Buying or selling property in New South Wales is mostly a series of deadlines you did not set, attached to documents nobody explained to you. Miss one and it gets expensive quickly.

Titlespace is a law firm. We handle conveyancing for buyers, sellers and transfers across NSW on a fixed fee, from contract review through to settlement. Our office is in Sydney and our process is fully digital, so where the property sits in the state makes no difference to how we work or what we charge.

This page covers what NSW actually requires of you, in plain English. If you would rather just talk to someone, the quote tool takes about a minute.

Why NSW buyers and sellers work with us

Most people deal with a conveyancer once every several years, which makes it hard to tell one from another. Here is what actually differs.

A law firm, not a referral service. Licensed conveyancers and property lawyers sit in the same team. If your matter turns out to need a solicitor, it does not have to move firms.
One fixed fee, agreed before we start. You get the number on day one, not on settlement day.
Updates you do not have to chase. Email and SMS at each step, so you always know where your matter sits.
Digital from start to finish. Identity checks, signing and electronic settlement, wherever you happen to be.

What it costs

One fixed fee, agreed before we start, so you know the number on day one rather than on settlement day.

What you pay depends on whether you are buying, selling or transferring, the type of property, and whether the purchase is off the plan. Rather than a price list that does not describe your matter, tell us about the property and we will give you the figure that applies to you. It takes about a minute.

There are also disbursements, which are the third-party costs of searches and certificates. We tell you which of those are included and which sit on top before you engage us, not after.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not happy with our services, we will reimburse your legal fees.

Which One Are You?

The NSW rules land differently depending on which side of the deal you are on. Start here, then jump to your section below.

1 I am buying ▾

Most of what protects you happens before you sign, not after.

Have the contract reviewed before you sign, not during cooling off
Read the section 10.7 planning certificate and, for a unit, the strata records
Know your cooling-off position, especially at auction where there is none
Budget transfer duty, and check the first home thresholds

Go to the buyer’s section

2 I am selling ▾

You cannot legally advertise until the contract is ready.

Contract with all prescribed documents attached, before it goes online
Section 10.7 certificate, title, sewerage diagram and strata records
Pool certificate, if the property has a pool
ATO clearance certificate, now needed on every sale at any price

Go to the seller’s section

3 I am transferring ▾

Adding a name, removing one, or moving property within a family.

Duty is assessed on market value, even when nothing is paid
Your position confirmed with Revenue NSW before you commit
Your lender dealt with if there is a mortgage on the title
The capital gains consequences understood before, not after

Go to the transfers section

Buying property giving you a migraine?

Titlespace is your new property therapist.

What we take off your plate

Whether it is your first transaction or your fifteenth, here is what our NSW team handles.

BuyingContract reviewed before you sign, searches read, strata and the 10.7 certificate checked, cooling off explained, conditions negotiated.

SellingContract prepared with every prescribed document attached, ATO clearance certificate sorted, agent and buyer’s side handled, settlement done.

TransferringFamily transfers, adding or removing a name, changes after a separation. Documents, duty and lodgement handled.

Buying in NSW. Know Your Deadlines.

The two things that catch buyers most: how long you have to change your mind, and what you pay the state on top of the price.

Cooling off in NSW, and what it actually costs

Buy an established home by private treaty and you usually get five business days to change your mind. Here is how they are counted.

ExchangeDay 0

1Day 1

2Day 2

3Day 3

4Day 4

5Day 5Ends 5pm

Business days only. The day of exchange does not count, and neither do weekends, public holidays or the August bank holiday.

0.25%

Cost to withdrawOf the purchase price, not your deposit. On a $950,000 home that is $2,375.

10 days

Off the planTen business days instead of five when the plan is not yet registered.

None

At auctionNo cooling off if you buy at auction, or exchange on the same day it was passed in.

Two things people get wrong

If a property is passed in at auction and you exchange on a later day, you do get the full five business days. And a section 66W certificate, the document that waives cooling off, has to be signed by a solicitor, barrister or licensed conveyancer who is not acting for the seller, after they have explained what you are giving up.

Waiving makes your offer stronger and removes your safety net, which means the contract review, the finance and the inspections all have to happen before you sign rather than after.

The cooling-off period in NSW, explained in full.

Buying at auction, or asked to sign a 66W? Get the contract reviewed before you commit.Get a quote

Transfer duty, and when it is due

Stamp duty in NSW is properly called transfer duty. Revenue NSW charges it on the higher of the purchase price or the market value, and you pay by the earlier of settlement or three months after the contract date.

Off-the-plan buyers who intend to live in the property can generally defer for up to a further 12 months. Late payment attracts penalties and interest, and in the worst case it stops settlement happening at all.

If it is your first home, where the price lands decides what you pay.

