Property Law

Property law is more than just conveyancing. As well as assisting in the purchase and sale of residential property, we can advise on purchasing and selling commercial property, property syndication, leasing, subdivision and planning issues.

We are committed to using technology to the maximum extent possible in all areas of practice. For this reason, we are one of the few legal firms who make vendors statements available on-line as a courtesy service for buyers and sellers

Information for buyers

Buying a home (particularly your first home) is one of the major steps in many people’s lives. This is a major transaction that involves hundreds of thousands of dollars.  This pamphlet explains the legal steps that need to take place in purchasing real estate in Victoria.

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the word used to describe the steps that are taken to transfer real estate. For a purchaser, it includes checking the contract documents, preparing documents to record the transfer and ensuring that the purchaser gets “good title” – that the purchaser does actually becomes the owner of the land being purchased.

Who can do conveyancing?

In Victoria, you have a number of options about who can do your conveyancing. Although most people hire a lawyer for conveyancing, you can also use a conveyancing company, or you can “do it yourself” by buying a kit and following the instructions in the kit.

Why hire a lawyer?

Many conveyances are straight-forward and can be done by a reasonably intelligent person without special training. However, there are some benefits in getting professional legal advice when buying property:

• A lawyer may be able to identify any problem in connection with the land you are purchasing – for example, there may be restrictions on what you can do with the land you purchase, or someone else may have some rights over a part of the land. In some cases, a lawyer may be able to assist a buyer to get out of a purchase if serious problems are identified.

• A lawyer can review a contract of sale before you sign to make sure that your rights are protected.

• A lawyer must carry professional indemnity insurance for all legal work.

• A lawyer may advise you on other relevant areas of law which could have an impact on the way you purchase land or how you finance the purchase.

For more information

If you have any questions about the information in this pamphlet, or you would like to discuss how we can assist in buying a property or other legal questions, please contact us:

Info for sellers

Like many other law firms, we assist in the preparation of relevant legal documentation for property sales.

So how do we differ? We facilitate property transactions by preparing contract documents as quickly and efficiently as possible. For this reason, we deal electronically with many statutory authorities so that we can obtain information on-line - often in real time.

We also make contracts and Vendors Statements available on line (to protect privacy, we only make a Vendors Statement available if the purchaser knows the address of the property they are interested in). This means that prospective buyers can receive access to the information they need instantly - often without needing to visit the real estate agent.

Did you know?

Many land transaction settlements can be conducted electronically - we are set up to do this for all clients and have had substantial experience in electronic settlements.