From Offer to Keys: The Transfer Process

Once your offer is accepted, the property still has to be legally transferred into your name. Here's who does what, what it costs, and why it usually takes about three months.

Transfer is the legal process of moving ownership from the seller to you and registering it at the Deeds Office. It only completes once registration goes through — that's the moment you officially own the home and, usually, get your keys.

The attorneys involved

There can be up to three different attorneys, and it helps to know who does what:

Transferring (conveyancing) attorney: appointed by the seller, handles the actual transfer of ownership. You pay their fee.
Bond attorney: appointed by your bank to register your home loan against the property. You pay this too.
Cancellation attorney: appointed by the seller's bank to cancel their existing bond.

The typical timeline (~3 months)

Weeks 1–2

Offer accepted; suspensive conditions like bond approval are met. Attorneys are instructed.

Weeks 3–6

You sign transfer documents and pay costs. The transferring attorney requests rates/levy clearance figures and applies for transfer duty clearance from SARS.

Weeks 6–10

Clearance certificates are issued, guarantees are delivered, and documents are prepared for lodgement.

Weeks 10–12

Documents are lodged at the Deeds Office, examined, and registered. On registration, the property is yours.

Delays are common — a slow clearance figure, a SARS backlog, or a missing signature can all add time. It's normal for the process to take two to three months, sometimes longer.

What it costs

The big transfer-stage costs are transfer duty (SARS tax above the ~R1.1m threshold), transfer attorney fees and bond registration costs. These are paid upfront and scale with the price and bond amount — we break them all down in the true cost of buying guide.

Why guidance helps here

By this stage the deal is done, but the admin is relentless and easy to fumble. Knowing what each party is responsible for, what you've signed, and what's holding things up keeps the transfer on track — and gets you to your keys faster.

Want someone reviewing the transfer with you?

The transfer process has many moving parts and several parties. A Scetra specialist can review the documents and timeline with you and explain what each step means — a clearly-disclosed advisory service, agreed upfront. Start with the free questionnaire.

Get transfer support

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Your Scetra specialist can help you apply it to your specific purchase.