Answers · Transfer duty (stamp duty) — Qld commercial property
How does stamp duty (transfer duty) apply to commercial property in Queensland?
Direct answer
Transfer duty — commonly known as stamp duty — generally applies when commercial property, including industrial buildings, changes ownership in Queensland, normally payable by the purchaser. It's assessed under Queensland's duties legislation and administered by the state revenue office, with specific rates, thresholds and any exemptions set by current law rather than general knowledge.
Transfer duty is one of the standard transaction costs a buyer needs to factor into a commercial property purchase, alongside items like legal fees and due diligence costs. In a sale and leaseback, it's the buyer (the incoming long-term owner) who typically bears transfer duty on the purchase, not the business selling and leasing back — a distinction worth understanding when comparing the true cost of different capital-release options.
Because duty rules and any concessions or exemptions are set by state legislation and reviewed periodically, and because the amount payable depends on the specific transaction and the parties involved, this article deliberately doesn't quote rates or thresholds — they change, and an outdated figure would be worse than none at all.
This is general information about how the concept works, not tax or legal advice. Anyone involved in buying or selling Queensland commercial property should get current advice from a qualified conveyancer, solicitor or accountant on how transfer duty applies to their specific transaction.
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