You have signed a contract to buy or sell a home in Queensland and you are waiting to hear back from your conveyancer. A day passes, then another. You start wondering whether the silence is normal, whether something has gone wrong, or whether you should call someone.
The short answer is that under Queensland's professional conduct rules, a solicitor must deliver legal services as promptly as reasonably possible and provide clear and timely advice. What that means in practice depends on the stage of your matter, what your client agreement says, and whether there are contract dates running in the background.
The Brookwater Legal team helps clients across Greater Springfield and Ipswich with conveyancing, and part of that is keeping clients well informed at every stage of the process. Here is what the rules say and what a client is entitled to ask.
Here is how conveyancing communication generally works in Queensland, and what to do when it falls short.
Key takeaways
- Queensland solicitors must respond as promptly as reasonably possible.
- A client agreement may set out how the firm communicates with you.
- Progress reports are available on reasonable request at any time.
This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Every situation is different, and you should speak with a solicitor about your own circumstances.
What do Queensland's professional rules say about response times?
Queensland solicitors must deliver legal services competently, diligently and as promptly as reasonably possible, according to the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules. The same rules require clear and timely advice to help a client understand relevant legal issues and make informed choices. There is no set number of hours or days in the official rules. The obligation is promptness that is reasonable in the circumstances, and those circumstances include how urgent the matter is, whether contract dates are close and whether the client has made a specific request.
On reasonable request, Queensland's Legal Profession Act requires a law practice to give a client a written report of the progress of the matter and a written report of the legal costs incurred to date. A firm may charge a reasonable amount for a progress report but not for a costs report. This right exists throughout the matter, not only at fixed intervals. If a client asks for an update, the practice must provide one.
A client agreement, sometimes called a costs agreement, may also deal with how the firm communicates and what a client can expect. Not every conveyancing matter involves a signed agreement, but where one exists it can set out billing intervals, how the solicitor will contact the client and what information will be given at each stage. The Queensland Law Society and the Legal Services Commission both note that a client agreement can go beyond costs and cover other rights and responsibilities between a law practice and a client.
What does a conveyancing timeline actually look like in Queensland?
Conveyancing is the process of transferring land from seller to buyer, and it involves a series of steps that are driven by contract dates rather than a calendar on the wall. The Queensland Government describes a typical settlement period as generally four to six weeks after the contract is finalised, with most settlements completing within thirty to ninety days. Those figures are a general description, not a promise about any particular contract.
The stages where communication matters most are the ones tied to live deadlines. Finance and building and pest inspection conditions each have a date by which the buyer must give notice. Transfer duty must be lodged within thirty days of when the liability arises, usually the contract date, according to the Queensland Revenue Office. Settlement must occur by four in the afternoon on the settlement date under the standard Queensland residential contract. If any of these dates are approaching and a client has not heard from their solicitor, that is a reasonable point at which to make contact.
Between those milestones, shorter stretches of silence are common. Searches are ordered and returned, certificates are requested and received, and the solicitor prepares the settlement funds and transfer documents in the background. That activity does not always generate a communication with the client at each step. A client who wants to know where things stand at any point has the right to ask.
When does a conveyance involve the most communication?
The stages that typically involve the most active back-and-forth between client and solicitor are:
- › After the contract is signed: the solicitor explains the conditions, the key dates and what the client needs to do or provide.
- › When a condition is about to expire: the finance date and the building and pest date each require the client to give instructions to the solicitor before a notice is served.
- › When a search result or certificate raises a concern: a title search result showing an unexpected caveat or encumbrance, or a body corporate certificate with outstanding levies, will ordinarily prompt direct contact.
- › In the lead-up to settlement: the solicitor needs the client to arrange cleared funds, confirm identity and sign any outstanding documents. The Queensland Government suggests a pre-settlement inspection two to three days before settlement.
- › On settlement day: the client is told when settlement has completed and, for a purchase, when keys can be collected.
How does a conveyancer help at each stage of the process in Queensland?
Understanding what a conveyancing solicitor does at each stage makes it easier to know when to expect communication and when to reach out.
Step 1: Talk to us
Get in touch and we will explain how the process generally works, what the key dates in your contract mean and what we will need from you at each stage.
Step 2: Searches, conditions and transfer duty
We order the required searches, review the title, and handle the finance and inspection condition notices as the dates approach. We lodge the transfer duty documents with the Queensland Revenue Office within the required timeframe.
Step 3: Settlement preparation
We prepare the settlement figures, coordinate with the other side, and confirm the settlement arrangements through the electronic lodgment network, using either PEXA or Sympli as the approved operators under Titles Queensland's eConveyancing requirements.
Step 4: Settlement and registration
We complete the electronic settlement, confirm that the title has been registered in the new owner's name, and let you know the matter is finalised. Titles Queensland states that most correctly prepared dealings register within three to five working days.
