Buying a home in South Australia

SA at a glance

Each line links to the page it comes from. A dagger (†) marks a fact that was taken from an official search result and has not yet been confirmed on the agency's page from this build environment; open the link before relying on it.

Stamp duty

What it's called

Stamp duty Source

Official calculator

RevenueSA stamp duty calculator Source

How the rate works

$21,330 plus $5.50 for every $100 or part of $100 over $500,000, and a scale of lower brackets that chain to it (the library's schedule, verified 15 September 2026) Source

When the bands change

No annual indexation: changes arrive by State Budget. The 2024-25 Budget removed the first-home value caps for contracts from 6 June 2024; the 2026-27 Budget (4 June 2026) added seniors downsizing relief and a victim-survivor ex gratia scheme Source

First home, established

None: RevenueSA states that relief is not available on the purchase of an established home, one already built and previously occupied or sold as a residence; from 6 June 2024 relief covers new homes, off-the-plan apartments, vacant land and house-and-land only Source

First home, new or off the plan

Full relief with no property value cap for eligible buyers, contracts on or after 6 June 2024 (new home, off-the-plan apartment or house and land) Source

First home, vacant land

Full relief with no value cap on vacant land bought to build a new home, contracts on or after 6 June 2024 Source

Other concessions

Seniors downsizing relief (buyers aged 60 or over who sell their principal place of residence and move to a newly built home, an off-the-plan apartment or vacant land to build on, with a smaller land size; contracts from 25 March 2026) and an ex gratia scheme for victim-survivors of family, domestic or sexual violence (contracts from 4 June 2026); the calculator computes neither Source

Prior ownership test

Contracts from 13 February 2025: not eligible if the buyer, spouse or domestic partner owns or has ever owned residential property in Australia, even if never lived in Source

Residence test

All applicants live in the home as principal place of residence for a continuous 6 months, starting within 12 months of settlement (or when a home on vacant land is ready) Source

Foreign ownership surcharge

A foreign ownership surcharge applies; first-home relief from it was removed by the 2024-25 Budget, so the full surcharge is payable on the interest transferred to a foreign person; RevenueSA's calculator handles the surcharge for contracts before 13 February 2025 only Source

Cooling-off and contracts

Cooling-off period

2 clear business days from service of the Form 1 or signing, whichever is later; weekends, public holidays and the day of service do not count Source

Cost of using it

Nothing beyond the token deposit: any deposit paid of more than $100 must be refunded on cancellation, and no reason has to be given Source

When it does not apply

No cooling-off on a property bought at auction; any further statutory exclusions were not confirmed from this environment, open the Act Source

Waiving or shortening it

Only by a prescribed certificate signed by an independent legal practitioner stating the buyer has been told of their cooling-off rights Source

What the seller must disclose

The Form 1 vendor's statement: cooling-off rights, title, mortgages, easements, zoning and outgoings; signed by the vendor and must be factually accurate and complete Source

Deposit

Holding deposit at offer and deposit on signing capped at $100 by law; the balance is paid once cooling-off expires and held in trust; at auction usually a minimum of 10% Source

Settlement

Usually 30 days and negotiable up to about 3 months (sa.gov.au puts it at 4 to 12 weeks); auction conditions are typically 30-day settlement Source

Grants and schemes

First Home Owner Grant

Up to $15,000 for eligible applicants building or buying a new home; no property value cap for contracts on or after 6 June 2024; not payable on vacant land Source

State schemes open

HomeStart Finance, the SA Government lender: the Shared Equity Option (5% to 25% of the price, interest-free), the Graduate Loan and the Low Deposit Loan Source

Closed or ended

The capped first-home duty relief for contracts between 15 June 2023 and 5 June 2024 was replaced by uncapped relief from 6 June 2024; no other closed scheme was found Source

5% Deposit Scheme

Unlimited places, no income cap and higher property price caps from 1 October 2025; the SA caps were not confirmed from this environment, open the price-caps page Source

Help to Buy

Shared-equity scheme with a government contribution of up to 40% on a new home or 30% on an existing one, applications from 5 December 2025; Housing Australia states it is available across all states and territories (June 2026); the SA price caps were not confirmed from this environment Source

HomeStart deposit paths

Graduate Loan: 2% deposit to buy an existing home or 5% to build; Low Deposit Loan: 3% to buy an existing home, not offered for construction; standard HomeStart Loan: 5% to buy or 8% to build; none carries lenders mortgage insurance Source

Auctions and price guides

Price guides

Not below the prescribed minimum advertising price (the higher of the agent's estimate and the vendor's acceptable price); a range's top at most 110% of its bottom Source

Underquoting

Prohibited by section 24A of the Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act 1994: a likely price below the prescribed minimum advertising price, or a range wider than 110%, carries a maximum penalty of $20,000 or imprisonment for 1 year; CBS handles complaints about agents Source

Reforms in train

None: CBS's current prescribed forms are the Form 4 bidders guide (January 2025), the Form R1 sales agency agreement guide (January 2025) and a Form 5 collusive practices notice (September 2025); nothing on the CBS site announces a change to the price-guide or auction rules Source

Vendor bids

Up to 3 vendor bids, made by the auctioneer, below the reserve and announced as vendor bids; any other bidding by or for the vendor is dummy bidding and illegal Source

Bidder registration

Anyone intending to bid must register with the agent with proof of identity, before the day or on it; each bidder has a unique identifier announced with every bid Source

Cooling-off at auction

None: there is no cooling-off period on a property bought at auction; the deposit is usually a minimum of 10% of the price bid Source

The buying process

Licence check

The CBS online licensing register: land agents, sales representatives, conveyancers and property managers, searched by surname, trading name or licence number Source

Who can do the conveyancing

Registered conveyancers or lawyers; at settlement both purchaser and vendor are represented by a conveyancer who prepares the transfer documents Source

Electronic settlement

Electronic conveyancing since 2016 under the national framework; practitioners and lenders settle and lodge in an ELNO workspace; a few transactions stay on paper Source

Complaints

Consumer and Business Services: report a business online or call 131 882; CBS conciliates but cannot force a remedy, and the court is the next step Source