Transfer and conveyancing, decoded
Who appoints the attorney, what the Deeds Office actually does, and why eight to twelve weeks is normal.
Three attorneys, one deal
A typical sale involves a transferring attorney (appointed by the seller, registers the property in your name), a bond attorney (appointed by your bank, registers the mortgage) and sometimes a cancellation attorney (cancels the seller's existing bond). You pay the transfer and bond attorneys, even though you didn't choose them all.
The critical documents
The clock only really starts once these are in.
- Rates clearance certificate from the municipality, or a levy clearance from the body corporate.
- Electrical compliance certificate, and where applicable gas, electric fence, beetle and plumbing certificates.
- FICA documents from both parties — this is the most common cause of delay.
- Transfer duty receipt from SARS.
Why it takes eight to twelve weeks
Clearance figures take weeks to issue, SARS must receipt the transfer duty, and the Deeds Office examines every document before registration. Transfer and bond registration are lodged together and register on the same day. On registration day the money moves, the property becomes yours, and keys are handed over.
Using your own attorney
You may appoint your own conveyancer, and many buyers do. The trade-off is that updates then come to you directly rather than through the agency, so you should record them yourself and keep the agency informed so the timeline stays accurate.
Two minutes. See if it actually stuck.