Conveyancing

With a collective experience bank of over 15 years, we understand that buying or selling a home or investment property can be a trying and stressful process. We also understand that you need to ensure that your rights are protected when buying or selling a property.

Veritas Legal is a local firm of Solicitors providing a range of legal services to the local and wider community, offering highly qualified and experience staff in all areas of property law. These include buying, selling, leasing, refinancing, mortgages, residential and commercial developments.

We ensure at Veritas Legal that at all times a solicitor is handling your matter who will be in contact with you on a continuing basis together with being available by telephone, email and fax to answer any questions or queries you may have however little small or large.

We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and the ability to be able to offer great value for money. Veritas legal is able to offer such great prices due to the network that we have built up over the past number of years with real estate agents, brokers and the like.

During the process of both buying and selling a property the solicitor handling your matter will directly liaise with your lender, real estate agent and Vendor's Solicitor to keep everyone involved in communication to minimise risks and issues arising which could potentially delay settlement or adversely affect title to the property.

Buying

When purchasing a property, it is essential that you understand the Contract for Sale of Land and any hidden undisclosed potential defects to the title to the property. Upon receiving your instructions, we provide you with a full and detailed advice regarding all elements of the Contract and your obligations under the contract up until settlement.

Most Contracts for Sale will have Special Conditions which are meant to stand in favour of the Vendor which may affect your entitlement to good title.

When purchasing a property our office will attend to searches and enquiries to ensure that the property you are purchasing is not affected by any proposals, charges which may ultimately have an impact on the property. For example from the Roads and Traffic Authority, State rail Corporation, Office of State Revenue to ensure the land is not subject to a tax in the hands of the Vendor.

We also provide you with advice regarding whether or not you have any interest to obtain further independent reports in respect to the property. The solicitor handling your purchase can upon instructions from the client obtain the following:

1. Building, Pest and Strata Reports
2. Survey Report
3. Building Certificates from council certifying that the buildings erected on the land comply with the regulations
4. Certificates of Insurance
5. Title Insurance

Selling

In order to sell a property, a real estate agent must possess a copy of the contract for sale to which we can provide within 24 hours from receipt of instructions subject to the council zoning certificates being available. When selling a property you need to ensure that all the necessary steps are taken in preparing a contract for sale to maximise your protection regarding the title to the property.

Veritas Legal ensure that the contract for sale requires with the legislation and regulations in terms of the content attached to the contract for sale and Vendor disclosure requirements. We will require you to make certain disclosures in a Contract for Sale to ensure that the Contract is valid and legally binding against any potential purchaser.

Any deficiency in a Contract for Sale may have significant consequences regarding allowing any potential sale to proceed.

We at Veritas Legal are equipped to provide you with this service and undertake to provide that any Contract for Sale prepared on your behalf complies with the legislation and more importantly provide you with adequate protection in the sale of your property.

We also provide services, if applicable, in the preparation of a discharge of mortgage and liaise with the mortgagee in respect to dates for settlement and amounts required to fulfill the mortgage. These services are normally encompassed in our standard fees.

If required, we can refer you to appropriate taxation advice regarding any applicable vendor duty, capital gains tax and/or land tax.

Subdivisions and/or Developments

At Veritas Legal, we have experienced staff dealing with a number of developers in respect to any subdivision or development applications.

In respect to any subdivision, we will liaise with the Councils, Town Planners, Certifiers on your behalf to obtain zoning advice, strata and deposited plan requirements of the individual Local Government Authorities, instruct appropriate surveyors and attend to the drafting of any easements or covenants that may be required.

When investing into a development application or a subdivision, you need to ensure that your rights are protected and that you are making a sound and knowledgeable investment. We, at Veritas Legal, are experienced enough in the field to provide such services with the utmost standards of proficiency, efficiency and satisfaction.

We understand that undertaking a development and/or subdivisions is a costly and timely process, and we strive to make the transaction and experience as simple and problem free as possible.

We note that due to our extensive coverage of subdivisions and development applications Veritas Legal are able to provide competitive rates and above all, provide you with a professional, efficient and cost effective service.
Property

Property is often your largest investment, the process can be confusing and daunting, Veritas Legal is very experienced in handling both sides of commercial and residential property transactions.

Veritas Legal and the conveyancing process

If you want to buy or sell a home, land or investment property you’ll have to sign a contract. The legal work involved in preparing the sales contract, mortgage and other related documents, is known as “conveyancing”.

Veritas Legal can assist you with the following steps:

• arranging building and pest inspections
• examining a strata inspection report if the property is part of a strata scheme
• arranging finance if necessary
• examining and exchanging the contract of sale
• paying the deposit
• arranging payment of stamp duties
• preparing and examining the mortgage agreement
• checking if there are outstanding arrears or land tax obligations
• finding out if any government authority has a vested interest in the land or if any planned development could effect the property (eg. local council, Sydney Water, Roads and Traffic Authority)
• finding out any information that may not have been previously disclosed such as a fence dispute or illegal building work
• calculating adjustments for council and water rates for the property settlement
• overseeing the change of title with the Land and Property Information NSW
• completing any final checks prior to settlement
• attending settlement

Costs

In addition to a legal service fee you will usually be charged for ‘disbursements’.
These can include:

• a title search
• certificate fees charged by authorities with responsibility for water, electricity, roads, schools etc.
• photocopying
• registering the mortgage.

Non-legal costs

Costs other than legal fees and disbursements you need to consider will usually include:

• building and pest inspections
• survey report
• establishment of mortgage
• home building insurance
• valuation fees
• mortgage insurance
• stamp duty and mortgage duty
• council and water rates.

Veritas Legal always disclose their costs to clients, including the clients' right to negotiate a costs agreement, receive bills and be advised of changes, among other things.

Click here for information about Strata Title