Conveyancing in Victoria
We Service VIC. All of It.
We regularly service the following areas.
Melbourne Metro
- Melbourne
- Richmond
- Moonee Ponds
- Footscray
- South Yarra
- Docklands
Melbourne West and North
- Werribee
- Point Cook
- Melton
- Sunbury
- Craigieburn
- Epping
- Caroline Springs
Melbourne East and North East
- Ringwood
- Doncaster
- Glen Waverley
- Box Hill
- Croydon
Melbourne South East and the Peninsula
- Frankston
- Cranbourne
- Dandenong
- Berwick
- Pakenham
- Narre Warren
- Mornington Peninsula
Ballarat and the Central Highlands
- Ballarat
- Bacchus Marsh
- Daylesford
- Ararat
Geelong and the Surf Coast
- Geelong
- Torquay
- Lara
- Ocean Grove
- Colac
Bendigo and the Goldfields
- Bendigo
- Castlemaine
- Kyneton
- Echuca
Regional Victoria
- Shepparton
- Traralgon
- Mildura
- Warrnambool
- Wodonga
- Wangaratta
Buying or Selling in Victoria? Start With the Section 32.
Buying or selling property in Victoria runs on one document most people have never heard of until an agent hands it to them. The Section 32 statement arrives before the contract and decides what you know about the property before you commit to it.
Titlespace is an Australian law firm. We handle conveyancing for buyers, sellers and transfers across Victoria on a fixed fee, from the Section 32 review through to settlement. Our process is fully digital, which in Victoria is how conveyancing has worked since 2018: settlements happen in PEXA, not in a room.
This page covers what Victoria actually requires of you, in plain English. If you would rather just talk to someone, the quote tool takes about a minute.
Why Victoria buyers and sellers work with us
- One fixed fee, quoted before you engage us, with searches and disbursements itemised.
- Section 32 and contract review before you sign, with a plain-English summary of what you are agreeing to.
- Fully digital from first call to PEXA settlement. No office visits, no paper, wherever in Victoria the property is.
- A law firm, so if your matter needs a lawyer partway through it does not change hands.
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not happy with our services, we will reimburse your legal fees.
Which One Are You?
The Victorian 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 is in the Section 32, and most of what catches buyers is not reading it.
- Read the Section 32 before you sign, not during cooling off
- Know your cooling-off position: three clear business days, none at auction
- Check the owners corporation certificate for an apartment or townhouse
- Budget land transfer duty, and check the first home buyer thresholds
2 I am selling ▾
The Section 32 has to exist before a buyer can sign, so it is the first job, not the last.
- Section 32 prepared with every attachment, including the owners corporation certificate
- Due diligence checklist available from the first day of marketing
- Auction rules and the reserve, or the cooling-off notice for a private sale
- ATO clearance certificate, now needed on every sale at any price
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
- The spouse and partner exemption covers your home, not an investment property
- Your lender dealt with if there is a mortgage on the title
- The capital gains consequences understood before, not after
We built digital from day one
NO STRESS CONVEYANCING IN VICTORIA
Titlespace kicked off in 2019, built digital from day one, and now brings the same paper-free conveyancing to Melbourne and every corner of Victoria.
We are here to clean up the whole property dance, buying, selling or transferring, with conveyancing built for the way Victorians actually live. You get a smooth, digital workflow that keeps you clear on every next move.
Say goodbye to racing across town to sign a single page. Use our secure contract tech from a Fitzroy cafe with your oat latte, your Collins Street office or your couch in Ballarat.
Do not let old-school nonsense stall your property plans. Keep it calm, clever and handled by the boldest conveyancers in Victoria (that is us).
What we take off your plate
Whether it is your first transaction or your fifteenth, here is what our Victorian team handles.
Buying in Victoria. Read the Section 32 First.
Three things catch Victorian buyers: what the Section 32 does and does not tell you, how short cooling off really is, and what you pay the state on top of the price.
The Section 32, and how short cooling off really is
Before you sign a contract in Victoria the vendor must give you a signed Section 32 statement. The name comes from section 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962, and it is where the vendor discloses what they know about the property.
The statement covers the title and plan, mortgages and caveats, easements and covenants, the zoning and planning overlays, rates and outgoings, any building permits in the last seven years, which services are not connected, notices from any authority, and for an apartment or townhouse the owners corporation certificate.
