When each state’s papers must be ready
Read a row from left to right and the sale moves with it, from the first advertisement to settlement. Each state’s paper is pinned at the point where that state’s rule sets the deadline. The wording on each pin follows the state’s own page, which is why the moments differ a little: “before the property is sold” in Victoria, “before the buyer signs” in Queensland.
| State | 1Before it is advertised | 2While offers can be made | 3Before the contract | 4Before settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Contract of salewith its prescribed documents attached, prepared before the home is advertised. NSW paper | Not at this point | Not at this point | Not at this point |
| ACT | Not at this point | Required documentsopen to a prospective buyer’s inspection at all reasonable times when an offer can be made. ACT paper | Not at this point | Not at this point |
| VIC | Not at this point | Not at this point | Section 32 statementgiven to the buyer before the property is sold. Victorian paper | Not at this point |
| QLD | Not at this point | Not at this point | Disclosure statement (form 2)and prescribed certificates, given before the buyer signs the contract. Queensland paper | Not at this point |
| SA | Not at this point | Not at this point | Not at this point | Form 1 vendor’s statementgiven to the buyer at least 10 clear days before settlement, in a private treaty sale. South Australian paper |
The deadlines move more than the line suggests. In a South Australian sale by offer, the buyer’s 2 clear business days of cooling-off on the sale contract begin when the contract is signed or the Form 1 is received, whichever happens last, so a late Form 1 moves the start of cooling-off with it. There is no cooling-off period at auctions.
Three questions behind every page
What goes in it. Each guide sets out what the state’s official pages say the document holds, and names the law where the full list lives. Victoria’s statement takes its name from section 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962, which sets out what it must contain.
Where each piece comes from. Much of a disclosure document is other people’s paperwork: a zoning certificate issued by the local council in NSW, an owners corporation certificate in Victoria, a title search and registered plan of survey in Queensland.
What if it is wrong or missing. Here the states differ most. In NSW, a missing disclosure document may let the buyer rescind within 14 days of exchange, unless settlement has already happened. In Queensland, even if the failure was unintentional, the buyer may be able to terminate at any time up to settlement where the disclosure documents were not given at all, or were inaccurate or incomplete; in that second case the buyer must show the issue was material, that they were unaware of it when they signed, and that they would not have signed had they known.
Two changes with dates on them
Queensland, 1 August 2025. Changes under the new Property Law Act 2023 started on this date, including a mandatory seller disclosure scheme. The Queensland paper reads the statement the scheme asks for.
Victoria, 1 October 2026. Under new rules that started on this date, real estate agents must use the new Property Price Statement, which replaces the Statement of Information. For auctions and fixed-date sales, the new requirements apply from 16 October 2026. The Property Price Statement carries price information, and it is required for every residential property an estate agent advertises in Victoria. Agents prepare it; the Victorian paper is about the seller’s Section 32 statement.
What this guide is, and where to check
Sell Your Own Property is a guide to sellers’ disclosure documents in plain words, published by Dotto. Each page reports what a state’s law and official pages say, whose rule it is and who it applies to. It does not prepare documents, and nothing on it is advice about a particular sale. The state bodies below publish the rules this guide reports.