What Costs Are Included In Conveyancing Fees?
Getting the keys to a new Queensland property is one of life’s most rewarding moments. But before you start picking out paint colours, you likely want to know exactly where your hard-earned money is going.
Looking at a quote for legal support, you might wonder what costs are included in conveyancing fees and why the total amount is made up of different items.
Conveyancing costs in Queensland fall into two main categories: professional legal fees for the work your conveyancer performs and out-of-pocket search expenses known as ‘disbursements’. Let’s break down what each of these covers so you can budget with total confidence.
Professional legal fees versus disbursements
Understanding your invoice is much easier once you see how conveyancing fees are structured.
Professional legal fee
This covers the time, experience and administrative work your conveyancing team provides to guide your transaction safely from contract signing to final settlement. The work includes:
- Reviewing your contract of sale to catch potential pitfalls before you commit.
- Preparing legal transfer documents and statutory declarations.
- Communicating directly with your mortgage lender, real estate agent, and the other party’s legal representative.
- Calculating price adjustments for council rates, land tax, and water usage.
- Managing the digital settlement process on the day.
Disbursements
These are mandatory third-party expenses that your conveyancer pays on your behalf to government departments, local councils and search providers.
Disbursements make up a significant portion of overall conveyancing costs, especially for buyers. Conducting statutory searches protects you from taking on unpaid debts, boundary disputes or legal encumbrances attached to the property.
Standard search disbursements in Queensland include:
- Title search: A title search identifies the property’s registered owner and shows interests and encumbrances recorded on the title, such as mortgages, caveats and easements. Under Queensland’s mandatory seller disclosure scheme, which commenced on August 1, 2025, sellers must generally provide buyers with a title search showing the interests registered over the lot before the buyer signs the contract, subject to limited statutory exceptions.
- Local council rates and water checks: Ordered from the local municipal council to ensure the previous owner has paid their rates in full and to calculate your exact share of water usage up to settlement day.
- Land tax clearance search: Requested from the Queensland Revenue Office to verify that there are no outstanding land tax liabilities on the property.
- Electronic settlement platform fee: Paid to PEXA, the secure digital system used to lodge land title documents and transfer settlement funds instantly.
If you’re buying a unit or townhouse, your conveyancer will also order a body corporate information certificate to check administration fees and sinking fund balances.
Are there extra fees for buyers versus sellers?
Conveyancing fees naturally vary depending on whether you’re buying or selling a home.
Sellers usually pay lower total conveyancing costs because a sale requires fewer statutory searches. A seller’s conveyance primarily focuses on discharging existing mortgages, preparing disclosure documents and settling the transaction.
Buyers require a more comprehensive set of search checks to verify the property’s legal standing, which means disbursements for buyers are higher.
At Sunstate Conveyancing, we believe in complete transparency. We provide clear, upfront fee breakdowns with zero hidden charges, so you know every line item before work begins.
Claim your free Queensland conveyancing quote today
Navigating property costs shouldn’t feel like a guessing game. At Sunstate Conveyancing, we take the surprise out of legal fees by providing complete upfront transparency with zero hidden charges from day one.
When you work with us, you get a dedicated Queensland conveyancer with a direct phone line; someone who knows your file inside out and is always ready with clear answers. Having handled over 12,000 successful online settlements through PEXA, we manage every detail digitally so you can keep your budget trackable, all from the comfort of your living room.
Reach out to Sunstate Conveyancing today for your no-obligation quote or to request more information.
