Conveyancing ACT: the complete guide for buyers and sellers
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of property from one person to another. In the ACT it has a distinctive shape: property is leasehold, not freehold, sellers must have a set of required documents, including physical building, pest and energy reports, ready before they even advertise, and the ACT has no independent conveyancer licence, so this work is always done by a solicitor. From 1 July 2026, eligible buyers also pay no conveyance duty at all under the Home Buyer Concession Scheme. This hub explains how it all fits together and links to eight in-depth ACT guides.
What conveyancing is in the ACT
Conveyancing covers everything between agreeing to buy or sell a property and the transfer being registered with Access Canberra. For a buyer that means reviewing the seller's required documents and the contract, arranging finance and completing settlement. For a seller it means commissioning the required-document reports and preparing the contract before the property is marketed at all, and discharging any mortgage at settlement.
ACT property is also structurally different from every other state on this site: all land is owned by the Commonwealth and leased out under 99-year Crown leases, so what you buy and sell is the remaining term of the lease, not the freehold land itself. The documents at the centre of an ACT sale are the required documents, defined by the Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 (ACT). Because they must be ready before the property is advertised, the most important facts about a property, including a professional building and pest inspection, are available to a buyer earlier than in most other states.
Who does conveyancing in the ACT
Unlike NSW, Victoria and South Australia, the ACT has no independently licensed conveyancer profession. Conveyancing work must be done by, or under the supervision of, a solicitor holding a current ACT practising certificate. There is no cheaper non-legal alternative to shop around for, though fees still vary between firms and between a fixed-fee quote and an hourly rate.
Engaging your solicitor early matters even more in the ACT than elsewhere, because for a seller, commissioning the required-document reports is the first real step, not something that happens after an agent is appointed. If you are weighing solicitor options, ask each one for a written fixed-fee quote before you commit.
The stages, from required documents to settlement
- Required documents, before advertising. The seller commissions building, pest and energy reports and assembles title and Crown lease documents; a buyer's solicitor reviews them before an offer, bid or tender.
- Signing and deposit. The buyer signs the contract and pays the deposit, commonly up to 10%, held in trust.
- Cooling-off. On a private treaty sale the buyer has 5 working days to withdraw, with a penalty of 0.25% of the purchase price, forfeited to the seller. There is no cooling-off at auction or under a tender contract.
- Between contract and settlement. The solicitor assesses conveyance duty, runs final searches, coordinates finance, and books settlement.
- Settlement. Most settlements complete electronically through PEXA: funds transfer, any mortgage is discharged, duty is paid, and the Crown lease transfers. The agent releases the keys.
The full walkthrough is in the ACT conveyancing process guide.
What conveyancing costs in the ACT: at a glance
A solicitor in the ACT typically charges about $1,000 to $2,200 for a standard residential matter (a market estimate, professional fee and disbursements combined). That is usually smaller than conveyance duty, which is set by the ACT Revenue Office and computed below at the current official rates.
| Purchase price | Conveyance duty (standard rate) |
|---|---|
| $500,000 | $11,400 |
| $750,000 | $22,200 |
| $1,000,000 | $36,950 |
A seller also faces a cost buyers do not: commissioning the required-document reports before listing, roughly $1,287 to $1,587 combined for the building and compliance, pest and energy reports (market estimate). The full breakdown, including the professional fee and registry fee, is in the conveyancing cost ACT guide, and you can estimate your own duty with the stamp duty ACT calculator.
The Home Buyer Concession Scheme, at a glance
From 1 July 2026, an eligible buyer pays no conveyance duty at all under the ACT's Home Buyer Concession Scheme, with no property price cap and no income test, both removed in the 2026-27 ACT Budget. At $750,000, for example, that is $0 in duty rather than the standard $22,200. Eligibility covers anyone who has not owned property, in the ACT or elsewhere, in the last 5 years, broader than a strict first home buyer test. There is no First Home Owner Grant in the ACT; it was abolished in 2019 and the HBCS is the only support on offer. Full detail is in the first home buyer ACT guide.
All eight ACT guides
The ACT cluster is eight in-depth guides plus this hub. Start with whichever matches where you are:
Calculators and jurisdiction comparisons
To compare the ACT against other states, or to estimate your own numbers:
Buying or selling in New South Wales or Victoria instead? See the NSW conveyancing guide or the Victoria conveyancing guide.
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Frequently asked questions
Conveyancing Explained provides general information about property transactions in Australia. It is not legal advice and does not create a client relationship. For advice on your situation, engage a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent, or property solicitor in your state or territory.