Conveyancing cost in the ACT: the complete $1,000 to $2,200 breakdown

A solicitor in the ACT charges roughly $1,000 to $2,200 for a standard residential transaction, professional fee and disbursements combined. That is only part of the bill. Buyers also pay conveyance duty (the ACT's name for stamp duty) and a land title registration fee, and sellers face a cost buyers in other states never see: the ACT requires you, as the seller, to commission a set of physical inspection reports before you can even list the property. This guide sets out every part, with the duty and registry figures computed from the current ACT Revenue Office and Access Canberra rates.

Where the $1,000 to $2,200 range comes from

Independent Insights' Canberra cost guide, updated November 2025, puts the average conveyancing cost in the ACT at $1,000 to $2,200, and is explicit that this figure covers the solicitor's professional fee and disbursements together, not the fee alone. Open House Conveyancing, a fixed-fee ACT firm, advertises a property transfer from $1,395 including GST, a real example that sits inside that range. Solicitors who bill by the hour instead of a fixed fee typically charge $120 to $250 an hour in the ACT. These are market ranges, not a fixed schedule, so always ask for a written fixed-fee quote for your own matter.

Because the ACT has no separate licensed-conveyancer profession, every quote you get will come from a solicitor or a firm operating under a solicitor's practising certificate, unlike NSW or Victoria where a cheaper licensed conveyancer is usually an option for a straightforward matter.

Total cost of buying in the ACT at five price points

The conveyance duty and registry figures below are computed from the current ACT Revenue Office standard (non-eligible owner-occupier) rate and the Access Canberra transfer fee, and the solicitor cost is the combined market range above. An eligible owner-occupier or first home buyer usually pays much less duty than the standard figures shown here (see how the Home Buyer Concession Scheme changes this).

Conveyance duty computed from the ACT Revenue Office non-commercial property rates (standard, non-eligible owner-occupier table, transactions on or after 1 July 2025, live re-checked 15 July 2026). Registration fee from Access Canberra's land title fee schedule (form 052-T-Transfer, 2026-2027). Solicitor fee range is a market estimate (Independent Insights, November 2025), not an official figure. Excludes the seller-only required-document costs below, loan costs and any additional inspections a buyer chooses to commission.

Buyer costs in the ACT

As a buyer in the ACT, budget for the following on top of your deposit and purchase price:

• Solicitor's professional fee and disbursements: about $1,000 to $2,200 for a standard matter (market estimate). Because there is no licensed-conveyancer alternative, this is always a solicitor's fee.
• Conveyance duty: paid to the ACT Revenue Office on the greater of the price or market value. This is the largest cost for most buyers who do not qualify for the Home Buyer Concession Scheme (see the table above).
• Land title registration fee: a flat $496 (2026-2027) to register the transfer with Access Canberra, regardless of price.
• Reviewing the required documents: no extra fee, but your solicitor's review of the seller's building, pest and energy reports, and the Crown lease and title documents, is part of the work covered by the professional fee above.
• PEXA settlement fee: the electronic settlement platform charges a fee to each party to a settlement.
• An independent building inspection: not required by law for a buyer (the seller already provides one), but some buyers choose to commission their own second opinion, arranged and paid for separately.

Seller costs in the ACT: the required documents

Selling in the ACT carries a cost that does not exist for a buyer, and does not exist for a seller in NSW or Victoria: under the Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 (ACT), you must commission and pay for a set of physical inspection reports before the property can be advertised for sale at all, not just before a buyer signs.

• Solicitor's professional fee: about $1,000 to $2,200 (market estimate), often nearer the top of the range because assembling the required documents is the bulk of a seller's conveyancing work.
• Building and compliance inspection report plus pest inspection report: commissioned together, these typically cost about $897 plus GST (roughly $987) for a standard house (market estimate). Not required for a home that has never been occupied, or a "class A" unit.
• Energy efficiency rating (EER) statement: a NatHERS star rating, typically $300 to $600 (market estimate). Required for every residential sale, valid for 10 years unless the building envelope changes.
• Asbestos assessment report or advice: required for a home built before 1991 if a current report does not already exist; an additional cost on top of the above.
• Mortgage discharge fee: charged by your lender only if a loan is registered on the property.

Combining just the building and compliance, pest and energy reports gives a market estimate of roughly $1,287 to $1,587, on top of your solicitor's fee, before you have even found a buyer. Every one of these reports is explained, including which ones you can skip and why, in the required documents ACT guide. Sellers do not pay conveyance duty; that is a buyer cost, covered in full in the selling property in the ACT guide.

Conveyance duty: the biggest buyer cost

Conveyance duty is an ACT Revenue Office tax, administered under the ACT's duties framework. It is a graduated tax: the higher the price, the higher the effective rate, and it changes almost every financial year as the ACT phases duty down over a 20-year period. Because it dwarfs the solicitor's fee for most buyers, it deserves its own detailed guide, which sets out the full standard and eligible-owner-occupier rate tables and a calculator.

See stamp duty ACT: conveyance duty rates and calculator for the full duty picture and to estimate your own amount.

How the Home Buyer Concession Scheme changes this

The duty figures in the table above are the standard rate. From 1 July 2026, an eligible buyer under the ACT's Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS) pays no conveyance duty at all, with no property price cap and no income test. Eligibility is not limited to literal first home buyers: it covers anyone (and their partner) who has not owned or held an interest in property, in the ACT or elsewhere, in the last 5 years, and who will live in the home for at least a year. That is a much larger group of buyers than "first home buyer" alone, and it is the single biggest lever on the total cost table above. Full eligibility detail and worked examples are in the first home buyer ACT guide.

How to compare ACT quotes honestly

When you gather quotes, ask each solicitor for a written breakdown that separates their professional fee from an itemised estimate of disbursements, states whether the quote is fixed or can vary, and lists what is not included. If you are selling, ask specifically whether the quote includes coordinating the building, pest and energy reports, since some firms bundle this and others quote it separately. The cheapest headline fee is not always the cheapest total.

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.