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Conveyancers

As of 1 July 2008,  laws came into effect requiring Victorian conveyancers to be licensed by the BLA.

Who is a conveyancer?

A conveyancer is a person or company other than an Australian Legal Practitioner, who carries on a conveyancing business.

Carrying on a conveyancing business means any business where conveyancing work is undertaken for fee or reward, whether or not the conveyancing work is the sole or dominant purpose of the business.

Licensing

Both companies and individuals carrying on a conveyancing business must be licensed. In addition, companies must have at least one director who is a licensed conveyancer.

Employees undertaking conveyancing work within a conveyancing business operated by a licensed conveyancer do not require a licence. However, if you are an employee who is disqualified from doing conveyancing work, you cannot commence or continue to undertake conveyancing work unless you or your employer first apply for and obtain, an exemption from the BLA. 

Licence Types and Transitional Arrangements

Between 1 July 2008 and 30 September 2008 transitional arrangements were in place. During this period two types of individual licences were available:

• an unrestricted/full licence where you have both the academic qualifications and conveyancing work experience
• a provisional licence, where you have not completed the required academic qualifications but have the relevant conveyancing business and/or work experience.

After 1 October 2008 only unrestricted/full licences are available.

For detailed information on the application process, refer to the Applying for a Licence section. 

Fees

GST is not applicable to the following fee's

Application Fee: $397.50
Annual Licence Fee: $958.60

- for both companies and individuals

Penalties

You risk imprisonment for up to 2 years and fines of up to $28,036.80 for an individual and $140,184.00 for a corporation trading as an unlicensed Conveyancer.