Property transfer costs in South Africa: what buyers and sellers pay

When you buy a property, the price isn't the whole bill. You also pay to have the property transferred into your name, and if you take a bond, to register it. These costs come on top of the price, and the bank won't lend you the money for them. Plan for them from the start.

Who pays what

The buyer pays:

• Transfer duty, a tax paid to SARS.
• The transfer attorney's (conveyancer's) fees, plus VAT.
• Deeds Office fees.
• Bond registration costs, if there's a bond.

The seller pays:

• The cost of cancelling their own bond, if they have one.
• The compliance certificates the law and the sale agreement require.
• An estate agent's fee, if they use one.

The seller usually chooses the transfer attorney, but the buyer pays the attorney's fees.

1. Transfer duty

Transfer duty is a tax on buying property. You pay nothing on the first R1,210,000 of the price. Above that, the rate goes up in steps. These rates apply until at least 28 February 2027:

• Up to R1,210,000: no transfer duty
• R1,210,001 to R1,663,800: 3% of the amount above R1,210,000
• R1,663,801 to R2,329,300: R13,614 plus 6% of the amount above R1,663,800
• R2,329,301 to R2,994,800: R53,544 plus 8% of the amount above R2,329,300
• R2,994,801 to R13,310,000: R106,784 plus 11% of the amount above R2,994,800
• Above R13,310,000: R1,241,456 plus 13% of the amount above R13,310,000

What that means in rand:

• R1,000,000 home: R0
• R1,500,000 home: R8,700
• R2,000,000 home: R33,786
• R3,000,000 home: R107,356

You pay the transfer duty to the transfer attorney, who pays SARS before the property can be registered. It must be paid within six months of the sale agreement date, or SARS charges interest.

New homes bought from a developer: if the seller is a VAT-registered developer, the price already includes VAT and you pay no transfer duty. You still pay the attorney and Deeds Office fees.

2. Transfer attorney and Deeds Office fees

The transfer attorney (conveyancer) draws up the transfer documents, gets the clearances, and lodges the transfer at the Deeds Office. Their fee follows a guideline from the Law Society that goes up with the price, plus 15% VAT. Attorneys can charge less than the guideline, so it's worth asking for a quote.

The Deeds Office charges its own registration fee, also set by price. Expect a few hundred to a couple of thousand rand more for postage, FICA checks and other small costs.

3. Bond registration costs

If you buy with a home loan, a second attorney, chosen by the bank, registers the bond. You pay this attorney's fee, which also goes up with the size of the bond, plus another Deeds Office fee and the bank's initiation fee.

A worked example

Buying a R1,500,000 home with a R1,200,000 bond, at 2026 rates:

• Transfer duty: R8,700
• Transfer attorney's fee, including VAT: about R36,250
• Deeds Office transfer fee: R1,738
• Postage, FICA and other small costs: about R1,860
• Transfer costs: about R48,550

• Bond attorney's fee, including VAT: about R31,530
• Deeds Office bond fee: R1,738
• Bank initiation fee: R6,037.50
• Postage, FICA and other small costs: about R1,610
• Bond costs: about R40,920

Total: about R89,470 on top of the price. That's about 6% of the price, in cash, before you move in.

4. What the seller pays

If the seller still has a bond on the property, their bank must cancel it before the property can transfer. The seller pays the bond cancellation attorney's fee. Most banks also want 90 days' notice to cancel a bond, or they charge a penalty, so sellers should give notice as soon as they accept an offer.

The seller also pays for the compliance certificates. Every sale needs an electrical certificate of compliance. Depending on the property and the agreement, you may also need certificates for the gas installation, electric fence, plumbing and beetle (wood borer) inspection.

5. When the costs are paid

The transfer attorney asks the buyer for the transfer costs once the sale agreement is signed and any bond is approved. The bond attorney asks for the bond costs. Registration usually takes two to three months from signing. Both parties should keep money available for this period.

Before you sign

Ask your transfer attorney for a written cost estimate, and use a bank's transfer cost calculator to check it. Figures in this guide are based on the 2026 SARS table, the Law Society fee guideline and the 2026 Deeds Office fees. Your attorney will confirm the exact amounts.

If you're selling privately, our guide "How to sell your property privately in South Africa" takes you through each step. You can list your property on LetDirect for a once-off fee. During our limited launch promo, listing is free: rent R0 (normally R99) and sell R0 (normally R199).