What to Check Before Signing a House Contract in Victoria

You have found the house, the agent has sent the contract and someone is asking you to sign. This is the last point where you can still ask questions, ask for changes in a private sale, or walk away without consequences. A short, careful check now is worth more than any check after signing.

Use this list to make sure nothing obvious is missed. It will not tell you whether a contract is fair or safe to sign. Only a licensed conveyancer or property lawyer who has read the full documents can advise you on that.

1. Documents

• Do you have the full contract of sale, including the particulars, special conditions and general conditions?
• Do you have the Section 32 vendor statement, signed by the seller, with every attachment it refers to?
• For a unit or townhouse: is the owners corporation certificate included?
• Have you looked at Consumer Affairs Victoria's due diligence checklist? Sellers and agents must make it available at open inspections.
• Do you have your building and pest inspection report, if you are getting one?

Not sure which document is which? See Section 32 vs contract of sale.

2. Names and the property

• Are all buyers named in the contract exactly as you want them on the title?
• Does the seller named in the contract match the owner shown on the title search in the Section 32? If not, ask your conveyancer why.
• Does the address and land description match the property you inspected?

3. Money

• Is the price right, and does the contract say whether GST is included?
• How much is the deposit, when is it due, and do you have it ready?
• Is your finance approved, or only pre-approved? If the contract is subject to finance, is your lender named?
• Have you estimated land transfer duty using the State Revenue Office information, and checked whether any concession applies to you?
• Have you budgeted for conveyancing fees, inspections, lender fees and moving costs?

4. Dates

Write down every date the contract sets, and check each one works for you:

• Deposit due date (and the date for any balance of the deposit)
• Finance approval date, if there is a finance condition
• Dates in any other condition, such as an inspection deadline
• Settlement date
• The date your offer lapses, if you are writing one in

For many private residential sales, cooling-off is three clear business days from when you sign. It does not apply at auction or within three clear business days before or after one, and there are other exceptions. Don't rely on cooling-off as your thinking time: check before you sign.

5. Conditions

• Is the contract subject to finance, if you need it to be?
• Is it subject to a satisfactory building or pest inspection, if you want that?
• If you need to sell another property first, does the contract say so?
• Have you read every special condition and noted what it makes you do, by when, and what happens if it goes wrong?

Conditions can only help you if they are in the contract you sign. In a private sale, ask your conveyancer about adding them before you sign. At auction, you cannot add them afterwards without the seller's agreement.

6. What comes with the property

• Are the items you expect to stay, such as appliances, blinds or a shed, listed as included?
• Is anything you expected listed as excluded?

7. Your open questions

Go back through the contract and the Section 32 and list anything you don't understand or that doesn't match what you were told. Common ones:

• A restriction on the title, such as an easement or covenant, that could affect your plans
• Planning information you are not sure about
• Renovations you can see but no building permit listed
• Owners corporation fees, works or disputes
• A special condition that shifts a cost or risk to you

Take that list to a licensed conveyancer or property lawyer before you sign, not after. Our contract of sale guide and Section 32 guide explain each part in more detail.

Turn the contract into a list of questions

AI4Convey reads your Victorian contract of sale and Section 32 and emails you a plain-English report, usually in about five minutes. It lists the dates the contract sets, the clauses that could cost you money, what each special condition does, and which of the seller's required disclosures it found. It is a quick way to fill in parts of this checklist. You can upload both parts as one PDF for free.

A licensed conveyancer or property lawyer from our panel receives the same report and may contact you. The report is general information, not legal advice, and it can miss things. A finished checklist is not legal advice either. Have a professional review the full documents before you sign.

Sources: Consumer Affairs Victoria, Due diligence checklist, Buying property checklist and Buying property by private sale; State Revenue Office Victoria, Land transfer duty. Checked 12 October 2026.