Buying your first home

Up to $800,000No duty

$800,001 to $999,999Reduced rate

$1,000,000 or moreFull duty

Vacant land to build on

Up to $350,000No duty

$350,001 to $449,999Reduced rate

$450,000 or moreFull duty

First Home Buyers Assistance scheme, current at September 2026. You must move in within 12 months of settlement and live there for 12 continuous months, or you can be asked for the duty plus penalties.

Rates change, so we will not print a duty table that goes stale. Use the Revenue NSW calculator for your figure and we will confirm it against your contract. And if you have read about choosing an annual property tax instead of duty, that option closed for contracts from 1 July 2023.

Selling in NSW. Contract Before Listing.

One rule shapes everything about selling in NSW: the contract has to exist before the listing does.

What a seller needs before the property goes online

In NSW you cannot advertise a residential property for sale until the proposed contract and its prescribed documents are ready. That is section 66R of the Conveyancing Act 1919, and offering a property without them is an offence.

What has to be attached before a buyer signs

Section 10.7 planning certificateZoning, controls and anything the council has on file for the land. Called a section 149 certificate until 2018.

Title search and planWho owns it and what is registered against it, with the Registrar General’s plan.

Registered dealingsEvery easement, covenant or restriction on how the land can be used.

Sewerage diagramWhere the sewer line runs and where the property connects to it.

Strata or community scheme documentsThe full set, if the property is in a scheme.

Swimming pool certificateCompliance, non-compliance, or an occupation certificate under three years old with proof of registration. Not needed in schemes of more than two lots, or off the plan.

If a document is missingThe buyer can rescind by written notice within 14 days of the contract being made, provided it has not completed, and the deposit comes back in full.

The one sellers keep getting caught bySince 1 January 2025 a buyer must withhold 15 per cent of the price and send it to the ATO unless you give them an ATO clearance certificate. There is no price threshold any more. The certificate is free and can take weeks, so apply early.

Selling? We prepare the contract and every prescribed document, so you can list the day it is ready.Get a quote

Transferring in NSW. No Sale, Same Rules.

No sale, no price, and still a duty bill. Here is why, and where the exemptions actually are.

Transferring property without a sale

Adding a partner to the title, taking an ex off it, moving a property within the family. No money changes hands, so people assume there is no duty. That is the most expensive assumption in NSW property.

Revenue NSW charges transfer duty on the higher of what was paid and what the property is worth. Transfer it for nothing and duty is assessed on the full market value. Because you are not at arm’s length, Revenue NSW will want a formal valuation rather than your own estimate, and the duty is due within three months.

What common transfers cost

The transfer: Duty
Partner onto your home, ending in equal shares: Usually no duty
Partner off your home, no separation: Full duty on market value
After a separation, with the right paperwork: No duty
Parent to child: Full duty on market value
Beneficiary under a will or intestacy: $100
Into your self managed super fund: $750

Putting your partner on the title

There is an exemption, and it is narrower than most people expect. It applies where you are married, or have been de facto partners for at least two years, the property is your principal place of residence, it is used solely for residential purposes, and the transfer ends with the two of you owning it equally. It does not cover investment properties or holiday homes. And because it has to end in equal shares, it does not cover moving the home into one name.

Separating

A separate exemption covers transfers between the two of you, or to a child of either of you, where a marriage or de facto relationship has broken down. Since May 2022 you do not necessarily need a court order or a binding financial agreement. A written agreement made to divide your property because of the breakdown can be enough, if Revenue NSW is satisfied on the evidence. A verbal arrangement will not do it.

The trap that costs more than the duty it savesThe duty exemption and the capital gains tax rollover are not the same test. An informal written agreement can get you the duty exemption. It will not get you the CGT rollover, which still needs court orders, a binding financial agreement or an arbitral award. Saving the duty this way can leave whoever transfers the property with a capital gains bill that formal orders would have deferred. Get advice before you choose the paperwork, not after.

Four other things that bite

Capital gains tax. Transfer for nothing and the ATO can still treat you as having sold at market value. You can owe tax on a gain you never received in cash.
Your mortgage. If there is a loan on the title, your lender usually has to consent and the incoming owner usually has to be assessed. Often that means a refinance.
Land tax. You need to own at least 25 per cent to claim the principal place of residence exemption. Carving off a small share can cost the occupying owner theirs.
ATO clearance certificate. Withholding applies at 15 per cent with no price threshold, so get the certificate even on a family transfer.

Whether your particular agreement satisfies Revenue NSW, whether a home you also work from counts as used solely for residential purposes, and what a transfer will cost you in capital gains tax all turn on your own facts. We work those out on your matter, not on a web page.

Thinking about a transfer? Tell us the situation and we will confirm the duty position before you sign anything.Get a quote

Buyer or Seller. This Part Is for Both.

Settlement, who can act for you, and the four mistakes we see most, whether you are buying, selling or transferring.

Settlement, and what happens on the day

The standard Law Society contract sets completion at 42 days after the contract date. That is a default, not a rule, and 30, 60 or 90 days are all common.