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What can a client do if communication falls short in Queensland?
The first step is to contact the solicitor or the firm directly and raise the concern. Most communication delays are resolved at that point. The Queensland Law Society notes that firms should have a process for costs disagreements and, by the same principle, for service concerns generally.
Where a direct approach does not resolve the issue, the Legal Services Commission is the body that handles complaints about lawyers and law practice employees in Queensland. It lists poor service or communication, unreasonable delays and communication delays among the matters it may be able to help with. The Commission's process begins with an online enquiry, and a formal complaint may follow if the matter is suitable.
"A client has the right to ask for a progress report at any time, and a Queensland law practice must provide one on reasonable request. The client agreement is the best place to set expectations about how that communication happens."
Jade Kickbusch, Principal, Brookwater Legal
When does a slow response become a professional conduct issue in Queensland?
A slower response during a quiet period of a matter is different from a failure to act when a deadline is running. The Legal Services Commission distinguishes between matters it can help with, such as a failure to provide a legal service with reasonable care and skill causing loss, and general service concerns that are handled differently. A delay that causes a contract date to be missed, a condition to lapse, or duty to be lodged late with penalty interest following could fall into the first category.
The Commission can make a compensation order through QCAT or the Legal Practice Committee where unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct is found. That order is payable by the law practice and can repay some or all fees paid and compensate for financial loss up to a limit set by Queensland's Legal Profession Act. For significant financial loss the Commission notes that a person may need to consult another lawyer about their rights and remedies.
Every Queensland law practice must hold professional indemnity insurance, under a compulsory scheme the Queensland Law Society runs. The scheme exists precisely because errors and omissions can occur. Knowing that cover exists is one reason why using a solicitor for conveyancing in Queensland matters: a licensed conveyancer in another state would carry similar cover, but Queensland does not separately license conveyancers and the work is done only by solicitors and law practices.
What do these obligations not cover in Queensland?
The rules described above apply to what a solicitor must do. They do not guarantee a particular outcome or a particular number of days. A conveyance that takes longer than expected because searches are delayed, the other side is slow to respond, or a lender's electronic workspace is not ready, is not automatically a conduct issue. Queensland's Property Law Act recognises that even electronic settlement systems can be inoperative, and that circumstances outside a party's control can affect a settlement date.
The conduct rules also do not cover a situation where a client has not responded to the solicitor's requests. Communication is two-way. If a solicitor is waiting for identity documents, signed authority, or confirmation of the settlement funds, that is not a silence on the solicitor's part. A client agreement that sets out what each party provides, and when, benefits both sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a set number of hours a Queensland conveyancer must reply within?
No set number of hours exists under the official rules. The Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules require a solicitor to respond as promptly as reasonably possible, which depends on the urgency and the stage of the matter.
Can a Queensland client ask for a written update at any point?
Yes. Under Queensland's Legal Profession Act, a law practice must provide a written progress report on the matter and a written costs report on reasonable request at any time during the matter.
What does a client agreement cover in a Queensland conveyancing matter?
The Legal Services Commission notes that a costs agreement may cover other rights and responsibilities beyond costs, including how the firm communicates with the client and what information is provided at each stage.
What is the difference between a progress report and a costs report in Queensland?
A progress report covers where the matter stands. A costs report covers legal costs incurred to date. Under Queensland's Legal Profession Act a firm may charge for a progress report but not for the costs report.
What happens in Queensland if a solicitor's delay causes a missed contract date?
A delay that causes financial loss may amount to a failure to provide services with reasonable care and skill, according to the Legal Services Commission. The Commission can make compensation orders, and for significant loss it advises consulting another solicitor about available remedies.
Do you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Springfield or Ipswich QLD?
In Queensland, conveyancing is a legal service that can only be provided by a qualified solicitor or law practice, according to the Legal Services Commission. A solicitor is not optional in the way it is in some other states. Our conveyancing team acts for buyers and sellers across Greater Springfield and Ipswich.
Where does a client raise a complaint about a Queensland conveyancing solicitor?
The first step is to raise it directly with the firm. If that does not resolve it, the Legal Services Commission is the only body that handles complaints about lawyers and law practice employees in Queensland.
Your Next Steps
Knowing what Queensland's professional rules require of your solicitor makes it easier to ask the right questions and to recognise when something genuinely needs to be followed up. Most conveyances in Greater Springfield and Ipswich move through their stages without significant communication gaps, but understanding the framework means a client is never left guessing about what they are entitled to ask.
If conveyancing is on your mind, the next step is a straightforward one. Get in touch with the Brookwater Legal team or call (07) 3437 8555, and we'll talk you through how the process generally works.
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External Resources
Brookwater Legal · This article contains general information only and does not constitute legal advice. It does not take into account your individual circumstances. You should obtain legal advice about your own situation before acting on anything in this article. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
