What a sectional title transfer costs, levy clearance included

A low sectional title transfer quote deserves the same scrutiny as any other: check whether it names a written scope, includes the levy clearance coordination, and discloses disbursements upfront—those specifics tell you more than the price alone.

The headline cost you'll see advertised bears little resemblance to what you actually pay, because conveyancing fees in a scheme unit are built in layers. Knowing what sits under each layer—and what a low bidder is silently omitting—stops you from choosing wrong or hitting unexpected invoices halfway through the transfer.

The base fee is not the total fee

When a conveyancer quotes you a "transfer fee," that's typically the professional charge for handling the paperwork and registration. It's their core service. What it does not include are the third-party costs that still have to be paid: transfer duty (SARS), bond registration or cancellation fees, rates and taxes clearance certificates, municipal searches, the transfer of bond indemnity insurance if relevant, and the body corporate levy clearance quote itself. A conveyancer who quotes an "all-in" figure and then itemises third-party costs separately on invoice isn't doing anything wrong—that's standard practice—but the framing matters. Ask upfront whether their quote is for professional fees only or genuinely includes disbursements.

Body corporate levy clearance is a separate process with its own cost

This is where the structural title transfer stalls most often. Before the title transfers to you, the seller must be cleared of all arrear levies, special levies and any other scheme-related debt. The body corporate's managing agent issues a clearance certificate, and obtaining it costs money—usually a fixed administration fee plus a certification fee. If the seller owes arrears, those must be settled first, and that liability falls to the seller, not you, but the delay it creates affects your transfer timeline and can trigger storage or holding costs at the bond register. A conveyancer's job is to coordinate with the managing agent and confirm the clearance before submission to DEEDS. Some conveyancers include this coordination in their fee; others charge it separately or absorb minor delays without flagging them. Ask whether they will obtain the clearance certificate on your behalf and whether any arrears discovered during the process are their cost to chase or yours to chase.

What drives real cost variation

Two conveyancers quoting the same sectional title transfer may have vastly different final invoices, and the difference usually comes down to what they actively do rather than what they charge per hour. A conveyancer who deals with schemes regularly has templates, standing relationships with managing agents, and knows which body corporates are sluggish; they can chase clearance faster and reduce holding costs—experience worth asking about regardless of what they charge. One handling sectional title as a sideline may not. If the seller's bond is not yet fully paid, or if the scheme has complicated levies or a recent special resolution to fund major repairs, the transfer requires more coordination and document review—work that any conveyancer, at any price point, may underestimate or defer to the last moment if they haven't reviewed the scheme's records upfront, creating bottlenecks. Ask specifically whether they have handled transfers in your scheme before, and whether they have flagged any complexity in the body corporate's records (or told you to ask the seller's agent to flag it). Cost isn't just what they charge; it's also worth asking what's covered in that price, since a quote that omits levy-clearance coordination or scheme-specific complexity can lead to a slower, more expensive transfer regardless of how it was priced.

Comparing quotes means comparing scope, not just price

When you ask three conveyancers for a quotation, compare not just the professional fee but what's explicitly included: do they obtain the levy clearance certificate, or does that come separately? Will they cancel the seller's bond or only coordinate with the bond register? Are municipal searches and rates clearance part of their scope, or billed additionally? Do they handle the body corporate's consent to the transfer, or is that your responsibility? A quote that covers all of these clearly is easier to budget against than one that leaves items unstated and surfaces them as invoices later—compare total scope, not just the headline number. Request a written breakdown, and if two conveyancers' quotes look identical, that's a red flag in the other direction—it suggests template pricing that doesn't reflect the actual complexity of your scheme or transfer. The right conveyancer will acknowledge real quirks in your scheme's administration or the seller's levy history and price accordingly.

When you're ready to instruct, look for someone on Strove who has verifiable experience in sectional title conveyancing and can walk you through their cost structure before you commit—not after discovery reveals hidden complexity.