Your Property News - April 2026

Starting 1 July 2026, real estate professionals, buyers’ agents, lawyers, and accountants across Australia will be subject to new mandatory Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) compliance requirements.

This marks a significant step forward in protecting our economy from financial crime, including money laundering and terrorism financing. Money laundering involves disguising the origins of unlawfully obtained funds through complex financial transactions, often using false identities. Terrorism financing similarly exploits these systems, which is why both are addressed together under this framework.

Why is the focus on real estate so important? The sector has long been recognized as vulnerable for several key reasons:

Real estate transactions involve high-value assets capable of concealing substantial sums of money
Transactions can occur with limited scrutiny, making them attractive to those with malicious intent
Historically, the industry has operated with minimal AML-specific regulation in Australia

From 1 July, agents will be legally required to implement enhanced due diligence practices designed to strengthen the integrity of every transaction, including:

Verifying the identity of all parties involved – Understanding ownership structures (companies/trusts)
Assessing client risk profiles – Obtaining evidence of the source of funds and the source of wealth
Maintaining detailed records and reporting suspicious activity

Real Estate requirements include:
Regulated Activities: The requirements apply to agents and developers facilitating the purchase, sale, or transfer of real estate.
Obligations: Businesses must verify identities, understand ownership, assess risk, and report suspicious matters.
Compliance Requirements: Firms must enrol with AUSTRAC, implement AML/CTF programs, and ensure staff are appropriately trained.
Strict Reporting: Agents are prohibited from “tipping off” clients and must report matters within 3 business days.
Penalties: Non-compliance may result in significant civil penalties.

At times, these requirements may feel intrusive. Please understand this is not the agent being overly cautious, but rather a legal obligation to verify all parties and ensure a smooth, compliant path to settlement. New Zealand introduced similar legislation in 2019, and it quickly became part of standard day-to-day practice.

Did you know we offer a complimentary property health check? Recent clients have taken the opportunity during our meetings to discuss the steps involved in moving, whether to buy before they sell, recent sales activity, home improvements, and the costs of making the next move, either as an owner-occupier or as an investor. We can come to you or book a meeting in our office. This is complimentary and confidential.

Working with our active list of buyers, we have recently sold 17 Sparkes Avenue, Hamilton and 68 Barlow Street, Clayfield. We moved quickly and understood the buyer’s requirements, which secured the result for our Sellers. Seamless. Discreetly. Trusted.

We wish you all a very happy and safe Easter with your families. On your behalf, we donated FoodbankQLD. This will ensure that over 1,000 students can access breakfast before school in term 2.

Amanda Butler
Principal
0438 767 439
[email protected]

In our Client’s words

We had the pleasure of dealing with Amanda, and on occasion, David, on our recent property purchase. Being our first property, Amanda was extremely prompt, patient and supportive with clarifying any queries we had. The transaction from start to finish was handled with transparency, efficiency and integrity.

We were extremely grateful to have Amanda facilitate our purchase, given our experiences with other real estate agents we had encountered prior.

If you are looking for a personal approach, we could not recommend Amanda and her team enough. Without a doubt, we will definitely be engaging Butler+Co on our future property endeavours.

Amelia, Bulimba