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Buyer Requests for Additional Inspection Access After Unconditional: A Brisbane Seller's Guide 2026

The contract is unconditional, settlement is six weeks away, and the buyer is asking if they can bring in their builder, designer or removalist for a look around. What Brisbane sellers owe, what they don't, and how to handle the request without creating problems for settlement.

The contract has gone unconditional and the agent calls. The buyer would like to come back for another look. Sometimes the request is simple: they want to bring their partner's parents through, or measure up for window treatments. Sometimes it is more involved: a builder for a renovation quote, an interior designer with their full client team, removalists planning the move-in, a pool specialist, an air-conditioning contractor. The visits add up, and the question for a Brisbane seller is what they actually owe.

The short answer is that you owe one pre-settlement inspection under the standard REIQ contract. Everything beyond that is a courtesy. But the way you handle these requests in the weeks between unconditional and settlement has a real effect on how cleanly settlement closes, and on whether the buyer turns up at settlement happy or aggrieved. Knowing your position, and using it carefully, is part of running a good sale through to the final day.

What the contract actually entitles the buyer to

Under the standard REIQ residential contract used in Queensland, the buyer is entitled to one pre-settlement inspection of the property in the three business days before settlement. That is the contractual access right. Anything else, including additional inspections, contractor visits, measure-ups, photography, or any other form of access between contract date and settlement, is not a contractual entitlement. It is a request the seller can grant or refuse.

This matters because the buyer's solicitor sometimes communicates these requests in a tone that suggests the seller has to accept them. They do not. The property is still yours until the settlement funds clear and the title transfers. You remain in possession, you remain responsible for it, and you control who enters. The contract has been signed and is binding, but the buyer's right to occupy, enter, or use the property begins at settlement, not before.

That said, most of these requests are reasonable and refusing all of them can poison the final weeks of the campaign. The buyer is about to settle on a significant purchase and is trying to plan the practicalities of moving in. A blanket refusal feels obstructive, can sour the relationship at settlement, and is not necessary in most cases. The goal is to make sensible decisions about which requests to accept, on what terms, and which to decline.

The common requests and how to think about each one

The same handful of requests come up in most Brisbane sales. Each one carries a slightly different risk and benefit calculation.

A second walkthrough for the buyer. Often the buyer's partner did not see the property at open homes, or a family member they trust has flown into town and they want a second opinion. These are low-risk visits in most cases. The buyers have already committed and are not looking for reasons to back out. A 30-minute walkthrough at a convenient time, with the agent present, is usually fine. The main thing to manage is that the agent attends, that the buyer does not bring people you have not been told about, and that the buyer understands the visit is not a re-inspection of condition.

A measure-up for window treatments, furniture, or flooring. This is also low-risk. The buyer is trying to plan the move-in and is buying curtains or measuring a bedroom for a king bed. A short visit with the agent present is reasonable. The only issue to watch is whether the buyer is using the visit as cover to bring in a contractor, which is a different kind of access discussed below.

A builder for a renovation quote. This is a higher-stakes request. The buyer has bought the property with renovation plans and wants their builder to look at structural elements, plumbing, electrical, or a proposed layout before settlement. There are three things to consider. First, the builder is a contractor entering the property and there are insurance and liability questions. Second, builders sometimes find things during these visits, including condition issues that did not surface during the building and pest inspection, which can then generate a complaint or a request to negotiate. Third, the buyer is using your time to plan their renovation, which is their problem, not yours. Most sellers can accommodate one short builder visit if the buyer requests it courteously, with the agent present, on a weekday at a time that suits the seller. A repeat request for multiple builder visits is reasonable to decline.

An interior designer with a measuring team. Designers tend to want a longer visit, sometimes 90 minutes or more, and may bring a draftsperson, a photographer, or assistants. The visit is essentially production work that will be repeated after the buyer takes possession. There is no contractual basis for it and the seller is well within their rights to say the designer can return after settlement. If the seller is willing to accommodate it, conditions matter: a fixed time window, the agent present, a clear list of who is attending, and no photography of personal items still in the property.

Removalists or moving planners. The buyer wants their removalist to look at access, doorway widths, or where the truck can park. This is usually a 20-minute visit and is fine to accommodate. If the removalist needs to assess a specific lift or stairwell with measuring equipment, that is also reasonable. The risk is low and the request is genuinely about settlement-day logistics, not condition or renovation.

A pool or air-conditioning specialist. The buyer wants to get a quote on a pool resurface, a heat pump installation, or a split-system replacement. As with the builder, there is a contractor on the property and there are insurance and liability questions. There is also the risk that the specialist will find something that triggers a new complaint. Most sellers can accommodate one short visit if the buyer asks reasonably, with the conditions described below attached.

A surveyor. Buyers occasionally request a surveyor visit to confirm boundary lines, easements, or the position of a proposed extension. Surveyors are professional and the visits are short. They are usually fine to accommodate.

Photography. Some buyers want to send a photographer through to document the existing state of the property for renovation planning or insurance purposes. There is a sensitivity here because the seller's personal possessions are still in the property. Photography of the buyer's intended renovation areas is one thing; photography of bedrooms full of the seller's belongings is another. If you accept, restrict the brief in writing.

The conditions that protect a seller who says yes

If you decide to grant access, the way you grant it matters. There are five conditions worth attaching in nearly every case.

The agent is present for the entire visit. This is the most important condition. The agent acts as a witness to what happens during the visit, manages the time, controls who is on site, and keeps a record. If a dispute later arises about what was said or done during the visit, the agent's presence is what protects you.

