Legal Project Management Plan & Checklist
Use this plan when your client is purchasing residential property in Western Australia and you are acting as their solicitor or licensed settlement agent. Open this file at engagement, before the Offer and Acceptance is reviewed or submitted. The plan covers the full buyer-side lifecycle from initial intake through to post-settlement Landgate registration notification.
Jurisdiction: Western Australia. Dealings are lodged electronically through PEXA or Sympli with Landgate (the Land Information Authority of Western Australia). The plan handles Green Title (Torrens), Strata Title, Survey Strata, and Leasehold properties. There are no forks - the plan covers the standard WA residential purchase under the REIWA Offer and Acceptance contract.
The Process at a Glance: The matter begins with client intake and Verification of Identity, followed by review of the REIWA Offer and Acceptance contract. Importantly, there is no statutory cooling-off period in Western Australia - once the Offer and Acceptance is signed and accepted, the buyer is immediately bound subject only to any special conditions (finance, building inspection, pest inspection) included in the contract. Special conditions are monitored against their deadlines and the client is advised on exercising or waiving each condition. Transfer duty is assessed via the Revenue Online (RevenueWAConnect) portal and a duty assessment reference is obtained. If the client is a first home buyer, the First Home Owner Rate of duty and the First Home Owner Grant are applied. Pre-settlement Landgate title searches are conducted, mortgage documents are executed, and the PEXA workspace is set up with settlement adjustments. On settlement day, simultaneous financial settlement and Landgate registration occur via the PEXA platform. Post-settlement notifications are issued to the local council and the Water Corporation.
Key Legislation and Case Law: Transfer of Land Act 1893 (WA) - Torrens title system and Landgate registration. Property Law Act 1969 (WA) - general property law obligations. Duties Act 2008 (WA) - transfer duty rates; First Home Owner Rate (FHOR) concessional duty on properties up to ,000 (full concession) with a sliding scale to ,000; foreign purchaser additional duty. Settlement Agents Act 1981 (WA) - licensing and obligations of settlement agents. Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) - strata title obligations and Form 28 pre-contractual disclosure statement. WA First Home Owner Grant: ,000 for new homes, administered by the Office of State Revenue. Foreign Resident Capital Gains Withholding: 15% withholding required for all contracts from 1 January 2025 unless vendor provides an ATO clearance certificate. REIWA Joint Form of General Conditions: governs the terms of the standard residential Offer and Acceptance contract; no statutory cooling-off period applies in WA.
* Disclaimer: We're nobody's lawyer, because we aren't lawyers. You are, so you know better than to take legal advice from an app. We also aren't accountants or dog trainers - just digital spirit guides taking zero liability for any of this. This site exists to gather the collective knowledge of practitioners like you. Verify everything and submit your feedback on the Property Purchase (Buyer) - WA - Standard Residential Purchase matter plan to improve the playbook. THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, it's a request for input.
This legal matter plan provides a structured workflow for REAL_ESTATE cases, outlining the standard TRANSACTIONAL process. Utilize these tracking templates to manage your legal cases efficiently.
Client onboarded, VOI and CAF completed, Offer and Acceptance thoroughly reviewed, written advice delivered, finance pre-approval confirmed and mortgage documents arranged.
Finance condition satisfied with unconditional approval, building and pest inspection conditions satisfied, contract is unconditional.
Transfer duty assessed via RevenueWAConnect with FHOR applied if eligible, FRCGW clearance verified, Landgate searches complete, PEXA workspace configured with electronic Transfer of Land.
Settlement Adjustment Statement agreed by both parties, entered into PEXA Financial Schedule, client shortfall funds received in trust.
Electronic settlement completed via PEXA and lodged with Landgate, settlement confirmation received, post-settlement notifications sent to council and Water Corporation, final reporting delivered, file closed.
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