Real estate is one of the most document-intensive industries. A single property transaction can involve a dozen or more signed documents — from the initial agency agreement to the contract of sale, disclosure statements, pest and building reports, and settlement paperwork. For property managers, the volume is even higher: tenant applications, lease agreements, entry notices, maintenance approvals, and lease renewals, week after week.
Electronic signatures are transforming how Australian real estate professionals handle this paperwork. This guide covers which real estate documents can be signed electronically, the compliance requirements specific to property, and how to set up an efficient eSignature workflow for your agency.
Real Estate Documents You Can Sign Electronically
The good news: most real estate documents can be signed electronically under Australian law. Here are the categories that real estate professionals deal with most frequently:
Agency Agreements
Exclusive and open agency agreements can be signed electronically in all Australian states. These are the agreements between the property owner (vendor or landlord) and the agent, authorising the agent to sell or manage the property.
Tip: Set these up as templates in SignAndGo so you can send them instantly when you win a new listing. Pre-fill your agency details and let the vendor complete their section.
Contracts of Sale
Contracts for the sale of land can be signed electronically in most Australian states. The key legislation is the Electronic Transactions Act at both Commonwealth and state level, combined with the 2022 amendments to the Corporations Actthat allow companies to execute documents electronically under Section 127.
However, the rules vary by state. In NSW, contracts for the sale of land have been accepted with electronic signatures since the Conveyancing Act 1919 was amended. In Victoria, the Sale of Land Act 1962 has been interpreted to permit electronic execution. In Queensland, the Property Law Act 1974requires contracts for land to be "in writing" and "signed," both of which can be satisfied electronically under the ETA.
Important: Always check the specific requirements in your state. Some contracts of sale have prescribed forms or specific execution requirements. When in doubt, consult your conveyancer or solicitor.
Residential Tenancy Agreements
Lease agreements and residential tenancy agreements can be signed electronically in all states. This is one of the highest-volume document types for property managers and one of the biggest time-savers when moved to eSignatures.
A typical lease renewal workflow with paper takes 1-2 weeks: print, post to tenant, wait for return, scan, file. With eSignatures, the same process takes minutes. The tenant receives the lease by email, reviews it on their phone, signs, and it is done.
Tip: Use sequential signing for lease agreements — tenant signs first, then the property manager or landlord countersigns. This ensures the tenant's details are complete before the landlord commits.
Other Property Documents
Beyond the major document types, real estate professionals regularly sign:
- Tenant application forms and reference authorisations
- Property condition reports (ingoing and outgoing)
- Entry notices and maintenance authorisations
- Strata management agreements
- Disclosure statements (vendor and agent)
- Buyer agency agreements
- Commercial lease agreements
- Property management authority agreements
All of these can be signed electronically.
What Still Requires Wet-Ink in Real Estate
Exceptions for Real Estate
- Transfer of title documents. The actual transfer of land title (lodged with the Land Titles Office) typically requires specific execution under the relevant conveyancing or titles legislation. Many states are moving to electronic conveyancing (PEXA), which has its own digital signing requirements.
- Mortgages and discharges. These are registered instruments and usually require execution through electronic conveyancing platforms (PEXA) rather than standard eSignature tools.
- Statutory declarations. Some property transactions require statutory declarations that must be signed in the presence of a qualified witness.
- Certain prescribed forms. Some states have prescribed form requirements for specific documents (e.g., Section 32 vendor statements in Victoria) that may have additional execution requirements.
The Business Case for Real Estate
The numbers are compelling for real estate agencies:
80%
faster document turnaround compared to print-sign-scan
$8-15
saved per document in printing, postage, and admin time
24/7
signing availability — tenants and buyers sign on their schedule
For a property management agency handling 200 properties, the document volume is enormous: lease renewals, entry notices, maintenance approvals, condition reports, tenant communications. At an average of 15-20 signed documents per property per year, that is 3,000-4,000 documents annually. Even modest time savings per document add up to hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.
Beyond cost savings, the client experience improves dramatically. Tenants can sign their lease on their phone during their lunch break. Vendors can approve the agency agreement from interstate. Buyers can sign the contract of sale the same day they make an offer, rather than waiting for the weekend to visit the agency in person.
Setting Up eSignatures for Your Agency
Here is a practical roadmap for implementing eSignatures in a real estate agency:
- Create your account. Sign up for SignAndGo and set up your agency's branding — logo, colours, and default message.
- Build your template library. Upload your standard documents — agency agreement, contract of sale, residential lease, property condition report — as reusable templates. Place signature fields, date fields, and text fields where they are needed. Or use SignAndGo's pre-built templates as a starting point.
- Train your team. The tool is intuitive, but a 15-minute walkthrough ensures everyone knows how to send envelopes, track status, and download signed documents.
- Start with one document type. Do not try to convert everything at once. Start with the highest-volume document (usually lease agreements for property managers or agency agreements for sales agents) and expand from there.
- Communicate the change to clients. Let vendors, landlords, tenants, and buyers know you have gone digital. Frame it as a benefit — faster turnaround, sign from anywhere, secure and legally binding.
Compliance Checklist for Real Estate
Why SignAndGo for Real Estate
SignAndGo is built for Australian businesses, and real estate is one of our core use cases:
- Australian data residency — all documents stored in Sydney, meeting privacy and compliance requirements.
- Affordable for agencies — unlimited envelopes from $29/month. No per-document fees that blow out with high volume.
- Template library — 14 pre-built Australian legal templates including lease agreements and agency documents.
- Mobile-friendly signing — tenants and buyers can sign on any device, anywhere.
- Audit trail — legally admissible record of every signing event.
- No annual lock-in — cancel anytime. No long-term contracts.