Conveyancing is the legal work that transfers ownership of property from one party to another. Most people need a conveyancer when they buy or sell, but property also changes hands for other reasons. A matrimonial transfer after a separation, a change of ownership to add or remove someone from a title, and noting the death of a proprietor all go through the conveyancing process too. So does a land division. A surveyor starts that process, and once the plan is lodged, we step in to finalise the deposit of the plan and the issue of the new titles.
The steps vary with the type of transaction. This post walks through the most common one, buying a property in South Australia, from before you make an offer until well after settlement, with links to our more detailed posts on each stage.
What are the essential steps in the conveyancing process?
For a standard purchase, the essential steps in the conveyancing process are: engaging a conveyancer, making an offer, signing the contract and receiving the Form 1, the cooling-off period, completing identity checks, meeting the contract conditions, preparing for settlement, settlement day, and the work that follows. Some of these overlap, and your conveyancer keeps track of the deadlines for each one.
What happens before you sign the contract?
The first step is choosing a conveyancer, ideally while you’re still looking at properties. Our posts on when to engage a conveyancer and how to find a great one cover what to look for.
When you find the right property, you make an offer through the agent. A letter of offer sets out your price and any conditions you need, such as finance approval or a building inspection. We’re happy to give you advice on what to put in your offer, but we don’t usually review the letter of offer itself. The document your conveyancer needs to look over is the contract, before you sign it.
What happens once the contract is signed?
Once your offer is accepted and your conveyancer has looked over the contract, you sign it and receive the Form 1, the vendor’s statement. It sets out important information about the property, including mortgages, easements and other interests affecting the land.
Unless you bought at auction, you then have a cooling-off period of 2 clear business days. It runs from the later of signing the contract and being served the Form 1. Weekends and South Australian public holidays don’t count.
This is usually when your identity checks are done too. They now include the AML/CTF requirements that apply from July 2026 alongside verification of identity. Getting them out of the way early means they can’t hold up settlement later.
Once cooling-off ends, the clock starts on any conditions in the contract. This is when you arrange your building inspection and work with your lender on formal approval. Your conveyancer monitors each condition date and asks for an extension if one can’t be met in time.
What happens before settlement?
A lot of the conveyancing process happens out of sight in the weeks before settlement. Your conveyancer searches the title, checks outstanding charges, and works out how council rates and other costs are split between you and the vendor.
At Your Choice Conveyancing we put the property on Property Watch, so we’re alerted in real time if anything is lodged against the title before settlement. Your conveyancer also works with your lender on the mortgage documents and calculates the total funds you’ll need, including stamp duty and registration fees.
Settlement in South Australia runs through an electronic workspace that every party logs into. We work with the vendor’s conveyancer and keep an eye on that workspace, so everyone involved completes their tasks on time.
A few days before settlement, check with the agent when and where you’ll pick up the keys, so you know exactly what to do on the day.
If you’re selling, there’s work on your side too. Most vendors need an ATO clearance certificate before settlement, and any existing mortgage is paid out and discharged at settlement.
What happens on settlement day?
Settlement is when the balance of the purchase price is paid and you become entitled to be registered as the owner. In South Australia it happens online, and your conveyancer handles it on your behalf. Our post on settlement day walks through what happens, and our post on settlement expectations covers how long the whole process usually takes.
What happens after settlement?
As soon as settlement is complete, we call you and the agent so the keys can be handed over. Most agents ask you to collect them from their office, but a few will still meet you at the property. That’s what we prefer and recommend, just in case the vendor is still there or there’s some other surprise waiting.
Land Services SA then registers the transfer, which takes anywhere from 3 to 10 business days and is generally done within a week. Your conveyancer still has a few tasks to finish, which we explain in this post about what happens after settlement.
Getting the conveyancing process right
Every step in the conveyancing process has its own deadlines, paperwork and legal requirements, and many of them run at the same time. You don’t need to know all the ins and outs. That’s your conveyancer’s job, and engaging Your Choice Conveyancing early means someone is taking care of all of it from the start.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling, contact us or call 08 8261 5092.