Conveyancing attorneys in Johannesburg

Property transfers in Johannesburg

Bartletts Inc. has practised from Johannesburg since 1994. We act for sellers, purchasers and executors on freehold homes, sectional title apartments and townhouses, and units in security estates throughout the city, including Randburg, Bordeaux, Ferndale, Blairgowrie, Craighall, Hyde Park, Parkhurst, Parkview, Rosebank, Sandton, Bryanston, Fourways, Northcliff and the wider Johannesburg area.

Because our office is local, clients can meet Julian Bartlett in person to discuss the sale agreement, sign transfer documents and ask questions face to face.

Local points to plan for

• Rates clearance from the City of Johannesburg. The transfer cannot be lodged until the municipality issues a rates clearance certificate. We apply as soon as the file is opened, as this step can take several weeks and is often the longest part of a Johannesburg transfer.
• Levy and HOA clearances. Many Johannesburg properties are in sectional title schemes or estates with a home owners' association. We obtain the clearance certificate and any consent the estate rules require.
• Compliance certificates. The seller usually provides an electrical certificate of compliance and, where applicable, gas and electric fence certificates. See our guide to compliance certificates.
• Deeds Registry. Gauteng property is registered at the Gauteng Deeds Registry in Johannesburg or Pretoria, depending on where the property is situated.

Johannesburg clients with property at the coast

Many of our Johannesburg clients also own holiday or retirement property in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape or KwaZulu-Natal. We can attend to those transfers from Johannesburg, so you deal with one conveyancer you can meet. See Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, St Francis Bay and Umhlanga.

How we handle a Johannesburg transfer

1. Quotation and instructionWe send a written quotation and, once instructed, open the file and check the title deed and offer to purchase.
2. Figures and clearancesWe request bond cancellation figures and compliance certificates, apply to the City of Johannesburg for rates clearance, together with any levy or HOA clearance, and liaise with the bond cancellation attorneys.
3. Signing wherever you areYou sign at our Johannesburg office, near where you live, or before a notary abroad.
4. Lodgement and registrationDocuments are lodged at the Gauteng Deeds Registry in Johannesburg or Pretoria, depending on where the property is situated, registered, and the proceeds paid out on registration.