What it does not contain matters just as much. It is not a building report, it says nothing about the condition of the property, and it does not have to tell you about a planning application next door. Read it with the contract, not instead of an inspection.
If the vendor leaves out something the Act requires, or gets it wrong, you may be able to rescind the contract at any time before settlement. That right has limits: a court can refuse it where the vendor acted honestly and reasonably and you are in substantially the same position, and it does not cover things you already knew. Which is why the review happens before you sign.
Cooling off in Victoria
- Cooling off period
- 3 clear business days after you sign
- How you exercise it
- Written notice to the vendor or the agent
- What it costs
- $100 or 0.2% of the price, whichever is more
- At auction
- None
- Within 3 clear business days before or after a publicly advertised auction
- None
- Commercial or industrial land, or farmland over 20 hectares
- None
- If the contract omits the cooling-off notice
- You may rescind at any time before taking possession
3 days
0.2%
None
Two things people get wrong
A private sale agreed the week before an auction does not get cooling off if the auction was publicly advertised. And signing a second contract for the same property on substantially the same terms does not restart the clock; the exception exists to stop exactly that.
Land transfer duty, and the concessions that matter
Stamp duty in Victoria is called land transfer duty and is collected by the State Revenue Office. In almost every case it is paid at settlement through PEXA. What you pay depends on the price and on who you are.
If it is your first home
You must live in the home for 12 continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement.
Everyone else
The off-the-plan concession is temporary and applies to every buyer, including investors, with no price cap, for apartments and townhouses in a strata or owners corporation development.
There is no Victorian equivalent of the NSW first home buyer choice. Duty is duty. The State Revenue Office calculator gives you the figure for your price; we confirm your eligibility before you sign, because the first home exemption turns on price and on your intention to live there.
Selling in Victoria. The Statement Comes Before the Sign.
One rule shapes selling in Victoria: the Section 32 has to be ready before a buyer can sign, so the paperwork starts before the campaign does.
What goes into your Section 32
The Sale of Land Act lists what a vendor has to disclose. Miss one and the buyer may be able to walk away at any time before settlement.
Auctions, deposits and the Section 27
Victoria is an auction market, and the rules around the deposit are stricter than most sellers expect.
A buyer at auction has no cooling off and the contract is signed on the day. The auction rules have to be on display before bidding starts, and any vendor bids must be announced as vendor bids. The deposit, usually ten per cent, sits in the agent’s trust account until settlement.
It can be released early under section 27 of the Sale of Land Act. Once the contract is unconditional the vendor can serve a Section 27 statement setting out the mortgage and any caveats, and the buyer has 28 days to object. If they do not, the deposit is released. That 28 days cannot be shortened by a special condition; the Court of Appeal said so in 2023, and contracts that try still turn up.
Transferring in Victoria. No Sale, Same Rules.
Adding a partner, taking an ex off the title, moving a property within the family. No money changes hands, and the State Revenue Office still wants its duty on the market value unless an exemption fits.
Transferring property without a sale
The Duties Act assesses a gift or a nil-consideration transfer on the market value of the property, and the State Revenue Office will want a valuation rather than your own estimate. The exemptions are narrower than people expect.
What common transfers cost
- Partner onto your home, or off it, where you live there
- Usually no duty
- Partner onto or off an investment property
- Full duty on market value
- After a separation, under the breakdown exemption
- No duty
- Parent to child
- Full duty on market value
- Beneficiary under a will, in line with the will
- No duty
Putting your partner on the title
Victoria exempts transfers between spouses and domestic partners of the home you live in, provided one of you lives there for twelve continuous months starting within a year of the transfer. Since 1 July 2017 it has not covered investment or holiday properties, which are dutiable at market value like any other gift.
Separating
Transfers made solely because a marriage or domestic relationship has broken down are exempt under section 44 of the Duties Act, and unlike the spouse exemption this one is not limited to the home. The paperwork still has to show that the breakdown is the reason.
Four other things that bite
Whether your particular agreement satisfies the Commissioner, whether a home you also work from counts, 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. How property transfers work, in more detail.
Buyer or Seller. This Part Is for Both.
Settlement, who can act for you, and what goes wrong most, whether you are buying, selling or transferring.
Settlement, and what happens on the day
Victorian contracts set their own settlement date. Thirty, sixty and ninety days are all common, and sixty is the most common.
- 1Contract signedDeposit paid to the agent’s trust account. The clock starts here.
