← Back Sellers · 5 min read

Form 6 Authority in Queensland: What Sellers Need to Know Before Signing

A Form 6 is more than a formality. It gives your agent legal authority to act on your behalf. Here is what that authority covers and what to understand before you hand it over.

In Queensland, the Form 6 is the document that gives your real estate agent legal authority to act on your behalf when selling your property. It is prescribed under the Property Occupations Act 2014 and without a signed Form 6, your agent cannot legally advertise, hold open homes, negotiate with buyers, or receive a deposit. Most sellers understand it as the agreement you sign before listing, but that framing undersells what it actually does. You are granting someone legal authority to represent you in a significant financial transaction. The scope of that authority is worth understanding clearly.

What the authority actually covers

The Form 6 authorises your agent to market the property, conduct inspections, receive and relay offers, and in some cases prepare contracts. The specific scope is defined within the form itself. What it does not typically do is grant the agent authority to accept a binding contract on your behalf without your direct written agreement. Each offer goes back to you for acceptance or rejection. The agent's authority is to facilitate and negotiate, not to commit you to a sale price unilaterally.

The authority is also property-specific. A Form 6 for your home at one address does not extend to any other property you own. If you were selling two properties through the same agent, you would need a separate Form 6 for each one. This matters if you are managing the sale of multiple assets at the same time.

What you are committing to

When you sign a Form 6, you are committing to several things simultaneously. You are authorising the agent to spend your marketing budget, which is typically non-refundable once incurred. You are agreeing to pay commission on a successful sale, with the rate and calculation method specified in the form. You are accepting the appointment type, whether exclusive or open. And you are bound by the duration of the appointment, which sets out how long the authority runs before it expires or can be renewed.

Exclusive appointment periods in Brisbane's inner east typically run between 30 and 90 days. During that period, only the appointed agent has authority to market and sell your property. You cannot engage a second agent to run a parallel campaign without first addressing the existing Form 6. Open appointments, where multiple agents can work the property simultaneously, are less common in the inner east and typically attract less agent investment in the listing as a result.

The cooling-off period and what it means

Queensland law gives sellers a five-business-day cooling-off period after signing a Form 6 for residential property. During this window you can withdraw from the appointment in writing without incurring any liability. The cooling-off period exists to prevent sellers from being locked into commitments made under time pressure or without adequate information.

After the cooling-off period expires, the authority stands for its full duration unless terminated by agreement or under the specific grounds set out in the agreement. If you are signing a Form 6 on the day of an appraisal appointment, remember that you have five business days to reconsider if anything feels off once you have had time to review it.

How to end the agreement if you need to

Terminating a Form 6 authority early is possible but has financial consequences that depend on what stage the campaign is at. If marketing has already been placed, the costs already incurred are typically your responsibility regardless of whether the property sells. If the agent has introduced a buyer who subsequently purchases the property, commission may be payable even after the authority has been ended, under what are called "conjunctional sale" or "effective cause" provisions.

The clearest path to ending a Form 6 early is to give written notice to the agent and negotiate a clean exit. Most agents would rather agree a clear settlement of costs than pursue a dispute. If you are unhappy with the agent's performance and want to switch mid-campaign, be specific about what has not been delivered and document your concerns in writing before issuing a termination notice. This creates a clearer record if there is any disagreement about what costs remain owing.

At the end of a fixed appointment period, the authority either expires or converts to an open appointment depending on what the Form 6 specifies. If the property has not sold and you want to extend, you will typically sign a new Form 6 or an amendment to the existing one. If you want to change agents, the first appointment must have expired or been formally terminated before a new Form 6 with a second agent takes effect.

Five things to confirm before you sign

Before you sign any Form 6, confirm five things. First, check the appointment type: exclusive or open, and does that reflect what you discussed? Second, check the duration: how long does the authority run and what happens when it ends? Third, check commission: what rate, calculated on what amount, and triggered by what event? Fourth, check marketing costs: what specific amounts are you committing to, when are they payable, and what happens to them if the property does not sell? Fifth, check the price authority: is the authorised sale price range consistent with what the agent told you at the appraisal?

If you are uncertain about any clause, ask the agent to explain it in plain terms before you sign. A reputable agent will be comfortable doing this. For high-value properties or complex appointments, having a solicitor review the Form 6 before you sign is a reasonable step and not unusual.