Buyer’s property searches

Buying a house? Here are some searches to consider

If you are purchasing a house in Queensland (‘Property’) pursuant to a standard REIQ Contract for Houses and Residential Land (14th edition) (‘Contract’), there are a number of standard  and optional searches that you may wish to conduct in respect of the Property as part of your due diligence enquiries.

Standard Searches

The standard (i.e. the more common) searches that may be conducted by a Buyer when purchasing a house or land include, without limitation:

• Current title search
• Registered plan search
• Land tax search
• Rates search
• Flood search
• Special water meter reading search
• Qld Road and Main Roads search
• Environmental management register search
• Contaminated land register search
• Local government searches, including, for example:
  • town planning search
  • sewerage and drainage plans search
  • pool safety register search
  • transport noise corridor search

Optional Searches

An example of some more optional searches that a Buyer may wish to obtain include, without limitation:

• Vegetation management search
• Vegetation protection order search
• Coastal management search
• Building approval search
• Heritage search

This is not an exhaustive list of the standard and optional searches that can be carried out on a Property, and other enquiries may be necessary depending on the nature, location and use of the Property. In some cases, it may be necessary to only order a few searches, whilst in other cases, it may be necessary and recommend to undertake a more comprehensive due diligence enquirers. You should speak to your solicitor about any necessary and recommend searches for your Property.

This commentary is of a general nature only, containing nothing more than some general information for the reader. It is not intended to be legal advice, nor cannot it be relied upon as legal advice. To this end, please read our Website Terms including the disclaimer contained therein carefully. Laws, rules and principles may be subject to sudden and unexpected changes and you should always consult a lawyer about your specific circumstances.