When is the best time of year to buy a franchise?

• Google Trends, five years to September 2026: average monthly relative interest in 'franchise for sale' in Australia was highest in July and January, and lowest in December, November and September. That is interest, not the number of buyers.
• Disclosure documents must be updated within 4 months of the start of the franchisor's financial year, which is 31 October for a 30 June year end, if it signed 2 or more agreements in the previous year or plans to sign another.
• Register entries must be confirmed or updated on or before the 14th day of the fifth month after year end: 14 November for a 30 June year end, 14 May for a 31 December year end.
• The Code's minimum timeline is the same in every season: the information statement within 7 days of a formal enquiry, 14 days before the franchisor can sign, and 14 days' cooling-off after a new agreement.
• Buying an existing franchise adds the franchisor's consent, which is deemed given if it hasn't refused in writing within 42 days of the request.

We checked Google Trends for Australia over the five years to September 2026. It measures relative interest on a scale of 0 to 100, not the number of searches or buyers.

• For 'franchise for sale', July and January had the highest average relative interest, and December, November and September the lowest.
• The busiest months averaged roughly a quarter higher than the quietest, so the swing is real but not dramatic.
• For 'franchise opportunities', the busiest weeks of the past two years fell in mid-to-late January and in July.
• The pattern lines up with the start of the calendar year and the start of the financial year, when many people review their plans, but the data can't tell you why people search.
• More interest can mean more competition for good resales in January and July, and a quieter field from September to December.
• Search interest says nothing about prices or deal quality. Use it to plan when to look, not what to buy.

• Annual disclosure update: within 4 months of the start of the financial year (31 October for a 30 June year end), for franchisors that signed 2 or more agreements last year or plan to sign another.
• The disclosure document includes a solvency statement and financial reports for the last 2 completed financial years, or an independent audit, so an updated document gives you more recent figures.
• If you receive a disclosure document in September or October, ask whether the annual update is due and whether anything material has changed.
• Register profile: confirmed or updated on or before 14 November for a 30 June year end, or 14 May for a 31 December year end. Check that the profile is current before you rely on it.
• Some news can't wait for the annual cycle. A franchisor must tell prospective franchisees in writing within 14 days of becoming aware of materially relevant facts, such as a change in majority ownership or external administration.
• Marketing and other specific purpose fund statements are due within 4 months of the fund's year end and must reach franchisees within 30 days, so ask current franchisees whether the latest one has arrived.

• Ask for 12 months of monthly sales from comparable outlets, so you can see the busy and quiet months.
• Opening just before a quiet season means your first months may be your weakest, so hold extra working capital for them.
• Weather and school terms matter in some categories, such as lawn care, pool services and tutoring; ask current franchisees when their year really starts.
• For a resale, the handover month shapes your first quarter, so ask for the seller's monthly figures, not just an annual total.
• Find out when the next initial training intake runs, because it can set your earliest start date.
• Ask how long recent outlets took from signing to opening, because fit-out and lease timing can push your opening back.

• Ask your lender how long a finance approval lasts and what could change it before settlement.
• Book your accountant early if you are buying near 30 June, the end of the financial year, and ask whether the timing of signing, settlement or equipment purchases matters for you.
• Leases take time. Allow for negotiation, the landlord's consent if you are taking over a lease, and any disclosure your state's retail lease laws require.
• A holding deposit paid during the 14-day consideration period must be refunded within 14 days of your written request, so a deadline tied to a deposit doesn't oblige you to sign.
• Plan working capital for the whole ramp-up period, not just until opening day.
• Interest rates and lending conditions change; our guide to buying a franchise when rates rise covers how to stress-test repayments.

The Code sets minimum waiting periods, not typical durations. Research, finance and leasing usually take longer than the legal minimums, so plan backwards from the date you want to open.

1. Research: take the ACCC's free course 'Is franchising for me?', set your budget and shortlist systems on the Franchise Disclosure Register.
2. Enquiry: apply formally or express interest. The ACCC's information statement must reach you within 7 days.
3. Disclosure: receive the disclosure document, the Code and the agreement in the form it will be signed. The franchisor can't sign for 14 days, and a material change or new earnings information restarts the clock.
4. Checks: call current and former franchisees, get legal and accounting advice, and line up finance.
5. Site and lease: confirm the premises or territory and negotiate the lease.
6. Signing: once the 14 days have passed and your signed statements are in, the agreement can be signed.
7. Cooling-off: for a new agreement, you have 14 days after entering into it to change your mind and get your money back, less reasonable expenses the agreement sets out.
8. Training and opening: complete initial training and fit-out, then open with working capital in reserve.

• 'This price ends Friday' before you have had the documents for 14 days.
• A deposit described as 'non-refundable'. Money paid during the consideration period must be refunded within 14 days of a written request.
• Last year's disclosure document after the franchisor's annual update deadline has passed.
• Pressure to sign to make a training intake or launch date that the franchisor controls.
• A resale near the end of the seller's term. The franchisor must tell the seller at least 6 months before expiry whether it will extend, renew or neither, so ask what it has said.
• A Register profile that hasn't been confirmed by its annual deadline.

• Is the disclosure document I received up to date for the franchisor's financial year?
• Has the franchisor's Register profile been confirmed by its annual deadline?
• Have I seen 12 months of monthly sales for comparable outlets?
• Does my working capital cover a slow first season?
• How long does my finance approval last, and does it cover the time to settlement?
• Have I allowed time for the lease, training intake and fit-out?
• Have I kept the full 14-day consideration period free for advice and checks?