A fixed time window agreed in advance. A measure-up that the buyer estimated at 20 minutes can become a two-hour visit if it is not bounded. Confirm the start time and the end time in writing with the agent before the visit happens.

A named list of attendees. The buyer should tell the agent in advance who is coming and in what capacity. This avoids the situation where the buyer arrives with three additional people unannounced. If a contractor is attending, their name and trade should be confirmed.

Contractor insurance position checked. If a tradesperson is attending the property to assess work, they should have their own public liability insurance. A reputable Brisbane builder, electrician, plumber, or designer will carry insurance as a matter of course. The buyer's agent or solicitor can confirm this in writing before the visit happens. This is a sensible precaution rather than a guaranteed protection, but it shifts the liability conversation in the seller's favour if something goes wrong.

The visit is not a re-inspection of condition. This should be stated explicitly. The buyer has had their building and pest inspection, the contract is unconditional, and the additional visit is not an opportunity to raise new condition complaints. Any concerns about the property's condition are reserved for the formal pre-settlement inspection in the three business days before settlement, as the contract provides. Making this clear up front avoids the awkward conversation a week before settlement where the buyer's builder has raised a list of items and the buyer is asking for adjustments to the settlement funds.

When it is reasonable to say no

There are circumstances where declining the request is the right call. The buyer's solicitor will not be happy and the buyer may grumble, but you are within your rights and the contract still settles.

Decline if the visit is the third or fourth request from the same buyer, especially if the previous visits did not stay within their agreed scope. A seller is entitled to limit the number of times their home is opened up to the buyer's planning process, and a pattern of expanding requests is a fair reason to draw a line.

Decline if the contractor or attendee cannot or will not confirm insurance. Most professional Brisbane tradespeople will provide a certificate of currency or at least confirm coverage in an email. A refusal to do so suggests either an unlicensed operator or someone disorganised, and either way is not a person you want walking through your property.

Decline if the request is for an unreasonable duration or a destructive activity. A buyer's builder wanting to lift floorboards, drill investigative holes, take samples from a wall cavity, or otherwise interfere with the fabric of the property is a hard no. The property is still yours. Investigations of that kind belong to the buyer's due diligence period before the contract went unconditional, not to the period between unconditional and settlement.

Decline if the visit is requested at a time that disrupts your move-out planning. Sellers in the weeks before settlement are often coordinating their own move, dealing with packers, organising utilities, and managing the practicalities of leaving a home. A buyer's request that arrives at a time when this is intense, and that cannot be moved to a more convenient slot, is a reasonable one to decline politely.

Decline if the agent advises against it. The agent has the best read on what the buyer is actually trying to achieve and on whether the request is a normal one or the beginning of a difficult settlement. Trust the agent's judgement on this. A good Brisbane agent will tell you when a request is fine and when it is the first sign of a buyer who is going to be difficult through to settlement day.

When the request is actually a dispute in disguise

Occasionally a request for additional access is not what it appears. The buyer has signed an unconditional contract but is now having second thoughts, and is using requests for inspections to look for reasons to renegotiate or to walk away. The pattern is recognisable: requests come in quick succession, the buyer is suddenly accompanied by contractors who flag issues, the buyer's solicitor starts writing letters about matters the buyer raised during the visit.

This is not a situation to manage by granting more access. The remedy is to step back. The contract is binding, the buyer has the pre-settlement inspection coming, and any concerns raised in informal visits are not contractual grounds for the buyer to renegotiate or terminate. If a buyer's solicitor starts using post-unconditional access visits to build a case for adjustments, the seller's response is to refuse further visits, refer the matter to their own solicitor, and prepare for settlement on the terms the buyer agreed to. The contract protects you. The pre-settlement inspection is the formal mechanism for any condition complaints, and the threshold for those complaints is substantial change since contract date, not the buyer's renovation budget being higher than they expected.

For more on a buyer who is showing signs of second thoughts after exchange, see our piece on handling buyer remorse after contract signing in a Brisbane property sale. For the more serious case where a buyer is actually threatening not to settle, see buyer defaults after unconditional in Queensland.

Practical script for the agent

Most of these requests come through the agent rather than directly between the buyer and seller, and that is the right channel. The agent can use a consistent approach for every request that comes in.

When the request arrives, the agent confirms three things with the buyer or the buyer's solicitor before passing it to the seller: what the visit is for, who is attending, and how long it will take. With those three facts, the seller has enough information to make a decision. The agent then comes back with the seller's answer: yes on these terms, yes at this time, or no with a short explanation. If the answer is yes, the agent attends the visit, keeps a brief record of who entered and when, and confirms with the seller afterwards that nothing was raised during the visit that the seller should be aware of.

If the buyer attempts to enter the property without the agent, or brings additional people who were not part of the agreed visit, the agent ends the visit and reports to the seller. This is not paranoid. It is the standard protection process for the seller while they remain in possession of a property under a binding contract.

The bigger picture

Sellers sometimes worry that being firm about access between unconditional and settlement will create bad feeling that affects settlement day. The opposite is more often true. A clear, consistent position about what visits are permitted and on what terms gives the buyer certainty, gives the agent something to work with, and signals to a buyer's solicitor that the seller is being well advised. Settlement runs more smoothly, not less, when the rules of engagement are clear in the weeks leading up to it.

The contract gives you the right to control access until settlement. Most reasonable requests are fine to accommodate with the agent present, a fixed time, and the conditions outlined above. Unreasonable requests are fine to decline. The buyer's solicitor will not be surprised by either outcome, and the contract still settles on the day it is supposed to.