Buying or selling in Greater Hobart has its own traps. Many homes in Battery Point, North Hobart and West Hobart are heritage listed, older weatherboard houses can carry unapproved extensions, and blocks on the slopes of kunanyi/Mount Wellington may sit in bushfire-prone or landslip areas. A careful conveyancer in Hobart checks the title, council records and contract before you are locked in.
In Tasmania, conveyancing can be done by a licensed conveyancer or by a law firm. Non-lawyer conveyancers are licensed under the Conveyancing Act 2004, so ask for the licence details at the first contact.
Your conveyancer will also calculate transfer duty at settlement. Our guide to stamp duty in Tasmania explains the rates and first home buyer concessions.
The firms below all have an office in Greater Hobart. We ranked them on conveyancing focus, experience and how clearly they explain their fees.
Goodman Conveyancing opened in Hobart in 2001 and works from Level 9, 39 Murray Street, open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Unlike a general law firm, it concentrates on conveyancing, so its team spends its days on contracts, titles and settlements.
It handles purchases, sales, refinances that restructure ownership, and transfers between family members or friends, including the government valuation, transfer duty and transfer documents. Its pricing message is fixed price and flat fees with no surprises, and you can get a free quote through an online calculator on its website before you commit. Client testimonials name individual staff, which suggests clients deal with the same people throughout. It suits first home buyers and investors who want a dedicated conveyancing office in the CBD and a price they can lock in early.
2. EB Conveyancing — Hobart Residential Specialists With Mobile Meetings
EB Conveyancing is a Hobart residential conveyancing firm that opened in February 2020. The firm says its team brings more than 30 years of combined experience in property and commercial law, and it focuses on residential property.
Services cover buying and selling, transfers and refinances including after separation, purchases that need Foreign Investment Review Board approval, first home buyers and Tasmania’s MyHome shared equity program. It offers fixed-price conveyancing rather than billing by the email, and you request a personalised schedule of fees before you start. Meetings can happen at your home, workplace or the agent’s office, and the firm attends settlement on your behalf. It is a member of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers (Tas Division) and lists a Tasmanian residential conveyancing firm of the year award. It suits first home buyers and overseas buyers who need extra guidance.
3. Tas Conveyancing — Victoria Street Team Handling Estate, Trust And SMSF Transfers
Tas Conveyancing is a Hobart-based conveyancing service at Level 1, 15 Victoria Street. Its website lists a team of more than a dozen staff led by Caitlin Jackson, a good size for a specialist practice.
Beyond standard sales and purchases, the firm handles deceased estate transfers, matrimonial property transfers, family transfers, SMSF conveyancing, trust transfers and transfer duty exemptions and concessions, plus first home buyer purchases. That range makes it a strong option for the less routine jobs: transferring a parent’s house out of an estate, moving property into a family trust, or buying through a self-managed super fund. It offers a free contract review if you already hold a contract, and free safe custody of your certificate of title when there is no mortgage. It suits families, executors and investors with transfers that need more than a standard sale contract.
Baldwin Conveyancing works from Suite 5, Level 1, 175 Collins Street, Hobart, and is led by Matthew Baldwin. He has worked in the Tasmanian legal industry for more than 30 years, over 20 of them in conveyancing.
The firm handles property purchases, sales and transfers. Its work includes pre-contract advice before you sign, liaising with banks and the other party’s conveyancer, and managing settlement. It uses an upfront pricing system for a standard conveyancing transaction, and its website links to a pricing page so you can compare before engaging. The firm describes its team as growing, and its site shows nine five-star Google reviews. Being a smaller office means you are likely to deal with Matt directly. It suits buyers and sellers with a standard residential transaction who want an experienced conveyancer, a clear upfront price and a CBD office.
Southern Property & Conveyancing is at 62 Main Road, Moonah, with the entrance from Albert Road. It is led by Sarah Knight and focuses on Hobart’s northern suburbs, though it handles transactions across Tasmania.
The firm acts for buyers and sellers of family homes, investment properties, strata units and land. It follows up with banks, councils, real estate agents and the other side’s representatives, keeps clients updated through to settlement, and offers advice after settlement too. Testimonials on its site come from clients in Old Beach and Berriedale who praise how they were kept informed of progress and delays. A suburban office with parking is easier for many buyers than a CBD appointment. It suits buyers and sellers in Moonah, Glenorchy, Claremont, Bridgewater and Brighton who want a local conveyancer close to home.
6. Simmons Wolfhagen — Law Firm Conveyancing Team In Hobart And Kingston
Simmons Wolfhagen offers conveyancing from its Hobart office at 99 Bathurst Street and its Kingston office at Channel Court, as well as offices in Launceston, Devonport, Smithton and Scottsdale. As a full-service Tasmanian law firm, its conveyancers work alongside property, planning, agribusiness and estates lawyers.
