Buying a Queenslander: What to Check Before You Sign

Buying A Queenslander

The Queenslander Series · Part 5 of an ongoing deep-dive

What to check before you sign. We’ve covered the history, the details, the rules and the rescues. This part is about buying a Queenslander: the moment you fall for one, and how to know exactly what you’re getting.

Stumps, termites, roofs, asbestos, the building and pest report, and what we do with it on your behalf.

Start With The Checklist Talk To Vern & Jade

Stumps & Termites The Building & Pest Report How We Help This is Part 5

“Every hundred-year-old house has a story under the floor. The building and pest report is where you get to read it first.“

Why this part of the series exists

Buying A Queenslander

Why Buying A Queenslander Needs A Different Read

Buying a Queenslander isn’t like buying a 2010 brick home. A house built in the 1920s has had a century of wet seasons, owners and renovations. Some of those renovations were beautiful. Some were creative. That history is why we love them. It’s also why the checks look a little different.

None of what follows is a reason to walk away. Instead, every item on the list is something you can see, ask about, price and plan for. The goal is simple. Walk in knowing exactly what you’re buying, so the only surprise is the breeze on the verandah.

Short version: check the stumps, termites, roof, asbestos, paint, anything built in underneath, and the smoke alarms. Then read the building and pest report properly, limitations included.

There’s also a newer piece of the puzzle. Since 1 August 2025, Queensland sellers have had to hand buyers a disclosure statement before a contract is signed. It’s a genuinely useful document. However, it doesn’t cover the things a Queenslander buyer cares about most.

New Since August 2025

What The Seller Must Now Tell You

CoveredTitle details, encumbrances and tenancies, land use and planning, some building details including pools, and certain notices.
Not coveredThe structural soundness of the building and its flooding history. The Queensland Government says so directly.
SoThe disclosure statement tells you about the paperwork, whereas the building and pest report tells you about the house.

The Numbers That Frame It

Four Figures Worth Knowing

Each one comes from a government source, linked at the bottom of the page.

5 days

business days of cooling-off on a standard Queensland contract, and none at auction

0.25%

the most a seller can deduct if you terminate during the cooling-off period

Pre-1990

homes built before 1990 are likely to contain some asbestos materials

2027

from 1 January, every Queensland home needs interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms

The Queenslander Checklist

Seven Things We Look At When Buying A Queenslander

These are the parts of an old timber house that tell you the most. Some are for the inspector. Others are questions for the selling agent. A few you can check yourself at the open home.

The stumpsPart 1 covered why these houses sit up high. After a century, many owners have swapped the original timber stumps for concrete or steel, and some houses are still due. So look underneath for leaning stumps and packing, and inside for sloping floors or doors that stick. Part 3 has the costs: roughly $800 to $1,200 a stump, or $30,000 to $60,000-plus for the whole house.

TermitesA timber house on timber stumps is exactly what termites like. The QBCC notes they’re a problem throughout Queensland. First, look for the termite management notice, usually in the meter box. Also ask for any past pest reports or treatment records.

Roof, gutters and salt airCorrugated iron is part of the Queenslander look. Closer to the water, from Wynnum and Manly down to Cleveland, salt air works on roof sheeting, fixings and gutters. Check for rust from the street, then look for water staining on the ceilings inside.

Inside, Underneath And Behind The Walls

AsbestosThe Queensland Government’s guidance is that a home built before 1990 is likely to contain some asbestos. In a Queenslander it usually turns up in later additions: fibro-enclosed verandahs, bathroom and laundry linings, eaves and outbuildings. It’s not a deal-breaker, though. It’s something to know before you plan a renovation.

Lead paintBefore 1970, many Australian houses used paint with high levels of lead. Before 1965, the recommended limit was 50 per cent. On a Queenslander, that’s the layers on the VJ walls, fretwork and window joinery. However, intact paint isn’t the issue. Sanding or stripping it is, so it matters most if you’re planning to restore.

Built in underneathOver the decades, plenty of owners have built in downstairs. Ask whether council approved that work, and pull Brisbane City Council’s free FloodWise Property Report. It covers river, creek, overland flow and storm tide flooding, and storm tide especially matters on the Bayside.

Smoke alarms and wiringSince 1 January 2022, a Queensland home that’s sold needs interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms, including one in every bedroom. A building inspection isn’t an electrical inspection. If the wiring looks original or tired, get a licensed electrician’s opinion.

Buying a Queenslander on the Bayside: a timber Queenslander house in Wynnum, around 1920

A Queenslander in Wynnum, around 1920.

A Queenslander in Wynnum, around 1920. Buying a Queenslander on the Bayside means a century of salt air and wet seasons. That’s why the stumps, roof and timber are the first things we look at. Image: State Library of Queensland, public domain.

Two Inspections, Two Licences

Building & Pest, Side By Side

BuildingOnly a licensed residential building inspector can do it. Looks for things like roof faults, leaks, cracked walls, damaged foundations, mould and drainage issues.
PestOnly a licensed pest controller can do it. Looks for termites, evidence of past termite damage, and whether a termite management system is in place.
Neitheris a warranty against future defects, or an electrical, plumbing or asbestos test.

The Building And Pest Report

What The Report Tells You When Buying A Queenslander

A building and pest inspection is really two inspections by two different licensed people. The QBCC is clear on who can do each one, and suggests checking the licence before you book.

