Conveyancing Costs in NSW: Compare Scope, Searches and Settlement Charges

For a NSW residential purchase or sale, obtain quotes from an appropriately licensed conveyancer or eligible solicitor. NSW Government explains that both can perform conveyancing, conveyancers need a NSW licence and both must have professional-indemnity insurance. (NSW Government, Conveyancing for property buyers and sellers, checked 14 October 2026). The Law Society describes checking a solicitor’s current practising certificate through its directory.[6] Check the actual professional’s licence or practising eligibility, then compare the same contract work, searches, settlement tasks, disbursements and variation triggers. Standard conveyancing scope does not automatically include every dispute or other legal service.

Put every quote into the same categories

Mark each item included, excluded, capped or unknown:

• Professional fee: the charge for standard work.
• GST: included or added separately.
• Contract work: preparation or review, advice, negotiations and amendments.
• Searches: each included search and any allowance or cap.
• Other disbursements: third-party expenses not listed as searches.
• Exchange: work included before and at exchange.
• Settlement: preparation, coordination and completion.
• Estimated total: professional fees, GST and expected disbursements combined.[2]

A fixed-fee label does not establish whether searches, disbursements, negotiations or extra contract reviews are included. Confirm purchase due diligence and sale-contract preparation separately in the written scope.[1][2]

RS Law Group vs Chamberlains

RS Law Group

• Pricing structure: RS advertises fixed-fee conveyancing and same-day contract review. Its article dated 5 September 2026 gives an indicative NSW market range of $1,500–$2,500, not an RS quotation or regulated tariff; its own dollar fee is unknown from the cited page.[2]
• Standard scope: The page describes standard NSW conveyancing as contract preparation or review, searches, exchange and settlement, while boundary disputes, title problems and encroachments may require additional legal advice and work.[2]
• Variation limits: Disputes, title defects, boundary problems, encroachments and work outside standard conveyancing may attract separate legal fees based on scope.[2]

Chamberlains

• Pricing structure: Chamberlains advertises fixed fees, upfront pricing and “no hidden costs”. These are the firm’s claims, and its cited page gives no dollar amount.[1]
• Standard scope: Listed services include auction and private-treaty contract reviews, amendment negotiations, title and planning checks, liaison with agents, brokers and lenders, settlement coordination, registration and post-completion documents.[1]
• Variation limits: Unknown from the cited page; it does not state limits or charges for extra reviews, negotiations or failed-purchase work.[1]

Neither page provides a complete like-for-like quote, so request written proposals for the same transaction and compare them field by field.[1][2]

Separate fees from taxes and third-party charges

• Professional fee and GST: record the provider’s fee and whether GST is included. Keep disbursements separate unless the quote expressly bundles them.[2]
• Searches and certificates: identify title searches, council- and water-rate information, land-tax certificates and compliance certificates.[2]
• Other disbursements: check transfer and mortgage-registration fees, printing or archiving charges and any stamp-duty application fee.[2]
• PEXA and lodgement: PEXA’s pricing depends on the instrument, title count and transaction or participant category, and its displayed service fees include GST.[5] Request the applicable NSW line item and effective date for this settlement. Record the separate NSW Land Registry Services document-registration charge and any provider administration markup. A platform fee is not the complete settlement or registration cost.
• Other transaction costs: RS lists transfer duty, lenders mortgage insurance, building and pest reports, strata reports, loan-application charges and valuations as costs normally outside conveyancing fees.[2]

Make the quote show whether mortgage-registration work and its registry charge are included, capped or excluded. Keep NSW costs in this comparison rather than importing another state’s searches or fee schedule.[2] Require a named owner for client authorisation, identity checks, lodgement and settlement confirmation; NSW Government describes these as part of electronic settlement through a subscribing lawyer or licensed conveyancer. (NSW Government, Contracts and deposits when buying property in NSW, checked 14 October 2026).

Test what can break the fixed-fee scope

• Failed purchase: ask whether the fee covers another contract review if the first purchase falls through.[2]
• Extra work: confirm allowances for amendments, extended negotiations, extra correspondence and settlement extensions.
• Property problems: ask how title defects, boundary issues, encroachments and disputes are charged. RS says these may require separately charged legal work.[2]
• Transaction breakdown: ask what applies to termination, rescission, default work or cancellation of the engagement.

For every trigger, request the pricing method—fixed amount, hourly rate, revised estimate or separate engagement—and the approval process before extra work begins.

Check the NSW contract and cooling-off position before committing

Have the licensed professional review the contract before signing or bidding. NSW guidance describes a five-business-day cooling-off period for ordinary residential purchases after exchange and ten business days for off-the-plan contracts; the ordinary period ends at 5 pm on the fifth business day after the day of exchange. (NSW Government, Contracts and deposits when buying property in NSW, checked 14 October 2026).

There is no cooling-off period for an auction purchase or exchange on the same day after a property is passed in. A 66W certificate can waive cooling-off, and the parties can agree in writing to alter the period; obtain advice before waiving it. The guidance describes forfeiture of 0.25% of the purchase price when ordinary five-day cooling-off rights are exercised. (NSW Government, Contracts and deposits when buying property in NSW, checked 14 October 2026). The Law Society likewise distinguishes private-treaty cooling-off from auction commitment and describes the longer off-the-plan period.[7] Have the professional identify the actual rule, deadline and financial consequence for this contract.

• Record the transaction type, exchange date, notice deadline and who serves any notice.
• Specify how many contract reviews, amendments and negotiations the fee includes.
• Confirm what happens to the fee if the first purchase fails or another property is reviewed.
• Agree separately on legal work arising from title defects, boundary disputes, default or rescission.

What to confirm with each provider

Send each provider the same transaction summary—buyer or seller, auction or private treaty, property type, finance status and expected settlement period—then request written answers to these questions:[1][2]

• Price: What is the professional fee, and does it include GST?
• Searches: Which searches and certificates are included, excluded or capped?
• Settlement charges: How are PEXA and NSW Land Registry Services fees treated?
• Contract work: How many reviews, amendments and negotiations are included?
• Failed transaction: What is payable if a purchase falls through or the engagement ends?
• Variations: How are extra correspondence, extensions, title problems, boundaries, encroachments and disputes priced?
• Payment: When are fees and disbursements due?

The cited RS page does not state its complete search list, review and amendment limits, variation rates, cancellation terms, eligibility restrictions or payment schedule.[2] The cited Chamberlains page does not state its GST treatment, disbursements, PEXA and lodgement treatment, review limits, variation charges, failed-purchase treatment, cancellation terms, eligibility rules or payment schedule.[1]

Choose the quote that makes the estimated total, standard work and variation exposure clearest. Treat blank fields and verbal assurances as unresolved, not included.

References

1. Conveyancing | Contact Us | Chamberlains Law Firm (chamberlains.com.au)
2. How Much Does Conveyancing Cost in NSW? | RS Law Group (rslawgroup.au)
5. PEXA: Transaction service pricing, checked 14 October 2026 (pexa.com.au)
6. Law Society of NSW: Checking a solicitor’s practising certificate (lawsociety.com.au)
7. Law Society of NSW: Buying a home, before you buy (lawsociety.com.au)