Herne Hill settlements without the jargon
Buying or selling in Herne Hill? The suburb is roughly 30 km north-east of our Myaree office, in the Swan Valley, and like everywhere in WA the conveyancing starts the moment the offer and acceptance is signed.
WA does things slightly differently to the eastern states. Conveyancing here is done by licensed settlement agents or by lawyers, and settlement agents work under the Settlement Agents Act 1981 and a code of conduct. We are licensed, and we will tell you when a question is really one for a lawyer.
Want to meet in person? Call first and we will let you know if a visit to Herne Hill works for the dates you need. Otherwise phone and email do the job.
Herne Hill titles, strata and everything in between
Around Herne Hill you get everything from new estates to lifestyle blocks and smallholdings. A brand-new house-and-land deal and a five-acre property with sheds are both conveyancing jobs, just very different ones.
- Rates and water are adjusted so each side pays only their share
- Lifestyle blocks and smallholdings often come with special conditions about equipment or structures
- What you can do on the land is a council question, so ask the council before you sign
- Strata information requested as soon as the contract is signed
- Title searched and any issues raised early, not the week before settlement
Selling or buying nearby instead? See West Swan, Millendon, Middle Swan, Dayton and Brabham.
The Herne Hill settlement timeline
When you buy in Herne Hill, your deposit is normally held in a trust account until settlement rather than going straight to the seller. Settlement agents in WA must keep client money in a statutory trust account, and those accounts have to be audited.
At settlement the deposit and the balance of the price go to the seller, less anything owed to their bank, and we confirm the numbers with you before the day.
The Herne Hill settlements we take on
Common Herne Hill conveyancing jobs that come across our desk:
- Survivorship applications when a joint owner has passed away
- Transfers under court orders following a separation
- Title searches
- Lodgement of documents with Landgate
- Green title and strata title subdivision settlements
- Transfer duty arranged through State Revenue Online as part of the settlement
- Settlements for houses, duplexes, townhouses and villa strata, for buyers and sellers
More detail is on our Herne Hill conveyancing page, along with our settlement process overview.
Settlement agent FAQs for Herne Hill
Is there a cooling-off period when I buy in Herne Hill?
Generally, no. Once a WA property contract is signed there is no cooling-off period unless one has been added as a special condition, so be sure before you sign.
Can you give me legal advice about my contract?
We are settlement agents, not lawyers. If your Herne Hill contract raises something that needs legal advice, we will tell you and recommend you speak to a lawyer.
Who chooses the settlement agent?
You do. Buyers and sellers are each entitled to appoint a settlement agent or lawyer of their choice, and to change at any time. You do not have to use the one suggested by the real estate agent.
Is Herne Hill too far for a home visit?
Not necessarily. Visits out to Herne Hill can often be arranged, so ring us to check dates. Phone and email work just as well if a visit does not suit.