Question 1

What is PublicSquare?

Accepted Answer

PublicSquare is a licensed real estate firm operating in Queensland and New South Wales (QLD Licence #4555627, NSW Licence #10152702). We operate two programs: a structured pathway to homeownership for buyers who can service a loan but can't yet clear the upfront costs, and a cashflow-positive investment structure for property investors and landlords. In both cases, your client works with our licensed team — buyers agency, property management, and legal facilitation are handled end-to-end. You're referring them into a property program, not a finance product.

Question 2

Which of my clients should I refer?

Accepted Answer

Three audiences, four common triggers. Homebuyers with clear servicing capacity blocked only by upfront costs. Investors whose serviceability won't stretch, or who won't wear a monthly shortfall on a standard purchase. Equity-rich clients who've held off investing because they didn't want a property costing them money each month. And landlords — either carrying negative cashflow they'd like to fix without selling, or wanting a structured exit on a clear timeline rather than a fire sale. The portal includes detailed customer profiles and ready-made email campaigns for reactivating each segment from your existing database.

Question 3

What happens after I submit a referral?

Accepted Answer

Your client is contacted by a PublicSquare relationship rep, who takes them through eligibility, a discovery call, and formal application. From there, the process runs through a transparent staged pipeline — finance confirmation, property selection and assignment, contract, unconditional, and settlement — with every stage visible in your dashboard. You don't need to manage any of it, but you're never in the dark. If a client isn't proceeding, their status updates accordingly and your rep can give you the context.

Question 4

How and when do I get paid?

Accepted Answer

You earn a referral commission on each referred client who converts. Commission is payable once the client's property purchase goes unconditional and any fees owing by the client to PublicSquare have been settled — at that point, payment proceeds without waiting for settlement. Your commission preferences and bank details are managed in your partner profile, and your commission position on every referral is visible in the partner dashboard at all times.

Question 5

How are my referrals protected? Can PublicSquare or another partner claim my client?

Accepted Answer

Your referral is recorded against your partnership from the moment it's submitted, and the client's referral source is locked to you through the pipeline — it's one of the first steps verified in our workflow. You can see every referred client, their status, and your commission position in your dashboard at any time. If you ever have a question about attribution, your dedicated rep resolves it directly.

Question 6

How long does the process take from referral to commission?

Accepted Answer

For investor referrals under normal market conditions: expect two to three weeks from engagement to putting a property under contract, then a further two to three weeks to unconditional and tenanting — meaning commission is typically payable within roughly four to six weeks of a committed client engaging. Homebuyer timelines vary more, depending on the client's budget, preferred locations, and moving timeframe. Every referral's stage is visible in your dashboard, so you always know where things stand.

Question 7

What if my referral doesn't qualify or doesn't proceed?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is lost. Clients who don't meet current criteria receive personalised guidance on what would need to change and are welcome to reapply when their position improves — they're not simply declined and dropped. Their status updates in your dashboard, and your rep can give you context on the outcome. Around 65% of homebuyer applicants are approved on their first attempt, and unsuccessful applicants often become successful referrals six to twelve months later, so it's worth keeping them warm.

Question 8

Am I handing over my client relationship?

Accepted Answer

No — and for most referrals, the finance relationship actually deepens immediately. Investor referrals typically need a standard investment mortgage straight away, which you write; equity-based entries usually mean you're writing a refinance on top. Landlord referrals generally already hold their mortgage with you — moving that property into our program strengthens its cashflow position, making the loan you've already written more secure and longer-lived on your book. Homebuyer referrals return for finance in years 4–8 of their lease. In every case, the client remains visible to you stage-by-stage in your partner dashboard, with a dedicated relationship rep keeping you informed. PublicSquare doesn't write loans — the lending relationship stays yours across all three client types.

Question 9

Won't this cannibalise loans I could write today?

Accepted Answer

No — across all three referral types, it does the opposite. Homebuyer referrals are, by definition, clients you can't place today; without a pathway, those files die, and with one they generate a commission now and a mortgage later. Investor referrals create loans immediately: the model runs on standard investment finance, so a referred investor is a purchase mortgage — and often a refinance — that you write now, on a deal that otherwise wouldn't have stacked up. Landlord referrals protect loans you've already written: a negatively geared property that becomes cashflow-positive is far less likely to end in a distressed sale or early discharge. The referral channel adds loans and hardens your existing book; it doesn't divert anything.

