Buy a Home
Vendor disclosure documents in each state
What the seller must give you, when, and what you can do if it is missing or wrong.
Your state at a glance
Victoria Section 32 vendor statement
- What you get
- Section 32 vendor statement source
- When
- Before you sign the contract source
- Covers
- The title: mortgages, covenants, easements, zoning, outgoings, and whether it is bushfire-prone source
- A Section 32 does not cover building condition, building-regulation compliance or whether the title's measurements are accurate: the buyer must investigate those separately source
New South Wales contract for sale and its prescribed documents
- What you get
- The contract for sale, with the prescribed documents attached source
- When
- Ask for a copy as soon as possible; it must exist before the property is advertised source
- Covers
- Title documents, drainage diagram, zoning certificate, cooling-off statement and, with a pool, a pool certificate source
- Short window: 14 days after the contract is made to rescind for a missing document source
Queensland seller disclosure statement (Form 2)
- What you get
- Seller disclosure statement (Form 2) and prescribed certificates source
- When
- Before you sign; at auction, before the hammer falls source
- Covers
- Title and encumbrances, tenancy, zoning, transport and resumption notices, contamination, heritage, pools and building notices source
- Inaccurate or incomplete information: you must show it was material, that you were unaware of it when you signed, and that you would not have signed had you known source
Western Australia seller disclosure (strata information)
- What you get
- No required seller disclosure form source; for a strata lot, the information the Strata Titles Act lists source
- When
- Strata information: before you sign source
- Covers
- Strata: scheme documents, latest AGM minutes, accounts and 12 months of estimated levies source
- No required form: ask for a Seller Disclosure Statement before you make an offer source
South Australia Form 1 vendor's statement
Tasmania for contrast
- The rule
- In Tasmania there is no requirement under the Act to disclose defects in the quality of a property for sale, and no statutory cooling-off period; the state's consumer affairs guidance says 'buyer beware' is the position to take. Vendor disclosure and cooling-off periods were added as options in the standard form contract published by the Law Society of Tasmania and the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania, which is used for the majority of sales. source
Australian Capital Territory for contrast
- The rule
- Under the ACT's Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003, the required documents for a sale of residential property include the proposed contract, the Crown lease, a current certified extract from the land titles register, the deposited plan, any energy efficiency rating statement, a building and compliance inspection report and a pest inspection report. It is an offence if the required documents are not all available for a prospective buyer to inspect, and they form part of the contract. source
Key points
- In Victoria the Section 32 must be given before you sign source, in New South Wales the prescribed documents must be attached to the contract source, and in Queensland the Form 2 comes before you sign source.
- South Australia's Form 1 can arrive after you sign, as late as 10 clear days before settlement source, and on a private sale your cooling-off period starts when you receive it (there is none at auction) source.
- Western Australia has no required seller disclosure form source, though the seller of a strata lot must give prescribed information before you sign source.
- Tasmania requires no disclosure of defects source, while the ACT's required documents, available for buyers to inspect, include building and pest inspection reports source.
The disclosure documents, state by state
Compare all five states side by side
Scroll sideways for more columns
| VIC | NSW | QLD | WA | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What the seller gives you | Section 32 vendor statement source | The contract for sale, with the prescribed documents attached source | Seller disclosure statement (Form 2) and prescribed certificates source | No required seller disclosure form source; for a strata lot, the information the Strata Titles Act lists source | Form 1 vendor's statement source |
| When you get it | Before you sign the contract source | Ask for a copy as soon as possible; it must exist before the property is advertised source | Before you sign; at auction, before the hammer falls source | Strata information: before you sign source | At least 10 clear days before settlement, or before an auction source; private sale: cooling-off starts when you receive it; none at auction source |
| What it covers | The title: mortgages, covenants, easements, zoning, outgoings, and whether it is bushfire-prone source | Title documents, drainage diagram, zoning certificate, cooling-off statement and, with a pool, a pool certificate source | Title and encumbrances, tenancy, zoning, transport and resumption notices, contamination, heritage, pools and building notices source | Strata: scheme documents, latest AGM minutes, accounts and 12 months of estimated levies source | Title, mortgages, easements, zoning, any lease, and building indemnity insurance source |
| If it is missing or wrong | You may be able to withdraw from the sale or take legal action source | Document missing: rescind within 14 days after the contract is made, unless it has settled source | You may be able to terminate at any time up to settlement source | Strata information not given: you may avoid the contract before settlement source | Private sale: cooling-off runs until the second clear business day after it is served, or settlement if sooner; none at auction source; any sale: a court can avoid the contract or award damages if you were prejudiced source |
Each state decides what a seller must tell you, when, and what you can do if they do not; each "source" links to the government page or legislation it comes from. The Northern Territory is not covered here yet.
Practical checklist
Whichever state you buy in
- Use the rules of the state the property is in, not the state you live in
- Ask for the disclosure documents before you sign or bid, even where the law lets them come later
- Have your own conveyancer, settlement agent or solicitor read them
- Note every deadline: some rights to withdraw last days, others until settlement
Relevant Delora tool
Questions for a professional
- Which disclosure law applies to this property, and has the seller complied with it?
- What do the documents not cover, and how do I find that out before I commit?
Official resources
- NSW Government: steps to selling a property (what the contract must include)
- Queensland Government: seller disclosure scheme
- Consumer Protection WA: real estate contracts, sale by offer and acceptance
- SA.GOV.AU: buying a home (the Form 1)
Important limitations: This is general information comparing state rules, not legal advice about any contract. The date on each citation is when Delora last checked that source.
Sources and methodology
- Conveyancing and contracts for sellers | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 21 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Contracts and disclosure statements - estate agents | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 21 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Seek expert advice on property | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 21 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Steps to selling a property | NSW Government — NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Conveyancing (Sale of Land) Regulation 2022 | NSW Legislation — NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Contracts and deposits | NSW Government — NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Seller disclosure scheme | Queensland Government — Queensland Government (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- From the Commissioner: The material fact of the matter when it comes to buying a home | Consumer Protection WA — Consumer Protection, Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Buying and selling a strata lot: fact sheet | Landgate — Landgate (WA land titles authority) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Buying a home | SA.GOV.AU — Government of South Australia (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Home sales | SA.GOV.AU — Government of South Australia (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act 1994 (SA) — Government of South Australia (Attorney-General's Department) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Advice for buying and selling property | Consumer Affairs Tasmania — Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tasmania) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 (ACT) — ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.
Evidence record