Duty follows a formula below one threshold and a flat rate above it, new house-and-land packages are exempt until mid-2027, private-treaty contracts carry a four-business-day cooling-off, and every agent is on a public register.
Five pages cover the rules that change at the border: what duty costs and who is exempt, what the cooling-off period gives you and what the seller has to disclose, which grants and schemes are open, what a price guide is allowed to say, and the buying process from the licence check to settlement. Every figure names the agency it came from and the date it was checked.
The NT pages
Stamp dutyThe formula and the flat rates, the house and land package exemption to 30 June 2027, and the senior concession. draft
Cooling-off and contractsFour business days to cancel without penalty, none at auction, and a settlement of 30 to 90 days. draft
Grants and schemesThe HomeGrown and FreshStart grants to 30 September 2027, the closed established-home grant and the federal schemes. draft
Auctions and price guidesNo Territory-specific price-guide rule found; registered auctioneers, announced vendor bids and no cooling-off. draft
The buying processThe steps in order, conveyancing agents and solicitors, the public licence register, complaints and settlement times. draft
NT at a glance
Each line links to the page it comes from and to the agency source. A dagger (†) marks a fact taken from an official search result that is still to be confirmed on the agency's own page; open the source before relying on it.
Stamp duty
- What it's called
- Stamp duty on the transfer of land or property, collected by the Territory Revenue Office Source
- Official calculator
- Land or property transfer stamp duty calculator (NT.GOV.AU) Source
- How the rate works
- Under $525,000: D = 0.06571441 × V² + 15V, with V the value in thousands. $525,000 to under $3 million: 4.95% of the whole value. $3 million to under $5 million: 5.75%. $5 million or more: 5.95% Source
- When the bands change
- No indexation rule found; the $525,000 and $3 million thresholds are as published when checked † Source
- First home, established
- No first-home duty relief on established homes found; not yet confirmed on the Territory Revenue Office stamp duty page † Source
- First home, new or off the plan
- No first-home-specific relief; the house and land package exemption (contracts 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2027) is open to eligible individuals, first home or not, with no value cap Source
- First home, vacant land
- No vacant-land relief found; the house and land exemption needs newly developed land from a registered building practitioner who builds the home † Source
- Other concessions
- Senior, pensioner and carer concession: $10,000 off duty for eligible buyers aged 60 or over or holding an NTPCC card; home to $750,000, land to $385,000 Source
- House and land package exemption
- Full exemption, no means test, no cap: eligible individuals buying newly developed land from a registered building practitioner who builds the home; applicants must be natural persons, at least one aged 18 or over at the conveyance date; live in for a continuous six months starting within 12 months of taking possession Source
Cooling-off and contracts
- Cooling-off period
- Four business days on a contract not sold by auction, starting the day the contract is last signed by either party and exchanged Source
- Cost of using it
- None: the buyer can cancel within the period without penalty or explanation Source
- When it does not apply
- Auction: the contract is unconditional and there is no cooling-off. Whether a sale agreed soon after a failed auction is also excluded is not confirmed Source
- Waiving or shortening it
- May be waived, reduced or extended by negotiation and agreement with the seller Source
- What the seller must disclose
- The seller must disclose everything obtainable from the Land Titles Office, including registered encumbrances; non-disclosure gives the buyer a right to rescind and can be an offence. The regulations require copies of documents such as a swimming pool compliance certificate, rate notices and body corporate decisions, and a contract of sale of land form approved by the Registrar or the Law Society must be used for every sale Source
- Deposit
- Held in trust by a licensed agent, licensed conveyancing agent or lawyer under the Agents Licensing Act 1979; an offer deposit is returned if the offer is not accepted Source
- Settlement
- Usually 30 to 90 days; the seller generally sets the date in the contract and it can be negotiated before signing Source
Grants and schemes
- First Home Owner Grant
- HomeGrown Territory Grant: $50,000 for eligible first home buyers who contract to buy or build a new home between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2027; no price cap Source
- State schemes open
