Northbridge Settlement Agent

Conveyancing and settlement for property owners

Northbridge sits within Perth’s inner suburbs, in the heart of Perth. An accepted offer in Northbridge 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 11 km to the south, 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 Northbridge. 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.

Northbridge: the local factors we check early

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

The consequence for buyers in Northbridge 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.

The work that comes across our desk most often here:

• strata company information, certificates and by-laws
• 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

The same applies in the surrounding suburbs: East Perth, West Perth and Perth.

Where settlements come unstuck, and how we prevent it

Most of what a settlement agent does happens quietly in the background, which is exactly how it should feel. We check the title and anything registered on it, deal with the council, Water Corporation and any strata company, complete the verification of identity requirements, prepare and lodge the transfer, arrange transfer duty through State Revenue Online, produce the settlement statement, settle, and notify the authorities of the change of ownership.

Sellers need to complete a verification of identity check before a transfer can be registered. It is quick, but it has to be done by someone authorised, and leaving it to the last week creates unnecessary pressure.

The one thing we ask is that you come back to us quickly when we need something. Everything else, including settlement itself, is handled at our end.

What we can help you with

The services we are asked for most, in and beyond the standard transfer:

• 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.
• 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.

Not sure which of these applies to your situation? Call and describe the property, and we will tell you what is involved.

In person or over the phone, your choice

Our office is about 11 km from Northbridge, 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:

What buyers and sellers ask us most

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.

Can you act for me if I am selling and buying at the same time?

Yes, and it is common. Where a sale and a purchase are linked, the two settlements need to be coordinated carefully, which is easier when one agent is running both.

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 Northbridge 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.