Pricing Transparency

Understanding Conveyancing Costs

When buying or selling property in New Zealand, understanding where your money goes is essential. Legal pricing consists of professional fee guidelines and government disbursements. We believe in absolute transparency — no hidden markups, and no unexpected invoice surprises.

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Pricing Framework

✔ **Professional Fees**: Tailored strictly to your title type and complexity.

✔ **Disbursements**: Standard pass-through government & search agency fees.

✔ **Zero Hidden Markups**: Third-party expenses billed exactly at cost.

✔ **Settlement Deductions**: Fees generally settled from transaction funds.

Professional Fees vs. Third-Party Disbursements

1. Professional Legal Fees

This represents the core fee for your property lawyer's technical expertise, time, and professional liability coverage. Unlike high-volume "conveyancing mills" that utilize unqualified administration staff, Quay Law assignments are personally executed by principal solicitor Ian Mellett.

Our professional legal work covers:

Comprehensive title searches (covenants, easements, interests).
Sale and Purchase contract clause drafting and review.
Review of Auckland Council Land Information Memorandums (LIMs).
Lender bank communications and mortgage execution.
Electronic registration via LINZ e-Dealing and trust account security.

2. Disbursements (Pass-Through Costs)

Disbursements are direct, third-party expenses paid on your behalf to third parties (such as Land Information New Zealand or Auckland Council) to complete searches and transfer ownership. We pass these expenses directly through to you at cost, without arbitrary internal agency markups.

Disbursements typically include:

Statutory LINZ title search and registration fees.
Local council fees for ordering LIM reports.
Web registration portal fees (e.g. search agency system costs).

Standard Statutory & Council Disbursements

These expenses are fixed by government departments and councils. They are standard across all law firms in New Zealand.

Expense Type	Standard Cost (NZD)	Paying Party	Details & Purpose
LINZ Title Search Fee	~$6.00 per search	Buyer & Seller	Extracting official Land Transfer Act title records prior to contract signing and settlement.
LINZ Transfer Registration	~$90.00	Buyer	Government registration fee to transfer property ownership title.
LINZ Mortgage Registration	~$90.00	Buyer (If borrowing)	Government registration fee to record bank security interest against title.
LINZ Mortgage Discharge	~$90.00	Seller	Government fee to release existing bank mortgage registration.
Auckland Council LIM (Standard)	~$320.00	Buyer	Council report processed within 10 working days. Essential for building work audits.
Auckland Council LIM (Urgent)	~$430.00	Buyer	Council report processed within 3 working days. Recommended for short contract deadlines.

How and When Are Conveyancing Fees Paid?

At Quay Law, we do not require large upfront retainers to begin work on your files. Our professional fee billing and disbursements are structured to align directly with transaction settlement milestones.

**On Settlement Day**:

**For Buyers**: We prepare a detailed settlement statement. Professional fees and disbursements are deducted directly from the mortgage advance and deposit funds held in our trust account before the balance is sent to the seller's lawyer.
**For Sellers**: Professional fees and mortgage discharge disbursements are deducted from the purchase funds received from the buyer's lawyer, with the net proceeds paid directly to you.

Transparent Billing Guarantee

Before settlement day, we issue a clear, itemized settlement statement showing every dollar. You will see exactly what was billed for legal fees, search agent portal costs, and council fees. No upfront invoices, and no surprise add-ons.

Get Your Itemized Written Estimate

Because property complexity varies depending on title structures (Freehold, Unit Title body corporates, or Cross-lease flatness plans), we provide custom, fixed written quotes. Complete our short portal step to get your estimate.

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Conveyancing Pricing FAQs

Unit titles require a detailed review of Body Corporate disclosure statements, rules, budgets, and AGM minutes. Cross-leases require auditing flat plans to confirm the physical footprint matches the council title registry. Both processes involve significant additional legal analysis to identify defective titles or fee exposures.

Yes. Processing KiwiSaver withdrawals requires drafting statutory declarations, validating identity documents, executing solicitor certifications, and coordinating fund releases with providers. Because of the extra administration and strict processing rules, KiwiSaver transactions carry a small, fixed administrative surcharge which is detailed in your quote.

If the contract fails due to a unsatisfied condition (e.g. finance failure, builder report issues, or defective LIM) within the contract terms, the deposit is refunded to you in full. Any accumulated interest is paid out according to the contract clauses. We ensure your deposit is held securely in the stakeholder agency trust account during the conditional period.

Discuss Your Residential Transaction

Get in touch with Quay Law to review a Sale and Purchase Agreement, audit a land title, or arrange legal settlement.