Leveraging New Tools to Support Disclosure and Compliance

Queensland’s property landscape has undergone a major shift with the commencement of the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) (Act) and Property Law Regulation 2024 (Regulation) on 1 August 2025. A key reform has been the introduction of a statutory seller disclosure scheme for sales of freehold land.

Historically, Queensland has operated under a “buyer beware” approach, placing the burden on purchasers to understand risks through extensive due diligence. Now, that dynamic has changed, with responsibility shifting to the seller – and the legal professionals guiding them.

This shift is creating a new kind of problem.

The new risk isn’t what you don’t know – it’s what you don’t disclose

Under the new regime, sellers are required to provide buyers with a true and accurate Disclosure Statement – along with prescribed certificates – before a contract of sale is signed.

Miss something? Get it wrong?

Failure to disclose correctly can lead to serious consequences, including the buyer’s right to rescind the contract. For conveyancers and practitioners, the reforms heighten the importance of gathering complete, up‑to‑date information to ensure every Disclosure Statement meets the Act and Regulation’s requirements.

This can be a lengthy and complex task.

Disclosure has become a data problem

Let’s look at heritage – just one component of the seller disclosure statement under ‘Part 3 – Land use, planning and environment’.

On paper, the requirements seem straightforward. Sellers must disclose whether the property is:

• Affected by the Queensland Heritage Act 1992 (Qld), or

• Included on the World Heritage List under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth).

In practice, this means considering whether a property is:

• Listed on the Queensland Heritage Register (QHR),

• Subject to an application to be listed or removed from the QHR,

• An excluded place from the QHR, or

• Recorded on the World Heritage List

None of this information sits neatly in one place. Many existing heritage searches only address part of the requirement, while manually checking multiple government databases can be time-consuming and inconsistent. Let’s remember, this is just one of many components sellers are asked to disclose.

This time-consuming exercise is where the real risk is carried – incomplete or inaccurate disclosures could give the buyer the right to terminate the contract.

It’s no longer sufficient to rely on manually gathering this data.

Leveraging New Tools to Support Disclosure and Compliance

This is where the role of smarter, more integrated reporting becomes clear.

Rather than piecing together information from multiple sources, there’s a growing need for efficient, accurate reports that consolidate all the information so sellers can proceed with confidence.

To support legal professionals and their clients in navigating the new regulations, Lotsearch has introduced the Seller Disclosure – Heritage report to its suite of seller disclosure searches. It joins the Zoning and Contamination Notices searches to assist sellers in answering the required questions under Part 3 of the disclosure statement.

Specifically tailored to the QLD seller disclosure regime, the Heritage report helps answer the disclosure question in a single report that consolidates both state and federal records.

Where this leaves the industry

Property transactions are becoming more structured, more transparent, and increasingly data-driven. In this environment, the risk doesn’t sit in what’s unknown, but in what is overlooked or incomplete.

For legal practitioners, the challenge is no longer just understanding the law, but ensuring the right information is identified, verified, and disclosed with confidence. The processes and tools used to support this will play a critical role in reducing risk, improving efficiency, and ultimately protecting both clients and outcomes.

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About Lotsearch

Lotsearch is the industry leader in providing best in class environmental searches and reports supporting lawyers and conveyancers across Australia to navigate complex disclosure requirements with greater confidence. Through comprehensive data and practical reporting, Lotsearch helps practitioners streamline due diligence and reduce risk in property transactions.

Explore our seller disclosure searches:

Seller Disclosure – Heritage (QLD) Identify QHR & World Heritage listings that must be disclosed	Product Card
Seller Disclosure – Zoning (QLD) Disclose the correct zoning that takes precedence for your property	Product Card
Seller Disclosure – Contamination Notices (QLD) Identify environmental notices that must be disclosed	Product Card

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is general in nature and educational only. It is not exhaustive and many other disclosure requirements will apply. The information is not legal, strategic, consulting, or product advice. You should always seek specialist legal or other advice on your particular circumstances and before relying on any of the information.