Buying or selling property is, for most people, the largest transaction of their life — and it runs on documents written by someone else’s lawyer. Our job is to make sure nothing in those documents costs you money, time or sleep.
What conveyancing actually involves
Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property from one owner to another. In Victoria that means reviewing the contract of sale and vendor’s statement (Section 32), ordering and interpreting title and authority searches, dealing with the other side’s representative, calculating adjustments, and settling electronically through PEXA on the agreed date.
Done properly, it is invisible — you sign, you settle, you get the keys. Done poorly, you inherit someone else’s unapproved extension, an easement across the driveway, or an owners corporation with a special levy nobody mentioned.
What we handle
- Residential purchases and sales — houses, units and townhouses, including pre-auction contract reviews so you know what you are bidding on.
- Commercial property — offices, retail and industrial premises, including GST, going-concern and leaseback considerations.
- Owners corporation and strata — reading the OC certificate properly, flagging levies, disputes and building defects before you are locked in.
- Off-the-plan — sunset clauses, variation rights, deposit protection and what happens if the build runs late.
- Transfers between related parties — family transfers, deceased estates and transfers arising from a separation.
Why use a lawyer, not just a conveyancer
A licensed conveyancer can handle the mechanics of a clean transaction. A lawyer can do that and advise you when the transaction stops being clean: a dispute over the deposit, a vendor who will not settle, a caveat you did not expect, a question about how the property should be held, or a matter that ends up at VCAT or in court. You do not have to change professionals halfway through a problem.
Fees
We quote conveyancing as a fixed professional fee, given in writing before we start, with disbursements (searches, certificates, PEXA and registration fees) listed separately at cost. You will know the total before you commit.
Common questions
I am a first home buyer and I feel out of my depth. Where do I start?
Send us the contract and Section 32 before you sign or bid — not after. We will read them, tell you in plain English what you are agreeing to, flag anything unusual, and explain the deposit, cooling-off and settlement timeline. We will also point you to the first home buyer duty concessions and grants you may be eligible for. That first review is the single most useful thing you can do.
What is a caveat?
A caveat is a notice lodged on a property’s title recording that someone claims an interest in it — a purchaser under a contract, a lender, or a party to a family arrangement. While it sits there, most dealings with the title are blocked. If a caveat appears on a property you are buying or selling, it needs to be dealt with before settlement, and that is a legal question rather than an administrative one.
What is a disbursement?
A disbursement is money we pay out on your behalf to a third party — title searches, council and water certificates, land tax clearance, the electronic settlement platform fee and Land Use Victoria registration fees. They are passed on at cost and itemised, separately from our professional fee.
How long does a settlement take?
A standard Victorian contract settles 30, 60 or 90 days after the day of sale, depending on what the parties agreed. Off-the-plan purchases settle after the plan of subdivision registers, which can be years. We work backwards from your settlement date and tell you what we need from you and when.
Can you help if I am buying interstate?
Tell us where the property is. We act on Victorian transactions and can refer you to a trusted practitioner in the relevant state or territory where the property sits outside Victoria.