Call us on: 9378 1708 
Welcome to Bassendean Settlements, Licensed Real Estate Settlement Agents and Property Conveyancers.
Bassendean Settlements is fully independent and is Bassendean’s original settlement agency established in 1984.
Bassendean Settlements was purchased in July, 1994 ensuring that this respected business remains locally owned and operated. Today, this local agency is even more popular.
Bassendean Settlements is a member of the highly-regarded Australian Institute of Conveyancers and the Independent Settlement Agents Association (Inc).
Our staff are happy to answer all of those queries that may arise, even before your contract is signed. Stamp duty, First Home Buyer and Strata Title insurance are some of the topics you may wish to clarify.
Bassendean Settlements also offers a free home service to senior citizens in the Bassendean area.
As a fully independent agency, Bassendean Settlements is committed to providing high ethical standards and trust through our skills, knowledge and dedication.
Bassendean Settlements provides specialised, professional settlement services for:
- Residential properties
- Investment properties
- Strata properties
- Vacant land
- Rural or farm land/properties
- Commercial land/properties
- Industrial land/properties
We can also assist with subdivision applications, strata applications, family related transfers, change of names, deceased estates, as well as a host of other settlement services.
Our conveyancers have many years of experience.
Our support staff are just as good!
We pride ourselves on providing top-notch service expected by our clients. We complete all settlements with your interests as our top priority. We are completely independent.
Bassendean Settlements is a member of the highly-regarded Australian Institute of Conveyancers and the Independent Settlement Agents Association (Inc).
As a fully independent agency, Bassendean Settlements is committed to providing high ethical standards and trust through our skills, knowledge and dedication.
Bassendean Settlements is fully independent and is Bassendean’s original settlement agency established in 1984.
Experienced Property Conveyancer.
Highly experienced in all facets of Property Conveyancing.
Administration expert.
Administration assistant.
Settlement Fees are often based on the value of the property involved in the settlement.
They also depend on whether we act for the buyer or the seller.
Prior to being appointed to act by a client, we are required to provide our client with a written costs disclosure (quote) which sets out the maximum amount we can charge for our services. This amount includes all fees, commissions, charges and general office disbursements (eg photocopying, postage, stationery, telephone calls, facsimiles, courier costs etc) that we will charge our client for their settlement transaction.
We will provide our client with a written quote, outlining all of the above, and more.
The Settlement fee does not include statutory or other costs payable by the settlement agent on the client’s behalf. These costs may include:
When purchasing a property, Transfer Duty (Stamp Duty) can be a significant cost in addition to the purchase price. We will advise you of the costs involved. If you are a first home buyer you may be eligible for a reduced Stamp Duty rate.
The following information is provided by Bassendean Settlements to help your purchase proceed efficiently and by the due date for settlement. Though lengthy, please take time to read it carefully as it may answer many questions you might have concerning your transaction. You may like to refer back to these notes during the course of your settlement. While every effort has been made for this guide to be as comprehensive and accurate as possible, please contact us if you have any specific queries on the matters covered here or on other matters relating to your particular transaction. Not all items here will necessarily apply to your purchase.
Take prompt action to ensure that any Special Conditions, which you have either stipulated or may need to satisfy, in your Contract for Sale by Offer & Acceptance, are satisfied by the date required in the contract. It is important that you attend to any requests for signing of documents etc as early as possible and return documents quickly, particularly when the time frame for settlement is short or the post is likely to take longer than the standard one business day. If you plan to be away during the period leading up to settlement, please contact us to make sure any necessary documents have been signed and let us have alternate contact details.
If you require finance to complete the purchase, i.e. your contract is conditional upon you accepting a loan offer from a financial institution, please ensure that you take immediate steps to obtain the loan. Attend promptly to any request by the lender to submit information, sign documents, etc to ensure finance is approved on time, thus avoiding settlement delays or cancellation of the contract.
If you are raising finance against a property that you already own it is vital that you keep us fully informed. This is especially important if the Title is held by a different bank to the one you are now using (i.e. you are re-financing). We must also know if there is any difference in the name/s shown on your existing Title to the name/s in which you are buying your new property (eg maiden name to married name, middle names missing or added in, or an owner shown on one Title, but not on the other Title).