1Contracts exchangeDeposit paid. The clock starts here.
2Cooling offFive business days, unless you bought at auction or waived it.
Day 1 to 5
3Searches, finance and enquiriesWe order the searches, your lender finalises, and we deal with anything the contract turned up.
4Pre-settlement inspectionDo it close to settlement, not a week before, so you see the property in the condition you are about to own it.
5SettlementFunds and documents move in a digital workspace, the transfer lodges, and the agent releases the keys.
Day 42 by default

Most matters run six to eight weeks end to end. What stretches them is finance, incomplete contract documents, something turning up in a search, or one party going quiet at the wrong moment.

NSW is an electronic jurisdiction. Since October 2021 dealings, caveats and priority notices have had to be lodged electronically, so settlement runs through PEXA or Sympli. Nobody meets in a room with cheques.

How long conveyancing takes in NSW.

Who can act for you in NSW

In NSW, both licensed conveyancers and solicitors can run your matter from start to finish.

Licensed conveyancer

Licensed by NSW Fair Trading under the Conveyancers Licensing Act 2003

Buying, selling and transferring property
Contract review and negotiation
Court proceedings
Trusts and deceased estates

Solicitor

A qualified lawyer, so the conveyancing licence limits do not apply

Everything a conveyancer can do
Disputes, caveats and court
Estates, trusts and separations

Titlespace has bothIf your matter turns out to need a solicitor partway through, it does not have to move firms. That happens more often than people expect: a caveat nobody knew about, a deceased estate, a separation, an unapproved structure.

Conveyancer or solicitor in NSW, in more detail.

What we see go wrong in NSW

Four things come up again and again, and all four are avoidable.

Signing before the contract is readAgents apply pressure at the point where you know the least. A contract review takes days, not weeks, and it is cheaper than any of the alternatives.

Cooling off used as due diligenceFive business days will not cover finance, a building and pest report and a strata search read properly. It is a safety net, not a plan.

Strata reports read too lateSpecial levies, defect litigation and a depleted capital works fund are all findable before you commit, and all expensive afterwards.

Listing before the contract is readyIt is an offence, it delays the sale, and it hands the buyer a reason to walk.

Ready to Get Moving? So Are We.

You do not need to understand the Conveyancing Act to buy or sell a house. You need someone who does, who answers the phone, and who tells you what things mean before you have to decide. That is the whole job.

100% Satisfaction GuaranteeIf you are not happy with our services, we will reimburse your legal fees.

Reviewed by Marc Ryckmans, Legal Practitioner Director, September 2026. Last updated September 2026. This page is general information about conveyancing in New South Wales. It is not legal advice about your transaction.

FAQS THAT WE GET. A LOT.

What does conveyancing cost in NSW?

Titlespace charges one fixed fee agreed before we start, so there are no hourly surprises. What it comes to depends on whether you are buying, selling or transferring, the type of property and whether it is off the plan. Use the quote tool for your number. Separately from our fee, you will pay disbursements, which are the third-party costs of searches and certificates, and we tell you which are included before you engage us.

How long does the cooling-off period last in NSW?

Five business days for most established residential purchases by private treaty, ending at 5pm on the fifth business day after the day contracts are exchanged. Off-the-plan contracts get 10 business days. If you use it, you forfeit 0.25 per cent of the purchase price. There is no cooling-off period if you buy at auction, if you exchange on the same day the property was passed in, or if you have given a section 66W certificate.

Can I do my own conveyancing in NSW?

You can, but electronic lodgment has made it impractical. Since October 2021 dealings have had to be lodged electronically, and only lawyers and licensed conveyancers can operate in the electronic networks that do it. In practice that means you need one of us for settlement even if you do everything else yourself.

Do I need a conveyancer or a solicitor in NSW?

Both can handle a NSW property transaction from start to finish. Licensed conveyancers are licensed by NSW Fair Trading under the Conveyancers Licensing Act 2003 and can do conveyancing work. Solicitors can do that too, plus the things a conveyancing licence does not cover, such as court proceedings, trusts and estates. Titlespace has both in the same team, so your matter does not have to move firms if it turns out to need a solicitor.

What does a seller need before listing in NSW?

The proposed contract and its prescribed documents have to be ready before the property is advertised. That includes the section 10.7 planning certificate, the title search and plan, registered dealings creating easements and covenants, sewerage diagrams, strata documents if the property is in a scheme, and swimming pool documents if there is a pool. Advertising without them is an offence, and if a prescribed document is missing the buyer can rescind within 14 days of the contract being made.

Can you act if I am interstate or overseas?

Yes. Our process is fully digital, from identity verification through to electronic settlement, so you do not need to be in the room or in the state. Buying in Newcastle from Perth, or selling the family home in Wollongong from London, works the same way.

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Buying, selling or transferring in NSW, it is the same fixed fee and the same team from your first call to settlement day.

Conveyancing in New South Wales

We Service NSW. All of It.

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