Buying or selling property in Western Australia

If you are buying

• Confirm the correct buyer name and ownership structure.
• Understand finance and inspection conditions.
• Identify title restrictions, leases or encumbrances.
• Arrange identity and settlement documentation promptly.
• Document any money contributed by parents or relatives.

If you are selling

• Confirm title names and authority to sell.
• Disclose relevant matters accurately.
• Understand inclusions, exclusions and special conditions.
• Prepare discharge-of-mortgage and identity documents early.
• Obtain estate, survivorship or family-law documents where ownership is affected.

How much does conveyancing cost in Perth?

A conveyancing quote should separate the professional fee from government charges, electronic-settlement charges, searches and other disbursements. The final cost depends on the transaction and agreed scope, not merely the property price. For buyers, transfer duty (administered by RevenueWA) is usually the largest single cost and scales with the price.

• Professional fee and GST.
• Title and statutory searches.
• Verification-of-identity costs.
• Electronic settlement (PEXA) charges.
• Landgate and government registration fees.
• Transfer duty for buyers - use the RevenueWA calculator; first-home and other concessions may apply.
• Whether pre-signing contract advice is included.

What does a conveyancing quote usually cover, and what can add cost?

A comparable quote lets you see the professional fee separately from disbursements, and states what falls outside ordinary settlement work. Several circumstances commonly increase scope beyond a standard purchase or sale.

• Ordinary scope generally covers reviewing the signed contract, standard searches, verification of identity, liaising with the other side's representative and attending to settlement.
• Buyer and seller costs differ - buyers usually meet transfer duty and finance-related searches; sellers usually meet mortgage-discharge and payout costs.
• Related-party transfers (family members or related entities) can require extra duty, valuation or documentation steps.
• Deceased-estate transfers may need probate or letters of administration before or alongside settlement.
• A caveat, notice of default or unresolved title problem generally falls outside ordinary settlement work and is scoped separately.
• Buying through an SMSF, company or trust, or as a foreign person, adds structuring, compliance or duty steps - see below.
• Off-the-plan and new-build contracts carry their own risks and often need extra review time - see below.
• The lowest quoted figure may not include pre-signing contract advice, negotiation or unusual work - ask what is excluded, not only what is included.

Typical scope by transaction type

This is general guidance only. Your actual scope, and what is included or excluded, is set out in the firm's written quote after we review your documents.

• Ordinary settlement - reviewing the signed contract, standard searches, verification of identity and attending to settlement; excludes negotiating terms before signing.
• Pre-contract review - reading and explaining a contract or offer before you sign, including special conditions; does not include acting at settlement unless separately instructed.
• Complex transfer - related-party transfers, deceased-estate transfers, or SMSF, company, trust or foreign-person purchases; usually needs extra documentation, structuring or duty steps beyond ordinary settlement.
• Settlement dispute - a caveat, notice of default, terminated contract, or a dispute about the deposit or defects; generally requires separate advice, priced outside any standard settlement scope.

Verification of identity and AML/CTF checks

From 1 July 2026, Australia's anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime extends to lawyers, conveyancers and other newly regulated professions providing designated services, including property settlements (AUSTRAC, verified 25 July 2026). In practice, every buyer and seller can expect identity verification, and - depending on the transaction - questions about the source of funds and the ownership of any company, trust or SMSF involved. This is a statutory obligation on the firm, not a comment on you individually, and applies alongside any checks your lender or PEXA subscriber already carries out.

• Photo identification and proof of address are needed for every buyer, seller and signatory.
• Company, trust or SMSF structures may need further checks on directors, trustees, unit holders or beneficial owners.
• Higher-risk transactions (large cash components, overseas transfers, complex structures) can attract closer source-of-funds questions.
• Providing requested identification promptly helps avoid delay - late identification is a common cause of slower settlements.