Once you have accepted a loan offer you should contact us and advise us of the date on which you accepted the offer of finance. If your financial institution is to be ready to settle on time, you will need to make an appointment to sign your mortgage documents at least one week prior to the settlement date. Your lenders may use a solicitor to prepare the mortgage papers and to attend settlement on their behalf, \ and will advise you of this. They will also notify you of any application fees, stamp duties or mortgage preparation fees which are payable in respect of the mortgage, and if any of these items will be deducted from your loan. The bank's fees and disbursements WILL NOT be included in your Statement from us.
Please also be aware of the lender’s insurance requirements (not applicable if you are buying vacant land). If you are buying a house, your bank will not book settlement with us until they see a copy of a "Certificate of Currency" – proof of a paid policy (not just a cover note). The certificate should state that the policy commences by the morning of the settlement date and should nominate your lender as having an interest in the property. Please refer carefully to your lender’s loan conditions, which may even stipulate a minimum amount of cover, the type of policy and minimum duration (e.g. a 12-month policy).
If you are buying a strata property (unit, villa, factory unit, etc) your lender may only need to see a copy of the strata insurance Certificate of Currency. The strata manager should be able to provide this, either direct to you or via our office in the course of replying to our Section 43 Strata certificate enquiry. Please check if your lender also requires a "top-up" policy, sometimes referred to as a "Mortgagee only policy".
Note: If you need to change settlement to an earlier date, your bank will need written evidence from the insurers that your property is insured from the earlier date. If your final settlement date could vary, you may wish to have your policy commence from the earliest possible date, so you won’t have to chase up an amended insurance certificate for the bank at the last minute. (More insurance information later on!)
We will prepare a 'Transfer of Land' document for your signature/s together with an initial Settlement Statement which will show amounts payable by you in respect of stamp duty, settlement fees and other disbursements. Let us know if you prefer to call into our office to sign these papers or to have them mailed to you. Please promptly sign and return all documents with your payment of any funds we have requested (OR contact us if you have any queries or changes regarding payment arrangements).
The statement will either apportion current rates and taxes or include an amount to be held in our trust account pending receipt of relevant details (any surplus will, of course, be returned to you).
If you receive accounts for either Water Corporation or Local Council rates or for Strata levies soon after settlement date, please contact us before making payment, as the payment of rates or levies may already have been attended to on your behalf following settlement.
Once your finance is approved, we will make enquiries (and we must pre-pay the fees on your behalf) to:
We will advise you of the fees payable to these authorities for providing this information for your property and we will include the fees in your settlement statement.
Responses to some of the enquiries mentioned above are not always received in writing prior to the settlement date, particularly when a quick settlement is required. In these cases we endeavour to obtain as much information as possible by telephone and to pass on any details that may be of concern to you. You might, therefore, wish to make your own enquiries direct with the Water Corporation concerning availability of services (connection to water and sewerage, sewer line location and any building restrictions) and the Local Council offices to ensure that there are no outstanding orders or requisitions which apply to the property.
For example, you may wish to check that any buildings or extensions have the necessary Local Government Authority approvals/licenses, as there are often long delays in obtaining building license information from certain council offices.
When enquiring direct, you should state whether the enquiry fee has already been paid on your behalf by our office, to avoid being double-charged.
If there is deep sewerage available to the property, but it is not connected, it may be your responsibility unless otherwise negotiated on the contract to connect to the sewer line within one year of the date of settlement. If the Water Corporation hasn’t previously issued a "notice to connect to sewerage" but sends one after settlement has occurred, you would have 5 years from the date of any such notice to connect.
If a building licence was issued for a dwelling or for substantial improvements or additions after February 1st, 1997, the builder (including an owner builder) must have indemnity insurance for the work. You will need details of the insurance in the event you need to make a claim for structural defects within the period of the insurance. If you believe this applies in your situation, please contact us if you cannot obtain the necessary details, so we can assist you in your enquiries.
Under the Health Act, if the property you are purchasing is connected to a sewer but the septic tanks are still on the property and have not been de-commissioned, you are required to de-commission any septic tanks within sixty days of settlement. Failure to comply with these Regulations can incur a fine of $1,000 or $100 a day while the offence continues.
De-commissioning is done by:
If you are buying a strata titled property, the Strata Titles Act states that you must receive a disclosure statement (Forms 28 & 29, including a full copy of the Strata Plan and copies of all standard and special By-Laws) either prior to or at the time of making your offer to purchase the property. If you have not received the required disclosure information, the law gives you certain rights to avoid the contract.
Please contact us if you have any queries and we will refer you for legal advice if necessary.
