Guildford Settlement Agent

Your settlement, handled from offer to keys

Guildford is part of Perth’s eastern suburbs, roughly 10 km north-east of the Perth CBD. 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.

From Myaree it is roughly 22 km to Guildford, so we can either come to you or handle the signing by phone, email and electronic signature.

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 Guildford. 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

Property in Guildford is typically an established home on a suburban lot, so settlements here usually turn on getting the standard checks done properly and on time rather than on unusual title issues.

In practice, most Guildford settlements come down to doing the routine work well: searching the title, checking for anything registered against it, obtaining the rates, water and any strata figures, arranging duty and having everything ready before settlement day rather than on it.

None of this is complicated, but all of it is time sensitive. Most settlements that run late do so because something was requested a fortnight later than it should have been, not because the transaction was difficult.

The work that comes across our desk most often here:

• established green-title transfers
• survey-strata rear lots and shared driveway arrangements
• villa and townhouse strata settlements, including levy adjustments
• rates, water and levy adjustments calculated to the settlement date
• older titles carrying notifications or encumbrances worth explaining before settlement

We settle property across this pocket of Perth, including South Guildford, Lockridge, Caversham, Hazelmere and Viveash.

What we take care of for you

Most of what a settlement agent does happens quietly in the background, which is exactly how it should feel. 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.

One practical tip for buyers: do not book removalists for first thing on settlement day. Settlement happens when the funds and documents are exchanged, and until it does, the keys are not yours to collect.

You will not need to attend settlement. It is completed electronically, which is now the standard process in Western Australia, and we confirm the outcome with you straight away.

Settlement services we provide

The full range of settlement and conveyancing services is available to Guildford clients:

• Application by survivorship – Transferring a property into the surviving owner’s name.
• Court order transfers – Transfers arising from a separation or family court order.
• Home settlements – Transfers of established houses, duplexes, townhouses and villa strata, for buyers and for sellers.
• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.
• Green title and strata title subdivision – Settlements on newly created lots, including subdivision work.
• Selling – Private homes, commercial property and deceased estates, with documents signed at a time that suits you.

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.

Handled remotely, start to finish

From our Myaree office it is about roughly 22 km to Guildford, so a home appointment is usually straightforward to arrange, weekends included. That covers signing the documentation and the verification of identity check required of sellers.

If it is easier, the entire settlement can be handled remotely instead, by phone, email and electronic signing, with nothing for you to attend on settlement day. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to talk through which works better for you.

We offer cost-effective and stress-free settlement

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

Questions we are asked most

The property is a rear survey-strata lot. Is that different to a normal transfer?

Slightly. A survey-strata lot has its own title, and there are often shared arrangements from the subdivision, such as a common driveway or shared services. We identify those and explain them before settlement.

Do I pay transfer duty before settlement?

Not with us. We arrange stamping through State Revenue Online, so duty is dealt with as part of the settlement rather than needing to be paid beforehand.

Can I use a settlement agent if there is no real estate agent involved?

Yes. Private sales are common and we handle them regularly. Without an agent in the middle, having the contract and the paperwork done properly matters more, not less.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Guildford 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.