Short answer: in Queensland, an agent selling a property by auction must not disclose a price guide, a price they think will win the auction, an estimated value or the reserve. That covers your own agency website as much as a brochure or a phone call. Portals may receive a price only to sort the listing into the right searches, and they must show a set statement instead of the price. The risk on a website is rarely a headline price. It is a number that slips in through a search filter, a feed field, a share preview or an email alert.
This post sets out what the Queensland rules say, where a price can leak onto an agency website, and a checklist you can give to whoever runs your site and listing feed. It is general information, not legal advice. For your own agency, check the official pages linked here or ask the REIQ or your compliance adviser.
What the Queensland rules say
The Queensland Government's page for agents on auctioning a property was last updated on 19 October 2026. For a property going to auction, it says:
- You must not disclose a price guide or a price you think will result in a successful bid.
- You must not disclose an estimated value of the property.
- You must not disclose the reserve price to anyone other than a person acting for the seller, though you can say that a reserve exists.
- You may give copies of the comparative market analysis (CMA) to potential bidders, but only if the seller agrees in writing.
- A price guide can be misleading if the final price is much higher, and may breach the rules on bait advertising.
The rules sit in the Property Occupations Act 2014. Section 215 deals with how a real estate agent represents the price of a property and section 216 with an agent not disclosing the reserve or other price.
The page also covers portals. You may give a price or price range to an electronic listings provider so the property appears in the right price searches, but only if you are satisfied the provider will follow the rules. The provider must not display that price, and must show this statement:
"This property is being sold by auction or without a price and therefore a price guide cannot be provided."
A conveyancing firm's 2026 guide to Queensland auctions puts it the same way for buyers: agents give a CMA instead of a price guide, and the reserve stays confidential on the day.
Where a price can slip onto an agency website
Most agencies know not to type "offers over" on an auction listing. The leaks come from the parts of a website nobody reads line by line.
1. Search filters and result cards
Agency websites usually let buyers filter by price. If your site places an auction listing inside a price band so it appears in the right searches, check what the result card and the filter label show. A card that reads "$900k to $1m" under an auction listing is a price guide in all but name. If a price is used only for sorting, the buyer should never see it on the card, in the URL or in the page title.
2. Listing feed fields
Many sites pull listings from the same CRM feed that goes to the portals. That feed often has a hidden price field for search and a display price field. When a template is changed, or a new website theme is installed, the hidden field can end up on the page. After any website change, open a few auction listings and read the price area again.
3. Page titles, share previews and structured data
Some listing templates add the price to the page title, the preview that appears when a link is shared on Facebook or WhatsApp, or the structured data that search engines read. Search engines and social apps can show those words even when the visible page does not. For auction listings, keep the price out of all of them, and use the method of sale instead, for example "Auction Saturday 15 November".
4. Email alerts and "recently listed" blocks
New listing emails and homepage blocks are often built from a different template from the listing page. Check that an auction property in your latest email alert, your homepage carousel and any suburb landing page shows the auction date, not a number.
5. Appraisal and "what's my home worth" pages
An online appraisal tool that shows an estimated value for a property your agency is taking to auction can disclose exactly what the rules prohibit. If you run one, make sure it does not return a figure for your own auction listings, and that the team knows not to send estimates to bidders.
6. The CMA download
If you share CMAs with bidders through your website, a form or an online data room, keep the seller's written agreement on file first. Without it, put the CMA behind a manual step instead of an automatic download.
Seller disclosure: what changed on 1 August 2025
Since 1 August 2025, the Queensland seller disclosure scheme under the Property Law Act 2023 means the seller must give the buyer a disclosure statement (Form 2) and prescribed certificates before the buyer signs the contract. For an auction, they must be given or made available before the fall of the hammer. They can be given in person, by post or by email or other electronic communication, and the seller must be able to prove delivery, for example with a read receipt or a signed acknowledgement.
The REIQ's guide adds that the documents must be accurate and up to date at the time they are given, and that an agent who prepares the Form 2 needs written instructions from the seller. If a buyer is not given disclosure, or it is inaccurate or incomplete, the buyer may be able to end the contract up to settlement.
For the website, that means two things. If your listing page offers a "request the disclosure pack" button, it should record who asked and when, because a download nobody can trace does not prove delivery. And the pack offered online must be the current version, not the one uploaded when the property was first listed.
Checklist for your web developer
| Check | Where on the site |
|---|---|
| No price, range or estimate on auction listings | Listing page, result cards, filter labels |
| Hidden search price never shown to buyers | Listing template and feed fields |
| Method of sale and auction date in place of a price | Page title, share preview, structured data |
| Auction listings show the date, not a number | Email alerts, homepage blocks, suburb pages |
| No estimated value returned for your own auction listings | Online appraisal tool |
| CMA shared only with the seller's written agreement on file | Forms, downloads, data rooms |
| Disclosure pack requests recorded with name and time, current version only | Listing page form and CRM |
A simple test you can run today
Open your website on a phone. Pick three current Queensland auction listings. For each one, look at the listing page, the result card in your search, the preview when you paste the link into WhatsApp, and your latest new listing email. If a number that reads as a price, a range or a value appears anywhere, that is the template or feed to fix. It takes about 15 minutes.
If your agency also sells in other states, the rules point the other way. Victoria requires a Property Price Statement on every residential sale listing (see our Victoria Property Price Statement guide), and NSW is moving to a price in every ad (see what NSW agency websites need). A site that serves more than one state needs a template that knows which rules apply to each listing.
Also selling in South Australia? There a price may be shown, but only as one figure or a range of up to 10%. Our South Australia price advertising checklist covers what that means for listing pages.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If you are not sure how your listing template or feed handles auction listings, we can look at a few live pages with you. See how we work with agencies on our real estate page and our website development service. Every project is planned and quoted after a short call. Book a free 15-minute call when it suits you.