What is conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership — typically handled by a licensed conveyancer or solicitor for $800-$2,500, covering contract review, title search, settlement coordination, and registration of the transfer.
Conveyancing is the suite of legal work that transfers property ownership from seller to buyer. A licensed conveyancer or property solicitor handles it: reviews the contract of sale, runs title and statutory searches (zoning, easements, encumbrances, outstanding rates), liaises with the buyer's lender and the seller's representative, coordinates settlement, and lodges the title transfer with the state land titles office.
Cost: a standard residential conveyancing job in 2025-26 typically runs $800-$2,500 incl. disbursements. The price varies more by complexity (off-the-plan, strata, leasehold) than by state. Pure online conveyancing services advertise from $500 but often miss the negotiation finesse that adds 10x their fee in negotiation leverage during cooling-off and special conditions.
Conveyancers and solicitors both perform residential conveyancing in most states (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS). In QLD and ACT solicitors-only firms are more common for property work. The professional indemnity insurance and PEXA-electronic-settlement access are the practical differentiators.
conveyancer · property settlement lawyer · land transfer
- Settlement — Settlement is the day the property legally changes hands — the lender releases the loan amount, the buyer pays the balan…
- Stamp duty (transfer duty) — Stamp duty is a state government tax on property transfers, typically 3-5.5% of the purchase price, paid in full at sett…
General information only — not personal financial advice. Verified against https://ratesniffers.com.au/glossary on 2026-06-01.