That depth matters when a transaction is not straightforward: a rural block with water rights, a subdivision, a property with planning or building compliance issues, or a sale that is part of a deceased estate or family law settlement. A licensed conveyancer can handle the transfer, but a dispute or planning problem needs a lawyer, and here both are in the same building. The Kingston office is convenient for Kingborough and Huon buyers. It suits buyers of rural, lifestyle or development property, and anyone whose sale or purchase sits inside a bigger legal matter.
7. Advocate Lawyers — Kingston And Battery Point Firm With A Conveyancing Paralegal
Advocate Lawyers is a Tasmanian firm with offices in Kingston and Battery Point, led by principal Kelly Dewey. Its conveyancing work is run by senior conveyancing paralegal Elena Nikurashina, supported by the firm’s lawyers.
The firm handles buying and selling property and says it is committed to cost transparency, with fixed fees for many services and a clear cost estimate before work begins. Because it is a law firm, the same office can draft a new will after you buy, handle a property transfer under a family law agreement, or step in if a dispute arises with the other party. The Kingston office suits the fast-growing southern suburbs, including Huntingfield, Blackmans Bay and Margate, where many new homes and land packages are sold. It suits southern Hobart buyers who want a local office and the backup of lawyers in-house.
FitzGerald and Browne is a Hobart law firm on Collins Street that has acted for individuals and families since 2001. Partner Richard Griggs handles property, conveyancing and estate planning.
The firm stresses getting advice on a contract before you sign it, which is where most conveyancing problems can be avoided. It also handles property transfers that flow from family law agreements and deceased estates, and says it offers competitive rates for conveyancing. Because its partners also cover family law and wills, it can manage the full set of tasks when a home changes hands after a separation or death. The office is open weekdays from 8:30am. It suits buyers who want a lawyer to review the contract and special conditions before signing, and families dealing with a property transfer as part of a wider personal legal matter.
9. Abetz Curtis — Davey Street Firm For Residential And Commercial Property
Abetz Curtis has practised from 83 Davey Street, Hobart, since 1987, and its property and conveyancing team reports nearly 30 years of experience across all property matters.
As well as residential sales and purchases, the firm handles commercial property, leasing and development, backed by its local government and planning practice. That planning knowledge helps when a property has permit issues, an unusual easement or a development proposal attached. Its commercial lawyers have acted on some of the larger transactions in Tasmania, so it can handle the purchase of a business and its premises together. A Chinese-language website is available, which suits Mandarin-speaking buyers and investors. It suits investors, developers and business owners buying property, as well as home buyers who want an established CBD law firm on the file.
Paula Sutherland & Associates is a Tasmanian law firm at 8 Gregory Street, Sandy Bay, led by Paula Sutherland. Residential conveyancing is one of its main services, alongside wills, estate planning and estate administration.
Client reviews on its site specifically praise its conveyancing work. The pairing with estates is useful in Sandy Bay, Taroona and South Hobart, where many sales involve older owners downsizing or executors selling a family home. The firm can prepare the sale, manage the estate administration and update the remaining family members’ wills within one office. Northern Tasmanian clients can book appointments by phone, and the firm’s dispute resolution team is on hand if a contract dispute or caveat issue arises before settlement. It suits Sandy Bay and southern suburbs residents who want a smaller practice close to home, and executors selling property as part of administering an estate.
How To Choose A Conveyancer In Hobart
Are They Licensed Or A Law Firm?
In Tasmania you can use a licensed conveyancer or a law firm. Ask a non-lawyer conveyancer for their licence details, and a law firm for the name of the lawyer supervising the file. Membership of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers (Tas Division) is a useful extra check.
Is The Fee Fixed And What Does It Include?
Many Hobart conveyancing firms quote a fixed professional fee, but searches, certificates, council and water information, and Land Titles Office fees are often extra. Ask for a written quote that lists disbursements, so you can compare like with like.
Will They Review The Contract Before You Sign?
Most problems are cheaper to fix before you sign. Ask whether the firm will review the contract, special conditions and title for a set fee, and how quickly they can turn it around during a competitive sale in suburbs like Howrah or New Town.
Do They Check Heritage, Bushfire And Building Issues?
Hobart has many heritage-listed homes and properties in bushfire-prone and landslip areas. Ask how the conveyancer checks council records for building approvals, heritage listings and planning overlays, and what they recommend if an extension was built without approval.
Can They Help With Concessions And Duty?
Your conveyancer should confirm the transfer duty payable and whether you qualify for first home buyer concessions, the MyHome shared equity program or a family law or estate duty exemption. Ask them to show you the settlement statement well before the settlement date.
Conclusion
Conveyancing in Hobart is handled by specialist offices such as Goodman Conveyancing, EB Conveyancing and Tas Conveyancing, and by law firms that can step in if a sale turns into a legal problem. Suburban offices in Moonah, Kingston and Sandy Bay add convenience.
Get two written quotes that list disbursements, ask each firm about contract review before signing, and pick the conveyancer in Hobart who explains the process most clearly.