Inspectors generally work to Australian Standards AS 4349.1 for the building and AS 4349.3 for timber pests. Because both are visual, the inspector can’t see behind VJ walls or under covered floors. If they can’t get into the roof void or subfloor, a good report will say so.

One contract detail worth knowing. Under the standard REIQ contract, the building and pest condition only applies if an inspection date is filled in. If a report isn’t satisfactory, the buyer has until 5pm on that date to act.

On a Queenslander, that limitations section is worth reading as closely as the findings. After all, a report that couldn’t get under the house hasn’t told you much about the stumps.

Takeaway: The report is the best look you’ll get at the house before you’re committed. It isn’t a guarantee, and it isn’t the whole picture on its own.

How It Runs

Buying A Queenslander, From First Look To Keys

Where the checks fit when buying a Queenslander, and when. Private treaty and auction run differently, and the difference matters.

Before you offer

Read the seller’s disclosure statement and pull the FloodWise report. Then check the character overlay status (Part 3), and ask about stumps, pest treatments and anything built in.

If it’s going to auction

There’s no cooling-off period at auction, so the building and pest inspection needs to happen before auction day, not after.

Contract signed (private treaty)

The 5 business day cooling-off period starts the day you receive the contract signed by both parties. Separately, the building and pest condition only applies if an inspection date is filled in. Make sure it leaves time to book both inspectors.

Report in

Read it properly, limitations included. Then sort the genuine issues from ordinary maintenance.

Before the condition date

Raise any genuine defects with the selling agent before 5pm on the inspection date. That’s when your requests carry weight.

Before settlement

Take a final look before settlement to confirm any agreed work is actually finished.

How We Help You Make Sure

How We Help When You’re Buying A Queenslander

Every building and pest report on a century-old house comes back with a long list. So our job is to turn that list into a clear decision, and to act on it for you.

Before you offerWe handle the due diligence: zoning and council checks, flood mapping, the disclosure statement, and the questions a Queenslander raises with the selling agent. Our property reports also run to 100 to 200 images, so you see the house properly.

Arranging the inspectionsWe arrange the building and pest inspections with inspectors we know and trust, as part of our process. We make sure the contract dates give them time to do the job. At auction, the inspecting happens before the bidding does.

Reading the report with youWe separate genuine structural, safety, moisture and termite items from the ordinary maintenance every old house has. Historic termite damage isn’t the same as an active infestation. We’ll tell you which one you’re looking at, based on what the report actually says.

Going back to the selling agentWhere there’s a genuine defect, we ask the seller to have a licensed trade fix it before settlement. We also ask for evidence the work’s done. We don’t build a shopping list, because proportionate requests are credible ones.

A clear recommendationYou get a straight answer: what we’d raise with the seller, and what’s normal maintenance once it’s yours.

Why It Matters

Three Things To Remember When You Fall For One

The Buyer’s Lens

A long report on an old house isn’t a bad report. Read the categories, not the length. After all, maintenance on a 100-year-old house is normal.

The disclosure statement is about the paperwork, not the stumps. Structure and flooding history are still yours to check.

At auction, the checking happens before the bidding. There’s no cooling-off period to fall back on.

Quick Answers

Buying A Queenslander: Your Questions Answered

Do I need a building and pest inspection when buying a Queenslander?

It isn’t legally required, but it’s the most useful document you’ll get before you’re committed. Under the standard REIQ contract, the building and pest condition applies when an inspection date is filled in. At auction there’s no cooling-off period, so inspect before auction day.

Does the seller disclosure statement replace a building and pest inspection?

No. Since 1 August 2025, Queensland sellers must give buyers a disclosure statement before a contract is signed. It covers title, planning and certain building details. The Queensland Government is clear it doesn’t need to cover structural soundness or flooding history.

How long is the cooling-off period when buying a house in Queensland?

Five business days on a standard contract. It starts the day you receive the contract signed by both parties, and ends at 5pm on the fifth business day. If you terminate in that window, the seller can deduct up to 0.25% of the price. There’s no cooling-off period at auction.

Will a building inspection tell me if a Queenslander has asbestos?

Not definitively. You can’t tell if a material contains asbestos just by looking at it, so a sample needs testing at a NATA-accredited laboratory. The Queensland Government’s guidance is that homes built before 1990 are likely to contain some asbestos. So test before any renovation starts.

How often should you check a Queenslander for termites?

The QBCC recommends a licensed pest controller inspects your property every year, or more often in high hazard areas. When buying, look for the termite management notice, usually in the meter box. Also ask for any previous pest reports.

The Queenslander Series

Keep Reading

Part 2

The Details: Beauty That Did A Job

Fretwork, leadlight, VJ walls and breezeways, and how to date them.

Part 3

The Charm Comes With Conditions

What the character overlay restricts, and the restumping and asbestos costs in full.

Part 4

The Reno Wins

Real Queenslanders that faced the wreckers, and the people who saved them.

Coming Next, Part 6

The Restrictions, Suburb By Suburb

How the character overlay actually plays out across Brisbane and the Bayside.

Found One You Love?

We work exclusively for buyers, on a flat fee, right across Brisbane and Queensland with the Bayside as home turf. If buying a Queenslander is on the cards, we’ll help you check it properly before you’re unconditional, not after.

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