Question 10

What will this do for my settlement rates and trail book?

Accepted Answer

Two things. First, pre-approved investor clients referred to PublicSquare have a property sourced, negotiated, and secured for them by a licensed in-house buyers agency, with a qualified tenant contracted before the purchase goes unconditional — which means pre-approvals you've written convert to settled loans at a higher rate instead of lapsing. Second, investor and landlord clients hold on a defined 4–8 year horizon with positive cashflow, meaning fewer distressed sales and early discharges running off your trail, while referred homebuyers return needing new loans on a predictable schedule.

Question 11

What does the partnership cost me?

Accepted Answer

Nothing to join. Your only investment is the referral itself, plus whatever effort you choose to put into database campaigns using the materials provided — scripts, calculators, case examples, and training content are all included in the portal.

Question 12

What does the program cost my clients?

Accepted Answer

For homebuyers: roughly $8,000–$15,000 upfront depending on the home's value and whether it is a panel new build (setup fee 0%) or an existing home (setup fee 0.9% + GST of the initial home value), covering the engagement fee, independent legal advice, setup fee, bond, and the first two weeks of rent and deposit contributions payable before move-in, then market rent plus a fixed weekly deposit contribution and a $33/week support fee during the lease. For investors: a $3,000 + GST engagement fee, a $9,000 + GST setup fee, $225 + GST/month property management — which may be increased annually at PublicSquare's discretion in line with the annual rent increase (for example, a 4% rent increase may be matched by a 4% increase to the management fee) — and 2.5% + GST sales commission at final sale, with the letting fee complimentary and certain solicitor services covered by PublicSquare. A complimentary premium marketing package applies only where the client already owns the property. Additional legal work is quoted separately, and contract-of-sale reviews are only performed on request. Full fee schedules are available in the partner portal, so you can walk clients through the numbers before referring.

Question 13

Is my client protected if they don't end up buying?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the protections are set out clearly up front. Homebuyers sign a standard state-compliant tenancy agreement and a Call Option Deed giving them the right, not the obligation, to purchase. Independent legal advice is mandatory before signing. If they can't secure finance, they can request an open-market sale by giving written notice, supported by three formal rejection letters from brokers or lenders, at any time in years 4 to 8 of the lease, provided they are not in default. If it sells at or above the Minimum Sale Price, their contributions are returned through the Exit Statement, less any weekly payments still outstanding at termination. If they default or the agreement runs to expiry, their contributions are retained by the owner as the exit fee, and a negative exit balance can be recovered from them. The Sell-Back Guarantee is provided by the property owner under the client's agreements with the owner, not by PublicSquare — PublicSquare facilitates it but gives no guarantee in respect of the owner's performance.

Question 14

Where does this work — and does my client's location matter?

Accepted Answer

PublicSquare currently operates in Queensland and New South Wales, with properties available across major LGAs in both states — the portal includes a live locations map showing demand levels and typical settlement timeframes by area. Your client doesn't need to live in QLD or NSW to invest; investor clients can purchase from anywhere. Homebuyer clients need to be buying and living in QLD or NSW. Expansion to other states, including Victoria, is planned subject to regulation.

Question 15

Do I need an ACL or credit representative accreditation to partner with PublicSquare?

Accepted Answer

Yes. While PublicSquare is a real estate firm rather than a credit provider — and referrals to us are not technically credit activity — we ask all broker partners to provide their Australian Credit Licence or credit representative details as part of onboarding.

Brokers: Refer Your Clients and Earn Commissions

How It Works

Sign up and book a demo

Refer clients

Grow your book

Everything You Need to Know About PublicSquare's Broker Platform

Why Do Mortgage Brokers Lose Deals — and How Do You Recover Them?

How Do You Fix the Pre-Approval to Settlement Drop-Off?

How Do You Protect Your Trail Book from Runoff?

How Does a PublicSquare Referral Partnership Work?

Which Clients Should Brokers Refer?

What Makes This Different from Other Broker Diversification Strategies?

How Do Brokers Get Started?

Frequently Asked Questions