Property settlement conveyancing is the work between exchange of contracts and completion of a NSW purchase or sale. It is not a family-law property settlement after separation. It covers requisitions, adjustment figures, lender and mortgage discharge steps and the electronic settlement itself, which runs through an Electronic Lodgment Network Operator such as PEXA or Sympli because NSW land dealings have had to be lodged electronically since 11 October 2021.
Both sides prepare their documents in an electronic workspace, the lenders confirm their figures and the adjustment sheet is agreed.
The buyer's representative raises requisitions on title, and because transfer duty is generally due by the earlier of settlement or 3 months after the contract date (eligible off-the-plan owner-occupiers can defer it), it is included in the buyer's settlement figures.
On the completion date in your contract.
The standard NSW contract makes completion the 42nd day after the contract date unless the parties agree otherwise, and an off-the-plan buyer cannot be required to complete until at least 21 days after the registered plan is served.
No.
This service is the conveyancing step that completes a sale or purchase. Dividing property after a separation is a family-law matter; if you then need to transfer title under court orders or a binding financial agreement, that transfer is a conveyance and a transfer duty exemption can apply.
It depends on whether we have acted on your matter from the start or are taking it over after exchange.
A matter we join part-way needs the file and contract reviewed first. We quote in writing, with electronic settlement fees, search costs and government registration fees shown separately from our professional fees.
| Scenario | Best option | Typical timing | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer with a lender, contracts already exchanged | Settlement conveyancing with lender coordination and adjustment checks | Completion date set in the exchanged contract | Send the exchanged contract and your lender's details |
| Seller with a mortgage to discharge | Payout figure, discharge authority and settlement statement | Lender processing times vary, so start the discharge early | Send your lender and loan account details |
| Transfer of title under family law orders | Conveyancing for the transfer, with the transfer duty exemption application | After the orders or agreement are in place | Send the orders or binding financial agreement |
Published by Baulkham Hills Conveyancing, a licensed NSW solicitor practice. Last updated 4 October 2026. General information only; contact us for advice about your matter.
Sources: Exchanging contracts and settlement; How do I discharge a mortgage?
Since 11 October 2021 all NSW land dealings, caveats and priority notices must be lodged electronically, and paper certificates of title were cancelled. The approved Electronic Lodgment Network Operators in NSW are PEXA and Sympli.
A subscriber, such as a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, signs and lodges the documents in the electronic workspace for you. To do that the subscriber must hold your written authorisation and verify your identity, which is why we ask for identity documents early in the matter.
Never act on an email asking you to change the bank account for settlement funds. Call us on a number you already know to confirm any account details before you transfer money.
Sources: 100% eConveyancing from 11 October; Electronic Lodgment Network Operators; eConveyancing
When a seller's mortgage is repaid at settlement, the lender prepares and lodges the discharge of mortgage electronically to remove it from the title. We obtain the payout figure from the lender, and the seller normally signs the lender's discharge authority.
An Australian-resident seller must give the buyer an ATO clearance certificate at or before settlement, or the buyer must withhold 15% of the price. Where land tax could apply, a current land tax clearance certificate protects the buyer, because unpaid land tax is a charge on the land.
Every seller of residential premises or potential residential land must tell the buyer in writing, before settlement, whether GST withholding applies (the standard contract includes this notice). Withholding applies only to taxable sales of new residential premises or potential residential land, and the buyer then pays part of the price directly to the ATO at settlement.
Sources: How do I discharge a mortgage?; Australian residents and clearance certificates; Understand land tax clearance; GST at settlement: a guide for purchasers and their representatives; GST at settlement: a guide for suppliers and their representatives
Sources: Transfer duty: who pays and when
Only by agreement or as the contract allows. If either side needs more time, the representatives can agree in writing to a new completion date; otherwise the contract sets out what happens if a party is not ready on the completion date.
PEXA (Property Exchange Australia) is one of the two approved Electronic Lodgment Network Operators in NSW; the other is Sympli. Your representative, not you, uses the platform to exchange settlement funds and lodge documents for registration.
Yes. You can change representatives after exchange. We obtain the file and contract, check the completion date and any notices already served, and then continue the settlement steps, so tell us the completion date when you first contact us.
Once settlement has completed, the seller's representative tells the agent, who then releases the keys to the buyer. If the property was sold with a tenant in place, the buyer instead takes over as landlord under the existing lease.
Adjustments share ongoing property costs, such as council and water rates, between buyer and seller up to the settlement date. If the seller has paid beyond settlement, the buyer reimburses that part; if an amount is unpaid, it is allowed for in the figures.
Ready to start? Send us the contract or property details: call (02) 9000 1408, email info@baulkhamhillsconveyancing.com.au or request a quote online.