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Can you negotiate transfer costs? Yes!

You are selling a property (or buying a property and about to make an offer to purchase) and your conveyancing attorney has provided you with a quotation for the transfer costs; and you are wondering whether you can negotiate those costs or whether they are set in stone.

The short answer is that yes, the conveyancing costs (also known as "attorney transfer costs") component of the transfer costs is negotiable. Property sellers and purchasers can and should initiate a negotiation with their conveyancing attorneys to reduce the transfer costs.

Attorneys are NOT allowed to offer discounts

Because of various archaic rules, lawyers in South Africa are not allowed to initiate an offer of discounted attorney transfer fees. So, if you ask what the transfer costs are, the lawyer will always show you the standard transfer costs (although they may add that they are open to negotiations). Click here if you want to see what the standard transfer costs are for property transfers.

Conveyancing costs negotiation presentation by property lawyer, capetownlawyer at bottom

Attorneys ARE allowed to negotiate fees

Whilst attorneys are not allowed to market discounted rates on their transfer cost charges, they are allowed to negotiate; but YOU, the client must initiate the negotiations, they are not allowed to initiate it. It is perfectly appropriate for you to ask for a 20 percent discount on the fees the attorney proposes.

Standard transfer costs (incl. conveyancing)

Enter your property value into the calculator below, this will then output the Transfer Attorney fees (conveyancing fees), and you can use that as a starting point in your negotiations with your conveyancing attorney:


Example: Transfer costs for R1,000,000 property

Transfer Attorney Fees R26,835
Postages & Petties R776
Deeds Office Fees R1,464
Electronic Generation Fee R794
FICA R460
Deeds Office Searches R345
Rates Clearance Fees R690
Transfer Duty R0
Total Transfer Costs (incl VAT) R31,274

Property lawyer receiving money from seller in front of a house with a sold sign and a South African flag

Which items can you negotiate

The only transfer cost item which is really negotiable is the transfer attorney fee (sometimes referred to as the "conveyancing fee"). Transfer duty is fixed and set by government, whilst the other items are real costs which the conveyancing attorney is going to incur. So, in the instance of the R1m property you would want to negotiate the transfer attorney fees of R26,835 down.

Property being transferred from one a seller to a buyer, with the South African flag in the background

When a Property Sale falls through

It sometimes happens that the above negotiated transfer costs have already been paid, and the property transaction, for some reason, does not occur (ie it "falls through" or is cancelled). There are several matters which then have to be decided/negotiated/agreed between the buyer, seller and conveyancing attorneys (and this negotiation can occur in the traditional manner, via mediation, via arbitration or via court actions):

Property lawyer with head in hands and cancelled offer to purchase on table

Property transfer & sale Info

Sellers of property & buyers, speak to a property lawyer before you hire an estate agent!

Conveyancing & property transfer discussion forum

Note that this is a public forum - exercise caution before acting on info and use at own risk. Anybody may ask and answer, and you don't know what their level of expertise is. No information on this website should be acted on without first consulting with a lawyer to test its validity. Do not share private details here.


Lawyer shaking hands with property seller in front of house with sold sign, symbolising them agreeing on conveyancing fees to be charged