What to hand the bond attorney so registration isn't delayed

You've signed off on the bond amount, the attorney is appointed, and now you're wondering what actually needs to move between your hands and theirs to keep things on track. The real question isn't what bond attorneys do—it's what you need to hand over so they don't get stuck waiting for a missing document while your registration sits in a queue at the Deeds Office.

Bond registration involves moving money, updating title deeds, and lodging paperwork with a state office. Each step depends on the previous one finishing, so if your attorney is missing a single form or ID copy, the whole chain stalls. Your job is to know what they need, have it ready, and hand it over in one coherent bundle rather than drip-feeding it over weeks.

The documents your attorney will ask for

Your bond attorney will need your identification document or valid passport, proof of residential address (usually a recent utility bill or bank statement dated within the last few months), and your income verification—typically three months of recent payslips or an IRP5 from your employer. They'll also need the property's title deed and a copy of the signed offer to purchase or sale agreement.

Your lender will have instructed the attorney directly, so they'll receive the bond advance instructions from the bank themselves. However, you should confirm with your attorney exactly what the bank has sent and what's still outstanding from your side. This conversation is worth having before you hand anything over, because bank instructions sometimes miss detail or arrive piecemeal.

If you're refinancing an existing bond, the attorney needs the current bond documents and proof that your previous lender has agreed to the cancellation and discharge of the old bond. If the property is sectional title, they need the sectional title deed and the body corporate resolution confirming the sale or refinance. For transfers tied to the bond registration, they'll need the transfer documents from the transferring attorney.

Some attorneys ask for a signed consent to debit your account for their fees, and authorization for them to liaise directly with your lender. Read these carefully and sign only what's necessary—you're not handing over control, just confirming what they're already entitled to do.

Timing: when to hand it over and what happens next

The moment you sign the offer to purchase is the moment to start gathering these documents. Don't wait until your attorney phones asking where they are. A conveyancer working at pace can process your paperwork within days, but they can't process what they don't have. If you're waiting on your employer for an IRP5 or your bank for statements, flag that delay now so your attorney can sequence the work around it.

Hand everything over in one go rather than updating your attorney with new bits as you find them. A single complete handover is faster than multiple small submissions because your attorney can lodge everything to the Deeds Office together, rather than waiting for completeness. If a document is genuinely not yet available—for instance, your IRP5 won't be issued until January—tell your attorney the expected date and ask whether registration can proceed without it or if it's a hard requirement from your lender.

Once your attorney has your documents and the bank's instructions, they'll do a final check that everything ties together: amounts match, names are spelled identically across all documents, and no documents are expired or unsigned. They'll then prepare the registration documents and lodge them. The Deeds Office processes registrations in the order they arrive, usually within 4–6 weeks depending on their workload. Your attorney will chase the Deeds Office if it's taking longer than expected and will update you once the bond is registered.

When choosing an attorney, ask them upfront what documents they need and ask them to confirm the moment they've received everything. You can also ask them to send you a checklist before your first meeting so you can gather documents in advance. This isn't micromanaging; it's being organised. A good attorney will expect it.

Finding a conveyancer who communicates clearly and confirms receipt of each document means fewer surprises later. On Strove, you can compare conveyancers in your area, check their experience with bond registrations, and book one who matches your pace.