Questions to ask before the bond registration process starts

You have chosen your attorney. Before the bond registration process actually starts—before you sign documents, before fees are quoted, before the bank's paperwork arrives—you have a narrow window to ask the questions that will shape whether this process runs smooth or slow.

The tension here is real: ask too many questions and you seem paranoid; ask too few and you walk into surprises. A conveyancer should expect scrutiny without becoming defensive. What matters is not how many questions you ask, but whether the answers you get are specific, honest, and leave you confident about next steps.

The core questions that expose how they work

Start with a blunt one: "What is your process from the moment my bank sends you the bond documents?" A competent attorney will walk you through the sequence—what happens day one, what they do themselves versus what they wait for, where the bank's timeline meets reality. They should name the steps. Evasion sounds like "We handle everything" or "Don't worry, we'll manage it."

Next: "If the bank is slow, how will you find out?" This matters because delays often happen silently. A sharp conveyancer will tell you they follow up on specific documents by a certain date, that they have a contact at the bank, that they will call you if the bond hasn't been registered within a reasonable window. Vague answers—"We stay on top of things"—mean they might not.

Ask: "Will you charge me a separate fee if things go wrong?" Not if your signature is missing or the bank loses a document—mistakes happen. But if the bond doesn't register on time because they lost track of it, or if they have to chase documents repeatedly, will you pay twice? A straight answer might be "Yes, there may be additional costs if we need to redo filing" or "We cover basic follow-up, but if the bank needs to resubmit from their end, the costs fall to you." Silence suggests they haven't thought about it, or they're hoping you won't notice.

Then: "How will I know the bond has registered?" Many buyers think registration happens automatically. It doesn't. Someone has to confirm it with the Deeds Office. Ask if they'll email you proof, call you, or if you have to ask them. "I'll let you know once I hear from the bank" is not the same as "I will check the Deeds Office register on [date] and send you written confirmation."

One more: "If I need to contact you during this process, what's the fastest way?" Bond registration is not an emergency service, but sometimes a question can't wait. Ask whether they prefer email, WhatsApp, phone calls during office hours, and what their typical response time is. If they get cagey about being reachable, that's a signal.

What their answers should feel like

Good answers are specific, not reassuring. A good answer names a date, a process, a contact person, or a document. It leaves you knowing what will happen next week, not just "soon." If an attorney dodges a question or reverses it—"What matters is that your bank is happy"—they may be avoiding accountability.

Specific questions also reveal confidence. An attorney who has registered fifty bonds can explain their process in a way that sounds unhurried. One who seems flustered or gives you different details from one conversation to the next is signalling that the process is less structured than it should be.

Don't assume you're being difficult. Conveyancers expect these questions. In fact, if they seem surprised or annoyed by them, you've learned something important: they do not see themselves as accountable to you for clarity and pace.

Write down the answers. Not to be adversarial, but so you can hold them to what they said. If they told you they'd check the Deeds Office on a Tuesday and it's now Thursday, you have a specific reason to follow up.

Bond registration is not inherently complex, but it involves multiple parties and happens out of your sight. The right attorney makes that invisible process visible to you. Before you hand over documents or money, ask the questions that force them to show you how.