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Appraisers: directory of firms

In Australia the professional you want is a valuer, and the document is a valuation. The word appraisal has a different, narrower meaning here: it is what a real estate agent gives you when they estimate what your property might sell for. The Valuers Registration Board of Queensland puts the distinction bluntly, noting that in Queensland valuations of real property can only legally be undertaken by a valuer.

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This kind of work is often limited to licensed or registered professionals. Ask for their licence or registration number before you share any details.

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Whether that valuer must be registered depends on the state. Queensland registers valuers under the Valuers Registration Act 1992, administered by a board established in 1965 and self-funded, reporting to the state minister. Western Australia licenses land valuers under the Land Valuers Licensing Act 1978 with a statutory code of conduct. In states without a registration scheme, the market relies on the Australian Property Institute and its Certified Practising Valuer designation instead.

The reason to care is that a valuation gets relied on by someone other than you: a lender, a court, a tax authority, an insurer or a business partner. That is why registration schemes exist at all, and why a registered valuer's report follows a prescribed shape rather than a house style.

Valuations people actually commission

  • Mortgage security valuation, ordered by the lender and addressed to the lender rather than to you.
  • Family law and separation valuations, where both parties need a figure a court will accept.
  • Deceased estate and probate valuations, usually at the date of death.
  • Capital gains and stamp duty valuations, where a date-specific market value is needed for a tax position.
  • Compulsory acquisition valuations, when a public authority takes land.
  • Insurance replacement cost assessments, which measure cost to rebuild rather than market value.
  • Market rent determinations, including the specialist retail valuer role used in Victorian retail lease reviews.

Which states register or license valuers

The Valuers Registration Board of Queensland administers the Valuers Registration Act 1992 and the Valuers Registration Regulation 2024. Its stated objectives are to protect the public by ensuring a registered person is competent to value land in Queensland, to maintain public confidence in the standard of services registered valuers provide, to impose obligations about the practice of land valuation and professional conduct, and to manage complaints and disciplinary matters.

Western Australia licenses land valuers under the Land Valuers Licensing Act 1978, the Land Valuers Licensing Regulations 1979 and the Licensed Valuers Code of Conduct 2016. To hold a licence you must have a prescribed qualification or membership of the Australian Property Institute, an appropriate level of experience in valuing land, and be a person of good character and repute. Queensland also recognises a Western Australian licence and New Zealand registration through a mutual recognition pathway.

How Queensland assesses a valuer before registering them

  • A degree or post-graduate degree recognised by the Board, or membership of an approved institute with recognised certification, which credits twelve months of practical experience.
  • At least two years of sufficient practical post-graduate experience.
  • Good fame and character, and fit and proper person requirements.
  • Four sample Queensland valuation reports, circulated to relevant Board members to assess competency to value land in Queensland.
  • An oral examination before the Board, at which the applicant must explain the rationale of value, comparable sales evidence and methodology in their own reports.
  • A refusal can be taken to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal for review.

A valuation is not an agent's appraisal

An agent's appraisal is a marketing opinion about a likely selling price, given free, usually as part of winning a listing. It is not independent of the agent's interest in getting the listing, and no lender or court treats it as evidence. A valuation is a paid, independent professional opinion prepared to a methodology, with the valuer's reasoning recorded and their liability attached.

The Queensland board maintains that valuations of real property in that state can only legally be undertaken by a valuer, and separately distinguishes a registered valuer from a specialist retail valuer. If you need a number for a bank, a court, an insurer or a tax return, an appraisal will not do the work, no matter how confident the figure looks.

What a licensed valuer must actually do

  • Inspect the land in accordance with the Australian valuation industry's accepted principles and practices of valuation.
  • Ascertain legal ownership rather than assume it from what the client says.
  • Conduct comparative research, and include the specified content in the valuation report.
  • Annex all instructions received from the client to the report, so the scope of the engagement is visible on its face.
  • Maintain a risk management program and retain documents and information.
  • In Western Australia, comply with the valuation methodology set out in section 26 of the Licensed Valuers Code of Conduct 2016, covering residential, commercial, industrial, rural and horticultural property, and issue reports on an 'as is' or 'as if complete' basis.

