Paying a buyer’s agent, a guide by DottoThe fee note

Fee note · Six pages · Checked 8 October 2026

What a buyer’s agent charges, and what the agreement must say

A guide to the buyer’s agent’s fee and agreement in plain words, published by Dotto from the official sources linked on each page. It never prints a typical fee. In NSW and Victoria the fee is not set by law and can be negotiated, and in WA the terms of the whole contract are not set by law, so the only figure that counts is the one in your own agreement.

General information, not legal or financial advice. Each page links the state body to check with: NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading, WA Consumer Protection and the Property Agents Board of Tasmania.

Itemised: the six pages

Fee note no. 01
  1. 01

    How buyer’s agents are paid

    A fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price, in NSW and Victoria; in WA, perhaps an engagement fee, a success fee and fees for particular services.

    p. 01
  2. 02

    The agency agreement

    In writing in every state covered here. Queensland uses a government form, Form 6, for residential appointments.

    p. 02
  3. 03

    Rebates and commissions

    In NSW a buyer’s agent can’t be paid anything for referring you to a selling agent.

    p. 03
  4. 04

    Cooling-off on the agreement

    NSW’s one-day cooling-off on agency agreements is written for agreements to sell residential property or rural land.

    p. 04
  5. 05

    Ending an agreement

    In Queensland, Form 6 lets a continuing appointment be ended by written notice of 30 days, or less if both agree; a fixed-term appointment may be ended earlier by mutual agreement (check Part 5 of your form).

    p. 05
  6. 06

    Complaints about an agent

    Start with the agent, then your state’s regulator. Tasmania’s Board cannot order an agent to pay compensation.

    p. 06
Totalyour agreement says

Why the total is blank

The figure belongs to your agreement

The state pages read for this guide describe how a fee can be built, not what it should be. NSW Fair Trading says buyer’s agents may charge a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price, and that you can negotiate it because it is not set by law. Victoria says the same of commissions and fees. Victoria also requires a percentage in an agency authority to come with an example of the dollar amount it represents. A guide that printed a typical number would be guessing at someone else’s agreement. This one shows you where your number lives, and what has to sit beside it.

Four states, one paper trail

State by state

The buyer’s agent’s agreement on state government pages, as at October 2026
StateThe agreementThe feeRebatesEnding it
NSW A written buyers’ agency agreement; no commission or expenses without one. Fixed fee or percentage; negotiable, not set by law. Source and estimated amount of rebates on expenses you pay, stated in the agreement, for residential property or rural land. Ask how you can end it if you are not happy.
VIC A buyers’ agency authority, with statements in approved wording. Fixed fee or percentage; a percentage needs a dollar example. A rebate statement in every authority; a rebate must be paid to the client. Ask whether you can terminate, and whether you will be charged.
QLD Form 6 (residential) or Form 6A (commercial). Commission including GST, as a percentage or a dollar amount; negotiable. Source and estimated amount, in Part 8 of the form. Continuing appointment: 30 days’ written notice, or less if both agree. Fixed term: may be ended earlier by mutual agreement (Part 5 of Form 6).
WA A written contract, often called a Written Authority; terms not set by law. A single price including GST; may combine engagement, success and service fees. Ask whether the agent receives benefits for referring you on. Some fees can be payable even after you end it.

A selection from each state’s pages; the full detail, with every source, is in the six pages above.

What this guide covers

The money and the paper, nothing else

This guide keeps to the fee and the agreement. Who a buyer’s agent acts for, how they are licensed and how to read a contract of sale are covered by the state bodies linked above, such as NSW Fair Trading’s page on using a buyer’s agent and Consumer Affairs Victoria’s advice on buyer’s agents.