeo's Property Report is a $9 PDF that puts the zoning, flood, bushfire and heritage overlays and easements for one Queensland address in one document, with the water and sewer pipes where the utility publishes them. It also lists nearby development applications where held, and a free map preview shows what is mapped before you pay. It is not a title search, a council certificate or a building inspection.

How do I check if a house floods in Queensland?

Ask the council for its flood report. In Brisbane, the FloodWise Property Report downloads from the Flood Awareness Map and lists flood levels at several likelihoods, historic levels and the minimum habitable floor level. Brisbane City Council lists it among its free flood tools. Moreton Bay's Flood check property report is requested through an online form and shows the type of flooding, including overland flow, and the flood immunity of the property. For other councils, ask for the flood search.

Overland flow is rainwater running over the land after heavy rain, and it can reach a lot that no creek touches. Brisbane's report does not show it on the aerial map, and the council says a report with no levels can still carry flood risk. See how to read a FloodWise Property Report. The state's FloodCheck Queensland portal, which Form 2 points to, shows which flood studies and state flood mapping cover an area, but the council report is where flood levels for the lot come from. For past floods, see how to find out if a house has flooded before.

LayeredGeo's Flood Model Report is a $9 PDF that lists every published flood model reaching one address, with the modelled depth, velocity and flood level for each event. It works where a published flood model covers the address, which is parts of Queensland. Where none is held, the Property Report shows the council flood overlays instead.

How do I check bushfire risk?

Look for a bushfire overlay in the council planning scheme, and use the Queensland Fire Department's Postcode Checker for bushfire potential by postcode or suburb. The checker does not show current fires. If the house is in an overlay, ask the council what it means for building.

What do title searches and easements show?

A current title search from Titles Queensland shows the current owners and other registered interests, including mortgages, easements, covenants, leases and caveats. An easement can limit where you can build, so read what easements on title mean. Your solicitor or conveyancer normally orders this and the council searches, including the rates and water balance. The Queensland Government advises independent legal advice before you sign.

Do I need a building and pest inspection?

Yes, and Form 2 itself says so. It warns that the seller does not warrant structural soundness, approvals or the absence of pests, and tells you to engage a licensed building inspector or a qualified engineer, builder or pest inspector. Inspections can be written into the contract as conditions, so check they are there when you sign, because conditions left out are not legally binding.

What about the pool safety certificate?

If the property has a pool, the seller must give you a current pool safety certificate or lodge a Form 36 notice of no certificate and give you a copy. Certificates last 2 years for a non-shared pool and 1 year for a shared pool. If you buy without one, you have 90 days from settlement to get one.

What should I check when buying a unit?

Read the body corporate certificate (Form 33) for levies, the financial statement and unpaid levies, which can pass to you. Then ask in writing, for a fee, for a records search covering contracts, financials and minutes. You can also search the Body Corporate and Community Management office's orders for past disputes.

What is the ground under the house likely to do?

Four things matter. Reactive clay (it shrinks as it dries and swells as it wets) moves slabs and footings. Uncontrolled fill is fill placed without controls or records anyone can prove. Coastal land below 5 m AHD (5 metres above sea level) is likely to have acid sulfate soil, which turns acidic when disturbed, so read the acid sulfate soil myths. Slope affects drainage, driveways and building cost.

LayeredGeo's Terrain Report is a $9 PDF with a contour map, cross sections through the lot, the grade of the block and the driveway grade. For anyone planning to build or extend, LayeredGeo's geotechnical desktop study is a $119 PDF covering mapped geology, nearby bore logs, soils, acid sulfate soil, groundwater, slope and an indicative soil reactivity range. It is a desktop study, not a site investigation, and the site investigation decides the AS 2870 class. The $25 Pre-Purchase Property Report bundles the Property Report, the Flood Model Report (where a model covers the address) and the Terrain Report into one PDF.

Should I get an insurance quote before I buy?

Yes. Moneysmart says homes at high risk of flooding may cost more to insure, or flood cover may be excluded. Rainwater runoff usually sits under storm cover, not flood cover, so read the product disclosure statement.

How long is the cooling-off period?

For a residential contract it is 5 business days from the day you get the contract signed by both parties. If you cancel, the seller may keep up to 0.25% of the price from your deposit. There is no cooling-off period at auction. Form 2 warns you not to assume you can terminate after signing, so finish the checks first.

Common questions

What to check before buying a house in QLD? Read the Form 2, then check zoning and overlays, flood, bushfire, title, building and pest, the pool certificate, the ground and flood insurance.

What searches are done when buying a house in Queensland? Your solicitor or conveyancer orders a title search, council searches and a rates and water balance, and for a unit the body corporate certificate and a records search.

How do I check if a house floods in Brisbane? Download the council's FloodWise Property Report from the Flood Awareness Map, and check overland flow separately because the report's aerial map omits it.

What report should I get before buying a house in QLD? Start with the Form 2, the council flood report and a building and pest report. LayeredGeo's $25 Pre-Purchase Property Report adds planning, flood (where a published model covers the address) and slope data in one PDF.

Is there a cooling-off period when buying a house in Queensland? Yes, 5 business days for most residential contracts, but none at auction.

To run the planning, flood and ground checks for a Queensland address before you sign, pop in your address or check out a sample report.

LayeredGeo's Property Report pulls together public planning and site data for property due diligence across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania, so you can understand a place before you commit.

About this article. Published by LayeredGeo and written from the published research cited in the Sources section above. It is general information about how property and ground conditions are assessed in Australia, not engineering, planning, legal or financial advice, and it is not specific to any property. Check anything that matters against the source dataset or a suitably qualified professional before you rely on it. If you spot something wrong, tell us at hello@layeredgeo.com.au and we will fix it.

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