Conveyancing Lawyers

Sydney Conveyancing Solicitors

If you’re planning to buy or sell a property in Sydney or anywhere in New South Wales from wherever you are in the world, West Legal & Associates can help manage and simplify the entire process for you. We’ll ensure that your conveyancing experience is managed expertly and as smoothly as possible.
Property settlement services
PEXA Certified Member

Online & In-person Consultations Available

Online consultations via Skype
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West Legal & Associates conveyancing
Online consultations via Zoom
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Meet Your Senior Team

of Efficient & Strategic Sydney Solicitors

Jonathan R

Jonathan was admitted as a Lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2011 and is also admitted in the High Court of Australia. Jonathan has extensive experience in Property, Insurance, Litigation, Personal Injury and Commercial Law.

Jessie X

Jessie is an experienced Solicitor having been admitted as a Lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2015. Jessie has extensive experience in Property Law and Conveyancing and takes pride in providing clients with reliable advice and ensuring seamless transactions. Jessie is fluent in Mandarin Chinese (中文) and assists both domestic and international clients.

Teresa W

Having been admitted as a Solicitor in 2002, Teresa is also a Chartered Accountant who practises in the fields of Taxation and Accounting. Teresa manages client’s Australian and US taxation needs and requirements.

How We Can Help You

Our PEXA-Certified senior solicitors can help you with your conveyancing needs, whether in person or online. Your choice.

We provide expert legal guidance and make sure that the transfer of your New South Wales property complies with all relevant laws wherever you are in the World.

We review and draft property contracts with attention to detail to highlight any unusual terms or potential issues. We also conduct thorough property searches to uncover any legal encumbrances, outstanding debts, or zoning issues that might affect the property.

Once both parties have agreed to proceed with the property transfer, we’ll oversee the settlement. Throughout the process, we’ll coordinate closely with all parties involved, including real estate agents, lenders, and other legal professionals, to facilitate smooth communication and progress.

Buying and Selling

We assist clients with the legal aspects of buying or selling property, including contract preparation or review, property searches, negotiation, and ensuring a smooth settlement process.

First Home Buyers

We guide first-time home buyers through the buying process, helping them understand their legal rights, obligations, and available government incentives or grants. We also give advice regarding the best options, financial arrangements, and strategies.

Family/Related Party Transfers

This involves the transfer of property ownership between family members or related parties, often requiring careful handling to ensure compliance with legal and tax implications.

Stamp Duty Assessments

We provide advice and assistance in assessing the amount of stamp duty payable on a property transaction. If the property transaction involves trusts, we’ll also assess the stamp duty implications, which can be more complex due to the nature of trusts.

Probate/Estate Transmissions

We handle the transfer of property as part of an estate following the death of the owner, ensuring the terms of the will are followed and the legal requirements are met.

Related Party & Spousal Stamp Duty Exemptions

If the property transaction involves couples and related parties, we’ll advise you on potential exemptions from stamp duties or reduced rates applicable under certain conditions.

Fixed-Fee Conveyancing — What You’ll Pay

Most people asking about conveyancing want one thing answered first: what will this cost, and can it change halfway through. Here’s how our fees work.

Our professional fees are fixed. We quote you in writing before you engage us, and that quote is what you pay for a standard residential purchase or sale. If a matter turns out to be genuinely more complex — a deceased estate, an unregistered plan, a contract needing extensive negotiation — we tell you before the additional work is done, not after it appears on your bill.

Disbursements are separate, and paid at cost. These are third-party charges we pay on your behalf. On a typical Sydney purchase they include:

  • Title search and plan of the land
  • Section 10.7 planning certificate from the local council
  • Sewerage service diagram and drainage diagram
  • Strata inspection report and section 184 certificate, for a unit or townhouse
  • Land tax, council and water rates certificates
  • PEXA electronic settlement fee
  • NSW Land Registry Services lodgement fees

Transfer duty is not a legal fee. Stamp duty is paid to Revenue NSW, not to us. If you are a first home buyer you may pay no transfer duty at all. The thresholds and concessions are set by the NSW Government and change from time to time, so we assess your eligibility against the current Revenue NSW rules before exchange, not after.

How Long Conveyancing Takes in NSW

A standard NSW residential purchase runs about six weeks from exchange to settlement. Here’s what happens in that time.

  1. Before you sign — 24 to 48 hours. The agent sends the contract; we review it, order the searches, and call you with what we’ve found and what we want changed.
  2. Exchange of contracts. Contracts are swapped and you pay the deposit, usually 10% of the price. The property is now under contract to you.
  3. Cooling-off period — five business days. On a private treaty purchase in NSW you may rescind within five business days of exchange, forfeiting 0.25% of the purchase price. There is no cooling-off period at auction, or where you have given a section 66W certificate — which is what an agent is asking for when they push for an “unconditional” exchange. Never sign one without advice.
  4. Between exchange and settlement. We complete the remaining searches, liaise with your lender, calculate the adjustments for rates and land tax, and prepare the settlement figures.
  5. Final inspection. Shortly before settlement you inspect the property to confirm it’s in the same condition, and that any inclusions listed in the contract are still there.
  6. Settlement — normally six weeks after exchange. Settlement happens electronically through PEXA, mandatory for NSW land dealings since 2019. You don’t need to attend. Funds transfer, the transfer is lodged, and the agent releases the keys.

