First home buyer help for new townhouses in Queensland
Queensland currently gives first home buyers more on a new home than on an established one, and a new townhouse is often the cheapest way to get a brand-new three-bedroom home in a suburb you actually want. Three things stack up: the grant, the transfer duty concession and the federal 5% deposit scheme.
1. The $30,000 First Home Owner Grant
- Amount: $30,000 for eligible contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023.
- Property: a new home valued under $750,000, including the land and any contract variations. Off-the-plan townhouses and substantially renovated homes qualify. Established homes don’t.
- Living there: move in within one year of the completed transaction and live there continuously for six months.
- You: at least 18, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and neither you nor your spouse has owned a home in Australia before.
2. No transfer duty on a new home
For contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, eligible first home buyers get a full transfer (stamp) duty concession on a new home, with no value cap. On a $900,000 townhouse that’s about $26,000 of duty an owner-occupier would otherwise pay. The conditions:
- The home has never been occupied or sold as a place of residence, or is substantially renovated. Off the plan counts.
- You buy as an individual, you’re at least 18, and you’ve never held an interest in a residence anywhere in Australia or overseas.
- You move in within one year of settlement and live there on a daily basis.
- You can rent out part of the home — a spare room, say — provided the arrangement starts on or after 10 September 2024.
- For transactions on or after 1 August 2026, you must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree.
The grant and the duty concession can both apply to the same purchase if you meet both sets of rules.
3. The 5% deposit scheme
The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme (formerly the Home Guarantee Scheme) lets eligible first home buyers borrow with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. From 1 October 2025 the income caps and the limit on places were removed. The price caps still apply: in Queensland, $1,000,000 in Brisbane and the other capital and regional centres, and $700,000 elsewhere in the state. You apply through a participating lender.
Putting it together
A first home buyer signing an off-the-plan contract for a $720,000 townhouse in Brisbane could pay no transfer duty, receive the $30,000 grant and borrow with a 5% deposit — about $36,000 down. On a $900,000 townhouse the grant drops away (the cap is $750,000) but the duty concession and the 5% scheme still apply.
What to check
- Confirm the contract date rules with your conveyancer. The duty concession depends on the contract being dated 1 May 2025 or later; the grant depends on the contract date too.
- Ask the developer for the body corporate budget. A new townhouse usually has levies. See body corporate fees.
- Read buying a townhouse off the plan before you sign anything.
Checked October 2026 against the Queensland Revenue Office pages on First Home Owner Grant eligibility and the first home (new home) concession, and the Australian Government’s first home buyer schemes. Rules change; confirm them with the QRO, Housing Australia or your conveyancer before you rely on them.
Common questions
- How much is the First Home Owner Grant in Queensland?
- $30,000 for eligible contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, for a new home valued under $750,000. Off-the-plan and substantially renovated homes count as new.
- Do first home buyers pay stamp duty on a new townhouse in Queensland?
- For contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, eligible first home buyers pay no transfer duty on a new home, and there is no price cap for the new-home concession.
- Can I rent out a room and keep the concession?
- Yes. You can lease part of the home as long as the arrangement starts on or after 10 September 2024 and you still live there yourself.
- Can I use the 5% deposit scheme on a townhouse in Brisbane?
- Yes, if the price is within the scheme’s cap for the area — $1,000,000 in Brisbane and other Queensland capital and regional centres, $700,000 elsewhere in the state — and you meet the lender’s and scheme’s other conditions.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Get advice that suits your situation before you buy.