NSW property contract review checklist — what to check before you sign

1. The price, deposit and settlement

Confirm the purchase price, the deposit amount (the standard is 10%, but contracts vary), when the deposit is released, and the settlement period. A deposit released before settlement, or an unusually short settlement, is worth questioning.

2. The cooling-off period

Check whether the standard 5 business day cooling-off period applies, or whether it's been waived. Waiving it with a section 66W certificate means you're locked in the moment you exchange. Read our guide to the NSW cooling-off period for the detail.

3. The special conditions

The standard contract is predictable; the special conditions are not. This is where vendors add clauses that shift risk onto the buyer — early deposit release, restrictions on requisitions, sunset clauses on off-the-plan. Read every one.

4. The title and easements

Look at the title search and the 88B instrument for easements, covenants and rights of way. A drainage easement across the backyard, or a right of carriageway, affects what you can build and how you can use the land.

5. The prescribed documents

A NSW contract must include certain prescribed documents — the section 10.7 planning certificate, a sewer service diagram, and (for strata) the strata records. Check they're actually attached. Missing documents can give you a right to rescind.

6. The zoning and planning certificate

The section 10.7 certificate tells you the zoning, any planning restrictions, and whether the property is affected by things like flood, bushfire or road widening. It's easy to skip and expensive to ignore.

Do it faster

Working through this by hand on an 80-page contract takes time. An AI property contract review runs the whole checklist in minutes and cites the clause and page for every finding — so you know exactly what to raise with your conveyancer before you sign.