A shorter or longer settlement can be negotiated before exchange. Off the plan purchases in particular settle on registration of the plan, which may be a long way off.

Save your
Time & Money

Let's work on your matter online.

Whilst you may visit our office for consultations and meetings, we can also do all of our legal work online. This way, you can save time and take care of your business while we handle your legal needs.

Online consultations via Skype
Online consultations via Microsoft Teams
West Legal & Associates conveyancing
Online consultations via Zoom
Online consultations via WhatsApp

Why

Choose Us

We offer in-office and online consultations

You can tell us about your matter at the comfort of our office or your home. Whatever you choose, we’ll deliver the same quality services and results.

We’re a team of solicitors only

We don’t hire junior solicitors and paralegals to handle your matter. Every case is managed by senior solicitors to ensure that you get high-level expertise and attention to detail.

We are PEXA Certified

We use PEXA to ensure fast and smooth service property settlements. This allows us to make our processes more efficient and convenient for our busy clients like you.

Exceptional customer service

Most of our clients are either repeat clients or referral from past clients. This is a testament to our outstanding service, personalised services and client-focused approach.

What We Look For Before You Sign

A contract for sale in NSW is drafted by the seller’s solicitor, for the seller’s benefit. The value of a solicitor’s review is in what the contract doesn’t tell you.

Every property

  • Title. Easements, covenants, caveats and rights of way registered on the folio — including a neighbour’s right to run drainage through the yard you were planning to build on.
  • Section 10.7 planning certificate. Zoning, permitted development, heritage listing, and whether the land is flood, bushfire or acid sulfate soil affected.
  • Sewer and drainage diagrams. Where the main runs. A sewer main under the back corner decides whether a granny flat is ever possible.
  • Unapproved works. Enclosed balconies, converted garages, decks and bathrooms built without approval or without an occupation certificate become your problem on settlement.
  • Swimming pool compliance. A certificate of compliance or a valid occupation certificate must be attached, or you carry the rectification cost.
  • Special conditions. The clauses added at the back, where the seller limits their liability and shortens your rights.

Strata and community title

Many Sydney purchases are strata. A Strata Inspection Report is recommended and informs you of:

  • The capital works fund balance, and whether it’s anywhere near adequate for the building’s age
  • Special levies already struck, or being discussed in the minutes
  • Defect claims, building bond issues and litigation involving the owners corporation
  • Combustible cladding, waterproofing and structural repair history
  • By-laws on pets, short-term letting, renovations and parking

Buying off the plan

Off the plan contracts in NSW carry a ten business day cooling-off period and a mandatory disclosure statement with the proposed plan and schedule of finishes attached. We review the sunset clause, your rights if the developer changes a material particular, how the deposit is held, and what happens if registration is delayed.

Buying as a foreign person

A foreign person acquiring residential property in NSW pays surcharge purchaser duty on top of standard transfer duty, and generally needs Foreign Investment Review Board approval before exchange. Jessie is fluent in Mandarin (中文) and acts for both domestic and overseas buyers.

FAQs

Generally, yes, and completely online. As long as you have access to the internet, email, and apps such as Whatsapp, Teams, Zoom/Skype and so forth.
Yes. Our office is on the ground floor at 7106/177–219 Mitchell Road, Erskineville NSW 2043, a few minutes from Erskineville and St Peters stations and on the Alexandria border. Street parking is available.
Generally 24-48 hours. However, please call us if it is urgent.
We can typically arrange for your draft contract of sale to be ready and sent to your agent within 24-48 hours of receiving your instructions.
Typically, conveyancing takes between 6 to 8 weeks from the date of the contract to settlement. However, this can vary depending on various factors like the type of property, financing arrangements, and any specific issues that may arise.
No, you usually don’t need to be physically present at settlement. As your conveyancing lawyer, I handle the settlement process on your behalf, ensuring all necessary documents are exchanged and financial transactions are completed.
Disbursements are the additional costs incurred during the conveyancing process, separate from legal fees. These include costs for property searches, certificates, and government charges.
Withdrawing from a signed contract can have legal and financial consequences. It’s possible in some circumstances, especially during a cooling-off period if applicable, but you may incur a financial penalty.
‘Joint tenants’ means that all owners hold an equal share of the property, and if one dies, their share automatically passes to the other. ‘Tenants in common’ allows for different ownership proportions and enables owners to bequeath their share separately.
Yes, many jurisdictions offer concessions, grants, or reduced stamp duty for first-time homebuyers. These vary by location and property value, and I can advise on what’s available in your case.
If significant issues are found, you can negotiate repairs, a price reduction, or even withdraw from the purchase, depending on the terms of the contract and the nature of the issues.

Where We Act

Our office is in Erskineville and we act on property transfers and conveyancing anywhere in New South Wales — settlement is electronic, so where you are doesn’t affect how we work. We know the city surroundings and Inner West stock particularly well: Alexandria and Zetland warehouse conversions and new apartment stock; Newtown, Enmore and Erskineville terraces, many heritage listed with unapproved rear additions; Marrickville and St Peters properties affected by the WestConnex corridor and industrial zoning; Surry Hills strata with older capital works funds; and Redfern and Waterloo, where planning changes matter to what you can do with the land.

Buying elsewhere in Sydney or regional NSW? We act statewide — call us on (02) 9191 7319.