Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from the seller to the buyer, covering the contract, the searches, the adjustments and the settlement. For a standard residential transaction you can expect to pay roughly $700 to $2,500 in professional fees, plus a few hundred dollars in disbursements and search fees, though figures vary by state and complexity (last checked June 2026).
It is one of those costs nobody puts on the fridge with the dream-home magnets, and yet it is unavoidable. The good news is that it is also one of the more predictable line items in a property purchase. Here is what you are actually paying for.
What conveyancing actually covers
Strip away the jargon and conveyancing is the paperwork and the legal checks that turn “we shook hands on it” into “your name is on the title”. A licensed conveyancer or a property solicitor does the work on your behalf, and a fair chunk of it happens quietly in the background between contract and settlement.
The main jobs usually include:
- Reviewing the contract of sale before you sign, or as soon as possible after
- Ordering searches: title, council, planning, land tax and the like
- Checking the vendor statement, called a Section 32 in Victoria, which discloses what the seller is legally required to tell you
- Calculating adjustments so rates, water and similar charges are split fairly at settlement
- Preparing and lodging the transfer documents
- Managing settlement itself, including the money changing hands
Exactly how this runs depends on where you are buying. Property law is state and territory based, so the names, the documents and even the order of events shift across borders. Treat anything below as the general shape of things rather than a checklist for your particular postcode.
Conveyancer or solicitor: which one
This is the question most buyers get stuck on, so let us be plain about it. A licensed conveyancer is a specialist in property transfers and nothing else. A property solicitor is a qualified lawyer who can handle conveyancing along with anything legally hairier that crops up.
For a standard purchase, a house, a unit, nothing unusual on the title, a conveyancer is generally the cheaper and perfectly capable choice. Where things get complicated, a deceased estate, a contested boundary, a business sold with the premises, an unusual trust structure, a solicitor is the wiser call because they can give legal advice a conveyancer cannot.
Worth knowing: conveyancers are not licensed in every jurisdiction, and the rules around what they can do differ from state to state. If you are unsure which way to go, it is reasonable to ask a couple of providers what they would recommend for your specific situation, and to compare conveyancing quotes before you commit.
A conveyancer for the straightforward, a solicitor for the strange.
What it costs, broken down
Your total bill comes in two parts. First, the professional fee, which is what the conveyancer or solicitor charges for their time and expertise. Second, disbursements, which are the third-party costs they pay on your behalf, mostly search fees and government charges. The professional fee is where you will see the biggest difference between providers.
The figures below are indicative Australian ranges, last checked June 2026, and they will move with your state, your provider and how complicated the property turns out to be. They are a guide, not a quote.
| Item | Typical range (AUD) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Professional fee (conveyancer) | $700 to $1,800 | The fee for handling a standard transaction |
| Professional fee (solicitor) | $1,200 to $2,500+ | Often higher, reflecting legal qualification |
| Search and disbursement fees | $200 to $600+ | Title, council, planning and similar searches |
| Settlement and lodgement costs | Varies by state | Government and electronic settlement charges |
A few caveats. Some providers quote a low headline fee and then add disbursements on top, so always ask whether a price is all-inclusive. Buying and selling at once means two sets of fees. And none of this includes the big-ticket government cost of a purchase, stamp duty, which dwarfs the conveyancing bill and is a separate subject entirely.
Fixed fee or hourly
Most residential conveyancing is offered as a fixed fee, which makes budgeting easier and is generally what you want. Hourly billing is more common with solicitors and on complex matters where nobody can predict how many hours it will take. If a quote is hourly, ask for an estimate of the likely total and what would push it higher.
The timeline and the searches
Conveyancing runs from contract exchange through to settlement, and that window is commonly 30 to 90 days, though it can be shorter or longer by agreement and varies by state. Settlement is the day the balance of the purchase price is paid and the property legally becomes yours.
The searches are the part doing the quiet, important work in the middle. They are how your conveyancer confirms the seller actually owns the place, that no surprises are attached to the title, and that the property is what it claims to be. Common searches include:
- Title search, to confirm ownership and any mortgages, easements or caveats
- Council and rates, to check what is owing and any orders against the property
- Planning and zoning, to flag overlays or proposals that could affect you
- Land tax, to make sure you are not inheriting someone else’s liability
If a search turns up something concerning, a proposed road widening, an unapproved extension, an unexpected easement, this is the moment it surfaces, while you may still have room to negotiate or withdraw depending on your contract and any cooling-off rights.
Can you DIY it
Technically, yes, in some states you can do your own conveyancing, and DIY kits exist for the brave. In practice, most buyers and sellers hand it to a professional, and for a sound reason: the mistakes are expensive and frequently irreversible once settlement has happened. Missing an easement, misreading a Section 32 or fumbling the adjustments can cost far more than the fee you saved.
If you are paying cash and buying something genuinely simple, DIY is at least worth a thought. If there is a lender involved, they will usually expect a professional handling the legal side anyway. For most people the fee buys peace of mind, and that is not nothing on the largest purchase of their life.
Where conveyancing fits in the bigger picture
Conveyancing does not happen in isolation. It sits alongside the other moving parts of a purchase: your finance, your building and pest inspection, and any cooling-off period that applies in your state. Your conveyancer is often the person making sure these pieces line up before you are locked in.
If you are mapping out the whole journey from offer to keys, it helps to see conveyancing as one stage among several. Our broader guide to buying property in Australia puts it in sequence with everything else, so you know what comes before settlement and what comes after.
The bottom line
Conveyancing is the unglamorous legal plumbing that moves a property from one name to another, and roughly $700 to $2,500 in professional fees plus a few hundred in searches is the going rate for a standard transaction (last checked June 2026). A conveyancer suits straightforward purchases, a solicitor earns their keep when things get complicated, and DIY is legal in some states but rarely worth the risk. Get a fixed-fee quote where you can, ask whether disbursements are included, and treat it as money well spent on the biggest cheque you are ever likely to write.
This is general information, not personal financial or legal advice. Rules, figures and processes vary by state and over time, so check your own situation with a licensed conveyancer or solicitor before acting.