- FreshStart New Home Grant: $30,000 for eligible buyers of a new home regardless of prior ownership; contract or start building by 30 September 2027, apply by 31 December 2027 Source
- Closed or ended
- HomeGrown Territory Grant for established homes ($10,000): closed to contracts after 30 September 2025; earlier contracts can apply within 12 months of settlement Source
- 5% Deposit Scheme
- Renamed and expanded from 1 October 2025; the Territory's current price cap is still to be confirmed on the Housing Australia price-caps page † Source
- Help to Buy
- Operates in the Northern Territory without Territory legislation (Housing Australia: the scheme runs in states with enabling legislation and in the ACT and NT); government contribution up to 40% on a new home or 30% on an existing one; applications from 5 December 2025; the Territory's price cap was not confirmed Source
Auctions and price guides
- Price guides
- None specific found; the Australian Consumer Law ban on false or misleading price representations applies, and NT Consumer Affairs handles complaints about misleading or deceptive conduct † Source
- Underquoting
- No Territory-specific underquoting offence or penalty found; misleading price conduct falls under the Australian Consumer Law † Source
- Reforms in train
- No reform to price-guide or auction rules in the Territory was found † Source
- Vendor bids
- Allowed: the seller can bid or have someone bid for them, and the auctioneer must announce a vendor bid when it is made; the number permitted is not confirmed Source
- Bidder registration
- None found: the Territory's auctions page describes the final inspection, the bidding and the reserve and says nothing about registering bidders † Source
- Cooling-off at auction
- None: a contract bought at auction is unconditional Source
- Who may run an auction
- All real estate auctions must be run by a registered auctioneer; auctioneers who are REINT members also follow a code of conduct Source
The buying process
- Licence check
- Licensing NT Public Register: search an individual, company or firm for a real estate, business or conveyancing agent, agent's representative or auctioneer licence Source
- Who can do the conveyancing
- A licensed conveyancing agent or a solicitor, or the buyer themselves; conveyancing agents are licensed under the Agents Licensing Act 1979 Source
- Electronic settlement
- Live from 11 August 2025 for certain dealings lodged with the Land Titles Office through an approved electronic lodgement network operator (in use for mortgages and discharges); electronic land transfers not confirmed Source
- Complaints
- Agents Licensing Board, through Occupational Licensing and Associations; written application; disciplinary only, no compensation (NTCAT for that) Source
Who sets the rules in the Northern Territory
- Revenue officeTerritory Revenue Officestamp duty, the house and land package exemption, the senior, pensioner and carer concession, and the HomeGrown Territory and FreshStart grants
- Consumer regulatorNT Consumer Affairsconsumer rights, misleading price representations and general consumer complaints
- Agent regulatorNT Agents Licensing Boardlicensing of real estate, business and conveyancing agents, agent's representatives and auctioneers, and complaints against them
- Licence registerLicensing NT Public Registeragent, agent's representative, conveyancing agent and auctioneer licence checks
- LegislationNT legislation (Auctioneers Act 1935)auctions; the Stamp Duty Act 1978 and the Agents Licensing Act 1979 are on the same site
- Land registryLand Titles Officethe Land Title Register, title searches and electronic lodgement
- Federal schemesHousing Australiathe 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy
Sources
- Territory Revenue Office — checked 13 September 2026. Stamp duty, the house and land package exemption, the senior, pensioner and carer concession, and the HomeGrown Territory and FreshStart grants.
- NT Consumer Affairs — checked 13 September 2026. Consumer rights, misleading price representations and general consumer complaints.
- NT Agents Licensing Board — checked 13 September 2026. Licensing of real estate, business and conveyancing agents, agent's representatives and auctioneers, and complaints against them.
- Licensing NT Public Register — checked 13 September 2026. Agent, agent's representative, conveyancing agent and auctioneer licence checks.
- NT legislation (Auctioneers Act 1935) — checked 13 September 2026. Auctions; the Stamp Duty Act 1978 and the Agents Licensing Act 1979 are on the same site.
- Land Titles Office — checked 13 September 2026. The Land Title Register, title searches and electronic lodgement.
- Housing Australia — checked 13 September 2026. The 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy.
Facts checked 13 September 2026 · draft, awaiting review.