- 2Cooling offThree clear business days, unless you bought at auction or an exception applies.
Day 1 to 3 - 3Section 27, if the vendor asksEarly release of the deposit once the contract is unconditional. The buyer has 28 days to object.
- 4Searches, finance and adjustmentsRates, water, land tax where it applies and owners corporation fees are adjusted to the day of settlement.
- 5Final inspectionDo it in the week before, so you see the property in the condition you are about to own it.
- 6Settlement in PEXAFunds, duty and the transfer move electronically and the agent releases the keys.
Day 30, 60 or 90
Victoria has been an electronic conveyancing state since 1 October 2018, when Land Use Victoria made electronic lodgement mandatory for transfers, mortgages and caveats. Settlement runs through PEXA or Sympli. Nobody meets in a room with cheques.
Who can act for you in Victoria
In Victoria, both licensed conveyancers and solicitors can run your matter from start to finish.
Licensed conveyancer
Licensed by the Business Licensing Authority and regulated by Consumer Affairs Victoria under the Conveyancers Act 2006
- Buying, selling and transferring property
- Section 32 and contract review and negotiation
- Court proceedings
- Probate, wills, trusts and company constitutions
Solicitor
Regulated by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, so the conveyancing licence limits do not apply
- Everything a conveyancer can do
- Disputes, caveats and court
- Estates, trusts and separations
What we see go wrong in Victoria
Four things, de-identified, that we see more often in Victoria than anywhere else.
Ready to Get Moving? So Are We.
You do not need to understand the Sale of Land Act to buy or sell a home in Victoria. You need someone who does, who answers the phone, and who tells you what things mean before you have to decide.
Reviewed by Marc Ryckmans, Legal Practitioner Director, September 2026. Last updated September 2026. This page is general information about conveyancing in Victoria. It is not legal advice about your transaction.
Sources: Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic) sections 27, 31, 32 to 32L and 33B; Duties Act 2000 (Vic) sections 42 to 44; Conveyancers Act 2006 (Vic) section 4; Transfer of Land Act 1958 (Vic) section 106A; State Revenue Office Victoria; Land Use Victoria; Consumer Affairs Victoria; Australian Taxation Office.
FAQS THAT WE GET. A LOT.
How much should I pay for conveyancing in Victoria?
Titlespace charges a fixed fee, quoted before you engage us, and the amount depends on whether you are buying, selling or transferring and on the property. Victorian quotes vary widely and often exclude searches and the owners corporation certificate fee, so compare what is included, not the headline number. We do not publish a rate card here because the honest answer depends on your property; the quote tool takes a minute, and our guide to conveyancing fees explains what sits behind the number.
Can I do my own conveyancing in Victoria?
Legally, yes, for your own property. Practically, Victoria is an electronic conveyancing state and settlements run through PEXA, which is open to subscribing practitioners rather than to individuals, so a private buyer or seller cannot settle without a practitioner in the workspace. Preparing a Section 32 yourself also means carrying the rescission risk if you get it wrong.
How long is the cooling off period in Victoria?
Three clear business days after you sign, for a private sale of residential land. There is none at auction, none within three clear business days either side of a publicly advertised auction, and none for commercial land or farmland over 20 hectares. Walking away costs $100 or 0.2 per cent of the price, whichever is more.
How do I get a Section 32 in Victoria?
The vendor’s conveyancer or solicitor prepares it from title searches, council and water certificates, the planning certificate and the owners corporation certificate, and the vendor signs it. If you are selling, we prepare it. If you are buying, the agent gives it to you with the contract, and you should have it reviewed before you sign, not during cooling off.
Is it better to use a solicitor or a conveyancer in Victoria?
Both can run a straightforward matter. A licensed conveyancer cannot act in a dispute, run court proceedings or deal with an estate, so if something goes wrong mid-matter the file has to move to a lawyer. Titlespace is a law firm, so it does not.
What are the risks of not using a conveyancer?
Signing without a Section 32 review, missing the cooling off deadline, miscalculating duty or the first home exemption, an owners corporation certificate that was out of date, and settlement failing because the PEXA workspace was not ready. Most of them are cheap to prevent and expensive to fix.
Stress Less and Move Fast With Your New Property Therapist.
Speak to the Titlespace Team Today.
Buying, selling or transferring in Victoria, it is the same fixed fee and the same team from your first call to settlement day.
Fixed fee, quoted upfront.
One team, contract to settlement.