We will notify you once settlement has taken place so you may contact the real estate agent concerned to collect your keys. If the property is the vendor's normal place of residence, and unless otherwise negotiated, the vendor is entitled to stay in the property until noon on the day following settlement to allow adequate time for the vendor to vacate the property. If you accept possession of the property prior to settlement this may void certain rights and special conditions granted to you under the contract.
If a Mortgage is being registered on the property then the Certificate of Title will issue direct to your financial institution and will be held as security for your loan. If you are paying cash for the property, we will contact you to collect your Certificate of Title (or send it to you by registered mail) once it has been issued to us by the Department of Land Administration. You should make provisions for the safe keeping of this document (for example, at your bank), as it can be difficult and expensive to replace.
The following information is provided by Bassendean Settlements to help your salee proceed efficiently and by the due date for settlement. Though lengthy, please take time to read it carefully as it may answer many questions you might have concerning your sale. You may like to refer back to these notes during the course of your settlement. While every effort has been made for this guide to be as comprehensive and accurate as possible, please contact us if you have any specific queries on the matters covered here or on other matters relating to your particular transaction. Not all items here will necessarily apply to your sale.
If there is a Mortgage currently registered on the property, then you should contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible and take whatever action is necessary to make sure that the bank is ready with documents to discharge the mortgage by the settlement date. You will be required to sign an 'Authority to Discharge' and should do so without delay once the bank has provided you with the necessary forms.
If there are any Special Conditions on the contract which you are required to satisfy, take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that they are satisfied by the date required in the contract.
We will forward the Transfer of Land document to you for signature once the purchaser has signed it. Please ensure that the document is signed and returned to us promptly to avoid any delays. This is particularly important if the time frame for settlement is short or the post is likely to take longer than the standard one business day.
If the property is currently mortgaged your financial institution will have the Duplicate Certificate of Title. If you hold the Certificate of Title yourself, we will require the document prior to the settlement date. We will provide you with a receipt for the Certificate of Title. The document will be held by us and handed to the purchaser’s representative at settlement in exchange for the correct balance of purchase price.
If you receive any accounts for water or Local Government rates or land tax during the period leading up to settlement, please forward the accounts to us so that we can apportion the rates and ensure that payment is made following settlement. If you receive any accounts for these charges soon after the settlement date, please contact us before making payment since payment may already have been made following settlement.
If a building licence was issued in respect of the property for a dwelling or for substantial improvements after February 1st, 1997, the builder (including an owner builder) must have indemnity insurance for the work. If this applies in your situation, please let us have details of the indemnity insurance policy. The purchaser will require details of the insurance in the event they need to make a claim for structural defects within the insured period.
After settlement, make sure that any keys to the property are handed to the real estate agent so that the purchaser can collect them. If the property is your normal place of residence, you are entitled to stay in possession (that is occupy the property) until noon on the day following settlement. That provision is intended to allow adequate time for you to vacate the property.
Do I need the services of a Settlement Agent?
To successfully complete all legal requirements to transfer ownership of the property, requires an experienced Settlement Agent.
Can Bassendean Settlements do a settlement for me if I buy or sell property in other parts of WA?
Yes, our agency can settle any property, anywhere in Western Australia.
Does Bassendean Settlements have links with, or is it connected to any Real Estate Agents or Finance Brokers?
No. We are a fully Independent Settlement Agency and will always look after the best interests of our client
throughout the entire settlement process.
Can I choose and use my own Settlement Agent?
Yes. Even though your Real Estate Agent may recommend a Settlement Agent, you are fully entitled to choose your own Settlement
Agent without any obligations.
How then do I nominate Bassendean Settlements to attend to my settlement?
You can nominate Bassendean Settlements as your Settlement Agent, on the back of the Offer and Acceptance Contract.
I have just signed an Offer and Acceptace Contract, and nominated Bassendean Settlements. What should I do now?
If you are using a Real Estate Agent, the agent will forward the contract to our office.
If you are doing a private deal, you will need to bring the contract to our office, together with your contact details.
Do I have to attend the actual settlement?
No. All Western Australian settlements take place in the Perth CBD area.
We arrange and attend the settlement and advise you as soon as it has taken place.
What, if any, authorities do I need to contact to advise of the change of ownership of the property?
You will need to advise your telephone and/or internet provider, as well as your Electricy and Gas companies.
Our office will advise the local shire or council, the Water Authority and the Office of State Revenue (Land Tax).
What happens to the property's keys?
In most cases, the Real Estate Agent hold the keys, unless other arrangements have been made.
Once settlement has taken place, we advise the Real Estate Agent. They will then release the keys to the new owner.
