What Do Transfer Fees Cost in South Africa? | Prices & Process Explained

Transfer fees in South Africa are not a single charge — they are a stack of three to five separate costs that typically total between 3% and 6% of the purchase price for the buyer. The largest single component is transfer duty, a national tax levied by SARS on the purchaser under the Transfer Duty Act 40 of 1949, calculated on a sliding scale that starts at 0% for properties up to R1 210 000 and rises to 13% for properties above R13 310 000 (SARS schedule effective 1 April 2025, unchanged for the 2027 tax year). On top, the buyer pays the conveyancing attorney’s fee, the Deeds Office registration fee, and various disbursements; if a bond is registered simultaneously, the buyer also pays the bond registration attorney’s fee.

What “Transfer Fees” Actually Means in South Africa

The phrase covers the full set of costs that arise when ownership of immovable property passes from seller to buyer and is registered at a Deeds Office. It bundles transfer duty, conveyancing attorney fees, deeds office registration fees, and disbursements — and is distinct from bond registration costs, charged separately when the buyer finances the purchase with a mortgage.

The Three Main Cost Components

• Transfer duty — SARS-collected tax on the purchase price (or market value, whichever is higher), payable before registration under the bracket table issued annually under the Transfer Duty Act 40 of 1949.
• Conveyancing attorney fees — the attorney’s fee for drafting the deed of transfer, obtaining clearances, lodging the file, and corresponding with the bondholder.
• Deeds Office registration fees — fees charged by the Master of the relevant Deeds Office for examining and registering the deed.

Transfer Duty: The SARS Bracket Table (Effective 1 April 2025)

Transfer duty is calculated on the greater of the purchase price or the market value. The brackets below are the schedule currently in force, unchanged for the 2027 tax year. Because brackets are revised in each annual Budget speech, always confirm the schedule directly against SARS at the time of an actual transaction.

Value of property (R)	Rate of transfer duty
1 – 1,210,000	0%
1,210,001 – 1,663,800	3% of the value above R1,210,000
1,663,801 – 2,329,300	R13,614 + 6% of the value above R1,663,800
2,329,301 – 2,994,800	R53,544 + 8% of the value above R2,329,300
2,994,801 – 13,310,000	R106,784 + 11% of the value above R2,994,800
13,310,001 and above	R1,241,456 + 13% of the value above R13,310,000

Transfer duty must be paid to SARS within six months of acquisition; thereafter interest accrues at 10% per annum per completed month. Since 1 April 2011 all transfer duty is paid electronically via SARS eFiling.

Who Pays What: The Standard Convention

South African property transfers follow a clear default split between buyer and seller. The deed of sale can reallocate these by agreement, but statutory liability for transfer duty always sits with the purchaser.

Cost	Payer (standard convention)	Notes
Transfer duty	Buyer	SARS tax, payable before registration
Conveyancing transfer fees	Buyer	Attorney for the purchaser attends
Bond registration attorney fees	Buyer	Attorney for the bondholder (usually the bank)
Deeds Office fees (transfer and bond)	Buyer	Per the Deeds Office fee schedule
Rates, levy and electrical clearance fees	Seller (typically)	Costs of obtaining clearance certificates
Existing bond cancellation fees	Seller (typically)	Attorney for seller’s bank attends
Estate agent commission	Seller (typically)	Per the mandate with the agent
FICA compliance costs	Buyer and seller (each party)	Each party’s attorney verifies their own client

The Transfer Process, Step by Step

1. Offer to purchase signed and accepted — the deed of sale becomes operative and the parties are commercially bound.
2. Each party appoints a conveyancing attorney — often from a bond originator’s panel for the buyer.
3. Seller’s conveyancer obtains clearance certificates — rates clearance from the municipality, levy clearance from the body corporate (sectional title), and an electrical compliance certificate (freehold) where required.
4. Buyer’s conveyancer lodges a transfer duty declaration — submitted to SARS via eFiling; duty is paid and a transfer duty receipt is issued.
5. Deed of transfer is drafted and lodged — together with the bond documentation where applicable, at the Deeds Office covering the property’s province.
6. Deeds Office examination — the examiner reviews the file and prepares the deed for registration if in order.
7. Registration — the buyer’s name is recorded in the Deeds Registry, the seller’s existing bond (if any) is cancelled simultaneously, and the new bond is registered.
8. Post-registration payout — the buyer receives the original deed of transfer, bond cancellation figures are settled, and net sale proceeds are paid out.

Conveyancing Fees and Deeds Office Registration Fees

Conveyancing fees are governed by the Legal Practice Council’s recommended fee guidelines under the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014 — they are not a fixed statutory tariff. They are calculated on a sliding scale against the purchase price (and separately against the bond amount for bond registration), and the fee covers the conveyancer’s professional work but excludes disbursements. A written quotation should always be obtained before the conveyancer is formally instructed.

The Deeds Office itself charges a sliding-scale registration fee for both the transfer and the bond (currently effective 1 April 2026). For most residential purchases between R1m and R4m, both the transfer and bond Deeds Office fees fall between R1,738 and R2,408. Cancellation of an existing mortgage bond attracts a fixed Deeds Office fee of R178, plus a lodgement fee of R52 per deed lodged.

Disbursements and Other Costs That Are Often Missed

• FICA verification — each party’s attorney verifies identity and address under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001.
• Rates clearance fee — municipality charge for the rates clearance certificate.
• Levy clearance fee — body corporate charge (sectional title only).
• Electrical compliance certificate — required in many municipalities.
• Postage and petties — registered post and document delivery.
• Bank initiation and bond valuation fees — charged by the bank directly.
• Bond cancellation attorney fee — paid by the seller when an existing bond is cancelled.