• AUSTRAC - AML/CTF obligations for newly regulated (tranche 2) businesses ↗

Buying as a foreign person: FIRB approval and WA's foreign buyer duty

From 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029, foreign persons - including temporary visa holders - generally cannot buy an established dwelling in Australia unless a limited exception applies. Foreign-buyer purchases are usually confined to new or near-new dwellings and vacant residential land (ATO, verified 25 July 2026). If you are not an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand special category (subclass 444) visa holder, you generally need foreign investment approval before buying residential property; residential applications are administered by the Australian Taxation Office. Western Australia also charges an additional 7% foreign transfer duty surcharge on top of standard transfer duty where a 'foreign person' buys residential property. Australian citizens, permanent visa holders and New Zealand special category (subclass 444) visa holders are not foreign individuals for that surcharge; temporary visa holders generally are (RevenueWA, verified 25 July 2026). Approval fees are tiered by price and dwelling type and re-indexed every 1 July - for 2026-27 the lowest published residential fee is $4,600 for a new or near-new dwelling under $75,000 (ATO, verified 25 July 2026). Confirm the current rules and fee for your circumstances before relying on any figure.

• Confirm your residency or visa status, and whether FIRB approval is required, ideally before signing.
• Check the current FIRB fee for your price bracket and dwelling type - fees are indexed every financial year.
• Ask us to confirm whether the WA foreign transfer duty surcharge applies to your purchase.
• Some visa categories and circumstances can affect your status - do not assume an exemption without checking.

• Foreign investment in Australia - residential real estate ↗
• RevenueWA - foreign transfer duty ↗
• ATO - fees for foreign residential investors ↗

What do pre-settlement searches check?

Searches confirm the property and parties match what the contract describes, and surface anything that could affect your ownership or the price. Which searches are appropriate depends on the property and the transaction.

• Title search - current ownership, registered mortgages, caveats, easements and restrictive covenants.
• Rates, water and land-tax certificates - amounts owing or adjustable at settlement.
• Strata or survey-strata search - by-laws, levies, minutes and any special levies, where applicable.
• Bankruptcy, company or PPSR searches - relevant where a party is a company or trust, or a security interest may exist.
• Planning, building-approval or heritage checks - relevant where structures, use or development are in issue.
• Verification of identity and authority for every signatory.

If a search or contract issue is found, or settlement does not proceed

Issues found during a transaction range from minor (a rates adjustment) to significant (an undisclosed encumbrance, unapproved structure or boundary problem). What happens next depends on the contract terms and the nature of the issue.

• An issue is usually raised in writing with the other party's representative as a requisition or query.
• Depending on the contract, options can include the seller resolving the issue, a price adjustment, an extension of time or, in limited circumstances, termination.
• If settlement cannot proceed on the agreed date - for example, finance, a discharge or a document is not ready - tell your representative before the deadline, because rights and any deposit can depend on strict compliance with contract dates.
• A failed or delayed settlement can lead to default notices, interest, or a dispute about the deposit; early advice materially improves your options.

Off-the-plan and new-build purchases: additional risks

Off-the-plan and new-build contracts carry risks that do not arise when buying an established home, because you are contracting for something not yet complete.

• Sunset clauses can allow the developer, and sometimes the buyer, to rescind if construction is not finished by a set date.
• Plans, specifications and finishes can usually be varied within contractual tolerances - check what changes are permitted.
• The strata scheme, by-laws and levies may not be finalised when you sign.
• GST (including the margin scheme and any GST-withholding obligation at settlement) can apply differently to new residential premises - obtain accounting advice before signing.
• Deposit funds may be held as cash or a deposit bond - understand how and when they are released.
• Construction delays can affect your finance-approval period and any existing property you are relying on selling.

Ownership structures and tax questions we may flag

Some purchases raise questions best answered together with your accountant or financial adviser. We can flag these issues and coordinate the legal steps, but tax advice and structuring recommendations are for your accountant, not this firm.

• Buying through a self-managed super fund (SMSF), company or trust changes the contracting party, borrowing arrangements and compliance steps.
• Reselling relatively soon after buying, subdividing, developing or renting out the property can raise capital gains tax, GST and income tax questions - these are matters for a registered tax agent or accountant, not advice we provide directly.

• Can an SMSF buy residential or commercial property? →
• Sole trader, partnership, family trust or company: which business structure? →

What to prepare

• Property address and title reference, if known.
• Whether you are the buyer or the seller.
• Whether the contract is signed or still being negotiated.
• The proposed or agreed settlement date.
• Your finance-approval deadline, if applicable.
• Any special conditions in the contract.
• The intended ownership structure - individual, joint owners, company, trust or SMSF.
• Whether this is a related-party transaction (a family member or related entity).
• How urgent the matter is.