AML Laws Are Coming
INDUSTRY UPDATE · EFFECTIVE 1 JULY 2026
New Anti-Money Laundering Laws Are Coming.
Here Is What It Means For You.
From 1 July 2026, Republik Property Partners can't take a property to market or take it to settlement without verifying the identity of everyone involved, both vendor and buyer. This isn't paperwork for its own sake; it's now a legal precondition of the transaction proceeding. No verification, no settlement.
For most people this is a five-minute process to submit your details via a secure gateway. AML Hub's standard turnaround is typically 2 to 4 hours for individuals, and 48 hours for companies and trusts. But there are a few places it can genuinely slow things down if it's left too late. Here's what you need to know.
When You'll Actually Be Checked
If you're selling: verification happens when you sign the listing or agency agreement, before your property goes to market. We can't formally list without it. This is a digital verification and you'll be asked to provide an approved ID. Our responsibility is to give our verification provider, AML Hub, a short statement of why you're selling, along with a central contact and phone or email, so they can run the required customer due diligence checks in line with federal legislation.
If you're buying: verification needs to be completed at contract signing or unconditional (maximum 15 days within contract signing). In practice, we'll be asking for this the moment you go unconditional, because an incomplete check at that point can hold up your path to settlement.
If a company, trust, or self-managed super fund is buying or selling: there's an extra layer. AML Hub will need to identify the beneficial owners, the actual humans who ultimately own or control the entity, not just the entity's name on a certificate. This typically means additional ID documents from each director, trustee, or beneficiary with a controlling interest, plus the entity's constitution or trust deed. Budget a little more time for this step if you're transacting through a structure.
What It Costs
Republik Property Partners has partnered with AML Hub, a specialist compliance platform used across the real estate, legal, and finance sectors, to run our verification process. As the seller, you cover the verification fee for both checks on your transaction, your own, and the subsequent buyer's, payable at the time of listing as part of your marketing and administration costs. This payment can also be deferred via our pay-later partner, Campaign Agent. This is one fee per buyer and seller group (not an individual fee per owner or buyer).
It's a market-standard cost across every agency, conveyancer, and financial institution now subject to these laws, not a Republik Property Partners markup, and not a recurring cost or commission. It's a pass-through compliance cost, the same as it would be with any other regulated entity. Your agent will confirm the exact figure at the time of listing.
For buyers, this means one less thing to budget for: your verification is already covered as part of the vendor's listing costs.
Buyers: Don't Get Verified Twice Where Possible
Here's the piece that can save time on a purchase.
AML/CTF reliance arrangements allow one regulated professional to rely on identity verification already completed by another, provided it was done properly and recently. Real estate agents, conveyancers, and solicitors are all regulated entities under Tranche 2. If your solicitor or conveyancer has already verified you to the required standard, AML Hub doesn't need to repeat the process on our side. One check, shared across the transaction wherever possible.
This is precisely why we'd encourage buyers to engage a conveyancer or solicitor we work with, we'll always advise which conveyancers we hold reliance agreements with, so your check counts once instead of twice.
Note: reliance arrangements apply to buyer verification only. As the seller, your verification is always completed directly through AML Hub at listing, regardless of which solicitor or conveyancer you use.
What Hasn't Changed
Leasing and property management are unaffected. These obligations apply to sales transactions only.
Your information stays protected. Everything collected is handled under the Privacy Act 1988, used only for compliance purposes, and never shared beyond what the law requires.
This is a legal requirement, not a Republik Property Partners policy. Every real estate agency in Australia is bound by the same rules from the same date.
What To Do Now
If you're listing soon, expect your verification request as part of your listing paperwork, there's no avoiding this step before we can market the property, and it covers your buyer checks too.
If you're buying and already have a solicitor or conveyancer engaged, ask them now whether they're AML/CTF-ready and whether a reliance arrangement with Republik Property Partners can apply to your purchase. If you don't yet have legal representation, this is a good reason to lock in one of our conveyancing partners.
If you're transacting through a trust, company, or SMSF, flag this with your agent as early as possible so we can get the beneficial ownership documentation moving in parallel with everything else.
Questions before your next transaction? Reach out to your Republik agent directly,
Republik Property Partners | Southport QLD | republikproperty.com.au