What Changes When a Bond Is Involved

If the buyer is financing the purchase with a mortgage bond, the same Deeds Office file accommodates both the transfer and the bond registration. The buyer pays both the transfer attorney fee and the bond registration attorney fee; the latter is calculated on the bond amount, not the purchase price. Simultaneous registration — lodging both in one file so they are registered on the same day — is standard practice, and is what allows the bank’s funds to be released directly to the seller’s bond cancellation attorneys on the registration date.

Common Misconceptions

• “Transfer fees” is not a single fee — transfer duty is the largest line item but only one of several.
• The seller does not pay transfer duty — it is the buyer’s statutory obligation.
• Conveyancing fees are not fixed — they scale with the purchase price under the Legal Practice Council’s guidelines.
• Transfer duty is not VAT — residential property sales are VAT-exempt above the registration threshold, but transfer duty still applies.
• A transfer cannot “fall through” simply because the buyer changes their mind without consequence — the deed of sale sets out the consequences (typically forfeiture of the deposit and a claim for damages).

Practical Tips for Buyers and Sellers

• Always get a written quotation from the conveyancer before signing the deed of sale.
• Confirm whether the quotation includes VAT and whether disbursements are included or estimated separately.
• Ask which Deeds Office the file will be lodged at and how long registration is expected to take — typically six to ten weeks for a clean file.
• Sellers: confirm with your bondholder early what the cancellation figure is.
• Buyers: confirm with SARS that your transfer duty payment has been received and matched to your file.

Registration at the Provincial Deeds Office

The Deeds Office is the only place where ownership of immovable property actually passes — the deed of sale makes the parties commercially bound, but registration is what gives the buyer legal title. That is why transfer duty must be paid and receipted before registration: SARS issues the duty receipt that the Deeds Office requires as a condition precedent to lodgement.

In Gauteng, properties within the Johannesburg, Randburg, Sandton, Roodepoort, Bedfordview, Alberton and Midrand footprint are attended to at the Johannesburg Deeds Office (Gauteng South), while Pretoria, Centurion and northern Gauteng files go to the Pretoria Deeds Office. Buyers and sellers who want a single firm to attend to their side of the transaction can reach Burger Huyser Attorneys’ conveyancing practice through the Bedfordview branch — Amanda le Roux practises there as a Notary and Conveyancer (45A Florence Avenue, Bedfordview, 011 201 7190) — or through the head office in Linden, Randburg (011 888 0246). Using one firm for both the transfer and the bond cuts coordination risk.

If you are buying or selling property and want a clear, written quotation for the transfer and bond registration fees before signing the deed of sale, Burger Huyser Attorneys’ conveyancing department can help. The firm practises from offices in Linden (head office, 011 888 0246) and Bedfordview (45A Florence Avenue, 011 201 7190), with property transfers handled by a qualified Notary and Conveyancer on staff. The firm carries a 4.8/5 average across 250+ Google reviews (Trustindex verified, “Top Rated Law Firm in South Africa”). Get in touch for a written fee quotation and a realistic registration timeline estimate before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are transfer fees in South Africa?

Transfer fees are not a single charge. They are a stack of costs that arise when ownership of a property is registered in a new buyer’s name at a Deeds Office: transfer duty (paid to SARS), the conveyancing attorney’s fee, Deeds Office registration fees, and various disbursements. Combined, transfer-related costs usually fall between 3% and 6% of the purchase price for the buyer.

How much is transfer duty in South Africa?

Transfer duty is calculated on the greater of the purchase price or market value, on a sliding scale under the Transfer Duty Act 40 of 1949. The current SARS schedule (effective 1 April 2025, unchanged for the 2027 tax year) starts at 0% for properties up to R1,210,000 and rises through several brackets to 13% for properties above R13,310,000. Brackets are revised in the annual Budget speech, so confirm against SARS at the time of any actual transaction.

Who pays transfer fees in South Africa — the buyer or the seller?

Transfer duty, the conveyancing transfer fee, bond registration fees, and Deeds Office registration fees are paid by the buyer as standard convention. The seller typically pays rates and levy clearance costs, the cost of cancelling their existing bond, and the estate agent’s commission. The deed of sale can reallocate these by agreement, but statutory liability for transfer duty always remains with the purchaser.

How long does the property transfer process take?

A clean transfer — no bond queries, no clearance delays, no examiner queries — typically takes between six and ten weeks from the date the deed of sale is signed to the date of registration. Files with bond cession complications, municipal clearance delays, or examiner queries take materially longer.

Do I need a conveyancing attorney to register a property transfer?

While a buyer is not legally required to engage an attorney, in practice a conveyancing attorney is essential. The Deeds Office only accepts deeds of transfer prepared and lodged by an admitted attorney, SARS requires a transfer duty declaration supported by the conveyancer’s practice number, and simultaneous registration of a bond cannot be done without a bond-registration attorney as well.

What is the difference between transfer fees and bond registration costs?

Transfer fees cover the costs of passing ownership from seller to buyer — transfer duty, the conveyancing transfer fee, and the transfer Deeds Office fee. Bond registration costs cover registering the buyer’s mortgage bond — the bond registration attorney fee, the bond Deeds Office fee, and the bank’s initiation and valuation fees. The two happen in the same Deeds Office file on the same day, but they are charged and paid separately.

Can I get a transfer duty exemption or reduction?

Transfer duty is payable on every property transfer unless a specific exemption applies under the Transfer Duty Act 40 of 1949. The most common exemption is the residential property bracket up to R1,210,000, which currently attracts 0%. Other exemptions exist for certain corporate reorganisations, inheritance, and divorce asset settlements, but they are narrow and must be applied for in advance via a SARS ruling. The Act does not provide a general first-time buyer exemption.