Waterford Settlement Agent

Conveyancing and settlement for property owners

Waterford is part of Perth’s southern suburbs, about 7 km south of the Perth CBD. An accepted offer in Waterford 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 8 km to the west, 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 Waterford. 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 Waterford

Property in Waterford 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 Waterford 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

The same applies in the surrounding suburbs: Karawara, Manning, Salter Point, Como and Kensington.

What we take care of for you

There is a reason people do not do their own conveyancing, and it is not the difficulty of any single step. 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.

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.

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 we can help you with

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

• 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.
• Buying – Everything from the accepted offer through to registration of your name on the title.
• 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.

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 Waterford clients rather than expecting them to come to us. From our Myaree office, about 8 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:

What buyers and sellers ask us 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.

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.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Waterford 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.