Tag 3 of 6 · The valuer
Who may value property
In Queensland, a valuer must be registered with the Valuers Registration Board of Queensland, and in Western Australia a land valuer must hold a licence. Both states let anyone check a valuer online. For other states, the place to check is that state’s own regulator.
General information, not legal or financial advice. This page covers the two states whose own pages say a valuer must be registered or licensed. For any other state, check its consumer or licensing regulator.
The two registers
| Question | Queensland | Western Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Who regulates | The Valuers Registration Board of Queensland, which administers the Valuers Registration Act 1992 and the Valuers Registration Regulation 2024. | Consumer Protection, under the Land Valuers Licensing Act 1978 and the Land Valuers Licensing Regulations 1979. |
| The rule | A valuer working in Queensland must first apply to the Board and be registered with it. | You must hold a licence to be a land valuer in WA. Assistants need no licence but must be supervised by a licensed land valuer. |
| What it requires | Tertiary qualifications and work experience, and being of good fame and character. | Being of good character and repute, with the required qualifications or practical experience. |
| Where to check | The register of Queensland valuers, searchable from the Board’s home page. | The Online Licence and Registration Search. |
| If something goes wrong | The Board takes complaints against valuers and manages complaints and disciplinary matters. | Anyone who falsely claims or implies they are a licensed land valuer may face a penalty of up to $100,000, as at October 2026. |
Queensland’s Act sets out its purpose: to protect the public by ensuring that a person registered under it is competent to value land in Queensland, to maintain confidence in the standard of registered valuers’ services, and to manage complaints and discipline. Western Australia describes a land valuer as someone who estimates the value of land and properties for purposes such as sales, purchases or taxation.
One narrower register in Queensland
Queensland also lists specialist retail valuers. A registered valuer may value retail property and advise a landlord or tenant on rent, but a formal rental determination at a market rent review for a retail shop, under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994, is work restricted to a registered valuer listed with the Board as a specialist retail valuer.
What to tell a valuer
Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading lists what a seller gives a valuer, and says these instructions form the basis of the contract with the valuer.
- The seller’s name and contact details, the party the valuer will act for (in most cases, the seller) and the reason for the valuation.
- The type of property, the street address and, if you know it, the legal description.
- A contact person for access to the property.
- The asking or contract price, with a copy of the contract if there is one.
- The basis of the valuation, usually market value unless you ask for another.
- The agreed fee and payment method, the date for the valuation, when you want the report, how it is sent and who else may see it.
It also suggests that a seller “try to find an independent valuer, and not one connected to the seller or their agent”, and check that the valuer is registered with the Board. In Western Australia a land valuer must give the client a costs disclosure, before being appointed, setting out the most they can charge, including all fees, commissions and office disbursements.
What a valuer’s report may hold
Queensland’s page says a report should contain what you asked for, and lists what it may also include: a summary; the land and title, and the certificate of title; the location, with a map; a site description and whether utilities are connected; town planning information; photographs; improvements; environmental matters; the basis of valuation, with the rationale and sales evidence; a market review; the final valuation; and the valuer’s qualifications and disclaimers.
The government’s own land values
A different kind of valuation arrives in the post: in NSW, owners are sent a notice of valuation when their council receives new land values. “The Valuer General is an independent statutory officer appointed by the Governor of NSW to oversee the valuation system”, providing land values for rating and taxing under the Valuation of Land Act 1916, and making sure owners are compensated when land is compulsorily acquired. Councils use those values to help distribute rates, and Revenue NSW uses them to assess land tax.
These values are made in bulk. The NSW Government describes a mass valuation approach:
- GroupingProperties with similar attributes are grouped into “components”, expected to see similar changes in value.
- BenchmarksWithin each component, valuers choose a primary benchmark property and reference benchmarks.
- Sales evidenceValuers analyse sales, adjusting prices to remove the value of improvements such as buildings and to reflect the market as at 1 July in the valuing year.
- The component factorEach benchmark is valued individually, and the rate of change for the primary benchmark is applied to every property in the component.
- Quality checksValues are reviewed in each local government area before the Valuer General accepts them onto the Register of Land Values.
A land value is “the value of your land only”: it does not include the home, structural improvements or the legal effect of restrictions such as easements. An owner who receives a land tax assessment “can request an independent review of their land value by lodging an objection within 60 days from the date of issue of their notice”. This page describes the NSW system only.