What drives a valuation fee

  • Property type and complexity: a standard suburban house is a fraction of the work of a going-concern hotel or a rural aggregation.
  • Purpose, because a report that must withstand cross-examination takes longer than one for internal planning.
  • Whether a retrospective date of value is required, which forces the valuer to reconstruct historical evidence.
  • Travel to regional or remote properties, and the scarcity of local comparable sales.
  • Whether you need the valuer available for conferences, expert conclaves or tribunal attendance.

When the number comes in lower than you expected

A mortgage valuation that lands under the contract price is the most common shock, and it is usually not negotiable by argument alone. What can be provided is evidence the valuer did not have: a recent comparable sale, corrected floor area, approved plans, or proof that works assumed to be incomplete were finished. Supply the evidence, not an opinion about the market.

If you believe the valuer has been negligent rather than merely conservative, the relevant state board is the place to raise it where one exists. Queensland's board manages complaints and disciplinary matters concerning valuers under its Act, and Western Australia's valuers are bound by a statutory code of conduct. In both cases the complaint is about process and competence, not about disagreeing with the figure.

Appraisers: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a valuation and an appraisal in Australia?

A valuation is an independent professional opinion of value prepared by a valuer to a recognised methodology, and it is what lenders, courts and tax authorities rely on. An appraisal is an agent's estimate of a likely selling price. The Valuers Registration Board of Queensland states that in Queensland valuations of real property can only legally be undertaken by a valuer.

Does a valuer have to be registered where I live?

It depends on the state. Queensland registers valuers under the Valuers Registration Act 1992 through a dedicated board, and Western Australia licenses them under the Land Valuers Licensing Act 1978. Elsewhere in Australia there is no equivalent statutory register, and buyers of valuation services generally look for the Australian Property Institute's Certified Practising Valuer designation instead.

Can I use the lender's valuation for my own purposes?

Usually not. A mortgage security valuation is commissioned by and addressed to the lender, and the valuer's duty of care runs to the party named in the instructions. Because a licensed valuer must annex the client's instructions to the report, the intended reliance is visible on the document itself. If you need a valuation for a court, a tax position or an insurer, commission your own with the right purpose stated.

What is a specialist retail valuer?

It is a distinct role used in retail lease rent reviews. Where a landlord and tenant cannot agree on market rent or on which valuer to appoint, the Victorian Small Business Commission can appoint a specialist retail valuer to determine the rent payable under the lease. The Queensland board also publishes guidance distinguishing a registered valuer from a specialist retail valuer.

How long does a valuation take?

For a standard residential property, inspection plus report is typically a matter of days once access is arranged. Complex commercial, rural or going-concern assignments take considerably longer because the valuer must gather comparable evidence, verify legal ownership and assemble the prescribed report content. A retrospective date of value adds time because historical evidence has to be reconstructed.

Sources

  1. Valuers Registration Board of Queensland
  2. Valuers Registration Board of Queensland — Registration, renewal and restoration
  3. Queensland legislation — Valuers Registration Act 1992
  4. Government of Western Australia — Land valuers scope of work
  5. Victorian Small Business Commission — Retail Leases Act 2003

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the fees appraisers charge

Fees depend on the work involved and how the professional bills. We only publish fee ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the fee:

  • Scope and complexity of the work
  • How the professional bills: hourly, flat fee or retainer
  • Experience and seniority of the person doing the work
  • Deadlines and how urgent the work is
  • Third-party costs such as filing, registration or government fees

How to compare appraisers before you hire

  • Check that they are licensed or registered for this work where you live, on the regulator’s public register.
  • Look for experience with matters like yours, and ask who will actually handle your file.
  • Ask how they charge before any work starts, and get the terms in writing.
  • Compare two or three professionals before you decide.
  • Be wary of anyone who guarantees a particular outcome.

Questions to ask appraisers before you hire

  • Are you licensed or registered for this work, and with which body?
  • Have you handled matters like mine before?
  • Who will do the work, and who will I deal with day to day?
  • How do you charge: hourly, a flat fee or a retainer?
  • What is included in your fee, and what costs extra?
  • Will you confirm the scope and fees in a written engagement letter?
  • Do you carry professional liability insurance?

Licences and registration

This kind of work is often limited to licensed or registered professionals, and the rules depend on where you are. Ask which body they’re registered with, and check their status on that body’s public register before you hire.

Guides about appraisal

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