Settlement Agents for Belmont Buyers and Sellers

The settlement side of buying or selling

Located about 6 km east of the Perth CBD, Belmont forms part of Perth’s inner suburbs. When a property goes under offer, someone has to search the title, deal with the rates and water, arrange duty and get the transfer registered. That is our job.

Our office is in Myaree, roughly 14 km from Belmont, and we can come to you to sign documents, including on weekends.

Buying or selling a house is a lengthy and complex process and obtaining professional advice will help ensure your smooth and successful property settlement in Belmont. The main job of a settlement agent is to transfer the ownership of the property and depending on whether you are buying or selling has various different components.

The local detail behind your settlement

Close to the city, the housing mix in and around Belmont runs well beyond the standalone house, and a good share of transactions here involve apartments, villas or survey-strata lots.

Typical local settlements look like this:

• adjusting strata levies and identifying any special levy
• off-the-plan and staged-completion apartment purchases
• survey-strata rear lots and shared driveway arrangements
• established green-title homes with older notifications on the title
• investment properties sold with tenants in place

The consequence for buyers in Belmont is that the paperwork tells you what living there will cost and what you are allowed to do. Levies, planned works and by-law restrictions on things like pets, parking or short-stay letting are all worth reading before the contract becomes unconditional.

Everything else is routine: title search, council and Water Corporation enquiries, duty through State Revenue Online, settlement figures, then settlement itself. Done in the right order, it is unremarkable, which is the point.

We handle settlements in the adjoining suburbs too, including Rivervale settlements, Redcliffe, Ascot, Kewdale and Cloverdale.

Who does what once your offer is accepted

Once a contract is signed, a series of searches, enquiries and payments have to happen in the right order. We search the certificate of title and check what is registered against it, raise enquiries with the local shire or council, Water Corporation and any strata company, prepare and lodge the transfer documents, attend to transfer duty through State Revenue Online, calculate the adjustments so rates, water and levies are shared fairly to the day, and complete settlement electronically.

Where a strata company is involved, request the information the day the contract is signed. It comes from a third party, it takes as long as it takes, and it is the most common cause of a late settlement.

Electronic settlement is now the standard process in Western Australia, so nobody has to physically attend a settlement any more. It happens online, and we confirm it with you as soon as it is done.

Conveyancing services, start to finish

Licensed for all aspects of conveyancing in WA, the work we take on includes:

• Green title and strata title subdivision – Settlements on newly created lots, including subdivision work.
• Title searches – Shelley can search a title and explain what is registered against it before you commit.
• Transfer duty through State Revenue Online – We arrange stamping, so duty does not need to be paid before settlement.
• Court order transfers – Transfers arising from a separation or family court order.
• Lodgement at Landgate – Preparation and lodgement of documents for registration.
• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.

If what you need is not on that list, ask anyway. Most property questions have a straightforward answer, and it costs nothing to find out.

Meeting and signing, made simple

Our office is roughly 14 km from Belmont, which makes home appointments easy, including outside business hours and on weekends. We will bring the documents to you, explain what you are signing and complete the verification of identity check sellers require.

Everything can also be done remotely if you would rather not meet in person. Settlements in WA are completed electronically, so there is nothing to attend on the day. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878.

We offer cost-effective and stress-free settlement

We are licensed in all aspects of conveyancing in Western Australia. Other services that we offer:

Quick answers before you call

Are strata levies adjusted at settlement?

Yes. Levies, along with council rates and water, are apportioned to the settlement date, so each party pays for the period they own the property. It appears on the settlement statement and we go through it with you.

When do I need to appoint a settlement agent?

As soon as your offer is accepted, and ideally before. The earlier we have the contract, the sooner we can order searches and raise enquiries, which is where the time goes.

What does a settlement agent cost for a Belmont property?

Our fee depends on the property and what the transaction involves, so we quote before you commit. Ask for a quote and you will get a clear figure rather than an estimate that moves later.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Belmont home appointments, including weekends to sign confusing documentation and to conduct a verification of identity check for sellers to avoid going to Australia post. However, we are also able to work remotely to do all this over the phone or in person.