Claremont Settlement Agent

Conveyancing and settlement for property owners

Claremont is part of Perth’s western suburbs, about 9 km south-west of the Perth CBD. An accepted offer in Claremont is the start of the settlement process, not the end of it, and the weeks that follow are where the detail matters.

With our office about 7 km to the south-east, we can meet you at home, including weekends, or handle everything remotely.

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 Claremont. 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.

Local knowledge that matters in Claremont

In Claremont, two properties in the same street can settle very differently depending on whether there is a strata company involved.

In practice that means a Claremont settlement can involve a strata company, a body of by-laws and levy adjustments that a green-title transfer never touches. Buyers of apartments and villas here also need to understand what is actually being bought, since a strata lot and the common property around it are not the same thing.

Practically, that means we do not sit on anything. The documents that come from third parties are requested the day we receive the contract, because they are the ones we cannot speed up later.

The work that comes across our desk most often here:

• 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 same applies in the surrounding suburbs: Cottesloe, Swanbourne, Peppermint Grove, Dalkeith and Mount Claremont.

The checks we run before settlement

The job of a settlement agent is to transfer ownership of the property and to make sure nothing is missed on the way. 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.

If settlement is going to be late, the contract usually has something to say about it, including interest. Telling us early gives us room to sort it out; telling us on the day does not.

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.

What else we do

Whether it is a home, a block of land or a strata lot, we can help with:

• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.
• Home settlements – Transfers of established houses, duplexes, townhouses and villa strata, for buyers and for sellers.
• Buying – Everything from the accepted offer through to registration of your name on the title.
• Selling – Private homes, commercial property and deceased estates, with documents signed at a time that suits you.
• Green title and strata title subdivision – Settlements on newly created lots, including subdivision work.

Shelley handles these personally rather than passing them down a chain, which is why clients tend to deal with the same voice from start to finish.

In person or over the phone, your choice

We come to Claremont clients rather than expecting them to come to us. From our Myaree office, about 7 km away, we can meet you at home, including on weekends, to go through the documents and complete the verification of identity check required of sellers.

Prefer to keep it simple and do it all by phone and email? That is entirely workable. Settlement itself is completed electronically in WA, so nobody has to attend in person. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to sort out a time.

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 for buyers and sellers

I am buying a strata property. What is different?

A strata purchase brings in a third party. We obtain the strata company information, check the levies and any special levy that has been struck, look at the by-laws and adjust the levies at settlement. Because that information comes from the strata company, we request it the day the contract is signed.

How long does settlement take?

The settlement date is set in the contract rather than by us, and in Western Australia it is commonly somewhere between 30 and 60 days from an accepted offer. We work backwards from that date, and we will tell you early if anything threatens it.

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.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Claremont 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.