A plain-English guide for buyers of new apartments, townhouses and land on the Gold Coast and across South East Queensland: how an off-the-plan purchase works, the protections Queensland law gives you, and the questions to ask before you sign.
Buying off the plan means signing a contract for an apartment, townhouse or block of land before it is built or before its title exists. In Queensland your deposit stays in a trust account until settlement, the seller must give you a signed disclosure statement describing what you are buying, a block of land bought off the plan must settle within 18 months, and a 5-day cooling-off period applies to residential contracts not signed at auction. Read the contract and any sunset clause with a solicitor before you sign.
Buying off the plan means signing a contract to buy a property before the building is finished, or before the title to the lot has been created. On the Gold Coast that usually means a new apartment in a tower or mid-rise building, a townhouse in a new complex, or a block of land in a new estate. You choose from plans, renders, a display suite or a display home, sign a contract and pay a deposit. The developer then builds the project, the new title is registered, and you settle and receive the keys once it is complete.
Your price is fixed when you sign, but settlement can be a year or more away. In that time the market, interest rates and your own finances can all change, which is why the contract matters more than in most purchases.
The Queensland Government lists the main risks: you can't see the finished product before you buy, building can be delayed, the market price can change between signing and settlement, and some contract clauses allow the contract to be cancelled. A lower valuation at settlement can also mean your lender offers less than you expected, so you may need more cash to settle. None of these is a reason not to buy, but each is a reason to read the contract carefully and to keep a buffer.
A seller can't use your deposit early. Under Queensland law, deposits paid under off-the-plan contracts can only be released from the trust account to the seller at settlement, or if the contract otherwise ends and the seller is entitled to the money.
Before you are bound, the seller must give you a disclosure statement. It names the seller and you, identifies the land or unit you are buying, and records any claims or promises the seller makes about the future title. For a proposed block of land it must state the proposed lot number, the total area and its orientation to north, and a cadastral surveyor completes a section describing the lot's proposed state at handover, including any earthworks. You sign and date the statement to show you have received it.
If the developer changes something from the disclosure statement and the change leaves you at a significant disadvantage – for example a significantly smaller lot – you may be able to end the contract. The developer must notify you of the change, and you must act within 30 days of that notice or before ownership transfers to you, whichever is sooner.
For a block of land bought off the plan, the Land Sales Act 1984 requires the seller to settle within 18 months of the contract being entered into. If the seller doesn't, and you are not in default, you can end the contract by written notice before settlement. The Act does not give the seller a right to end the contract after 18 months, but a sunset clause in the contract may.
A sunset clause lets a party end the contract if it hasn't settled by a set date. Developers use them in case a project is delayed, but they can also let a seller cancel and resell at a higher price in a rising market. Since 22 November 2023, for off-the-plan land contracts (not community titles schemes such as apartments), a seller can only use a sunset clause to end the contract with your written consent, under a Supreme Court order, or in another situation set by regulation. The rule covers contracts signed on or after that date and earlier contracts that had not settled by then. For an apartment or townhouse in a community titles scheme, read the sunset date in your contract closely and ask your solicitor how it could be used.
A 5-day cooling-off period applies to contracts for residential property in Queensland, unless you buy at auction. It starts when you receive a copy of the contract signed by both parties and ends at 5pm on the fifth day. If you end the contract during cooling-off, the seller may keep up to 0.25% of the purchase price from your deposit and must refund the rest within 14 days. Cooling-off is short, so have your solicitor review the contract and disclosure statement before you sign, not after.
Eligibility rules are detailed and change from time to time, so check the Queensland Revenue Office pages listed below before you sign. This is general information, not tax or financial advice.
Off-the-plan apartments on the Gold Coast are mostly in coastal and city-centre suburbs such as Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Southport and Main Beach, and suit buyers who want a lock-up-and-leave home close to the beach, transport and services. House and land in the northern growth corridor and in Logan, Ipswich and Moreton Bay suits buyers who want a yard and more space for the money, and the land contract is protected by the 18-month rule and the sunset clause changes above. Browse current new projects and off the plan apartments on the Gold Coast and house and land packages across South East Queensland marketed by GC Prestige.
Buying off the plan on the Gold Coast works the same as anywhere in Queensland: you sign a contract and pay a deposit for an apartment, townhouse or lot before it is finished, the deposit stays in trust, and you pay the balance at settlement once the title is registered and the home is complete.
Deposits paid under off-the-plan contracts in Queensland can only be released from the trust account to the seller at settlement, or if the contract otherwise ends and the seller is entitled to them. The seller cannot use your deposit early.
A sunset clause lets a party end the contract if it has not settled by a set date. Since 22 November 2023, for off-the-plan land contracts (not community titles schemes such as apartments), a seller can only use one with your written consent, a Supreme Court order or in a situation set by regulation.
Under the Land Sales Act 1984 the seller must settle within 18 months of the contract. If it does not, and you are not in default, you can end the contract by written notice before settlement.
Yes, for residential property not bought at auction. The 5-day cooling-off period starts when you receive the contract signed by both parties and ends at 5pm on the fifth day. Ending the contract can cost up to 0.25% of the purchase price.
Possibly. The Queensland first home owner grant is $30,000 for eligible contracts for a new home signed on or after 20 November 2023, where the home is valued at less than $750,000. Off-the-plan units can qualify. Check the eligibility rules with the Queensland Revenue Office.
For contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, eligible first home buyers of a new home, including off the plan apartments on the Gold Coast, pay no transfer duty on the home under the first home (new home) concession, with no value cap. From 1 August 2026 the buyer must also be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree.
GC Prestige markets new apartments, townhouses and homesites across the Gold Coast and South East Queensland. See our New Projects page or call 1300 937 981.
General information only, current at 12 November 2026. This guide is not legal, financial, tax or planning advice. Rules change, so check the official sources above and get advice from a solicitor, accountant or financial adviser for your situation. Updated 12 November 2026 by GC Prestige, 1300 937 981.