How big a deposit can a Queensland builder take?

Answers (1)

1. LE

   LokalMatch EditorialLokalMatch editorial

   Answered 24 September 2026

   On a contract of that size the limit is five per cent, not ten. Queensland splits residential building contracts into two levels and caps the deposit differently for each: ten per cent on a level 1 contract, which runs from 3,301 dollars to 19,999, and five per cent on a level 2 contract, which is anything from 20,000 dollars upwards.

   Thirty thousand is squarely level 2, so the request you have been given is double what the law allows and worth raising before you sign rather than after you pay.

   There is one genuine exception. A deposit of up to twenty per cent is permitted where substantial customised building work or prefabrication happens away from the building site and that work represents more than half the total contract price — a kitchen manufactured off site on a job that is mostly that kitchen, for instance. It is a narrow door, and it should be visible in the contract rather than asserted over the phone.

   Remember the deposit also has to include the home warranty premium, so the capped figure is not all going to the builder.

Answers come from pros and are reviewed by LokalMatch before they’re published. They’re general information — for regulated or safety-critical work, have a licensed professional assess your situation.

Sources

Where the facts on this page come from.

1. 1

   Deposits and progress payments — Queensland Building and Construction Commission (accessed 24 September 2026)