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If you signed an offer to purchase recently, or you are planning to buy or sell property in the Western Cape this year, there is something you need to check. The Law Society of South Africa has released updated conveyancing fee guidelines, effective 1 July 2026. The figures have changed. Any cost estimate you received before this date may no longer be accurate.
This is not a dramatic overhaul. Fees are adjusted annually using the consumer price index and the January 2026 CPI reference of 3.5% was applied to produce the new schedule. What it does mean is that the rand figures your attorney quoted you in April or May are now outdated. Roberts Incorporated works from the current guideline on every matter.
Conveyancing fees in South Africa are calculated on a sliding scale based on the purchase price or bond amount. The higher the property value, the higher the fee, though the percentage rate decreases as the price increases.
Under the updated 2026 guidelines, the recommended fee for a property or bond valued at R100,000 or less is R6,875. For properties between R100,001 and R500,000, the fee starts at R6,875 and increases by R1,100 for every R50,000 or part thereof above that base. For a property valued between R500,001 and R1 million, the starting point is R15,675 for the first R500,000, plus R2,120 for every R100,000 above that. A property valued between R1 million and R5 million attracts a base fee of R26,275 for the first R1 million, plus R2,120 for every R200,000 above that. Properties above R5 million carry a base of R68,675, plus R5,340 per R1 million above the threshold.
All of these figures are net of VAT. Add 15% to get the total you will actually pay.
The same scale applies to both property transfers and bond registrations, which means a buyer using a home loan faces two separate sets of professional fees: one for the transfer attorney and one for the bond registration attorney.
It is worth understanding what falls outside the base fee. The guidelines list a number of attendances that are charged separately, and buyers are often caught off guard by these when they see the final cost breakdown.
FICA compliance is one example. The recommended fee is R375 per natural person involved in a transaction, or R745 for a company, close corporation or trust with three or fewer directors, members or trustees. If four or more individuals are involved, the fee is assessed based on time and complexity. These amounts are separate from the transfer fee itself.
Bond cancellation is another. If a seller has a bond over the property being sold, the consent to cancel that bond carries a recommended fee of R3,375. That cost typically falls on the seller's side of the transaction.
Additional certificates, undertakings and guarantees outside the standard scope of transfer work also attract separate fees. The guideline recommends R955 per undertaking or guarantee issued on behalf of a client in addition to standard bond-related undertakings.
This is a point many buyers miss. The LSSA guidelines are recommendations. They are not minimum or maximum fees and conveyancing fees in South Africa remain fully negotiable between attorney and client. A conveyancing lawyer may charge above or below the guideline depending on the complexity of the transaction and the practice involved.
What the guidelines do is provide a consistent reference point. Roberts Incorporated uses the current guidelines as a starting point for every cost estimate, and will explain clearly where any fee differs from the schedule and why.
The 1 July 2026 date is not just administrative. If you signed an offer to purchase before that date but your transfer is lodged at the Deeds Office after it, the new fee schedule applies. The lodgement date, not the signature date on your sale agreement, determines which guideline governs your costs.
This catches buyers and sellers by surprise more often than you might expect. A transaction that has been running for two or three months could move from one fee year to another mid-process. Roberts Incorporated will flag this for you when it is relevant to your matter.
With average home prices in the Western Cape sitting at around R2.26 million over the twelve months to January 2026, the practical fee for a typical Cape Town transfer sits within the R1 million to R5 million band. At R2.26 million, the recommended transfer fee under the 2026 guidelines comes to approximately R32,795 before VAT, or around R37,714 including VAT. Add the bond registration fee at the same property value and the same rate applies again on the bond amount.
These are not small numbers, and they sit on top of transfer duty, Deeds Office fees and FICA costs. Roberts Incorporated provides a full cost breakdown before you commit to any transaction. There should be no surprises on transfer day.
Contact Roberts Incorporated or use the transfer cost calculator to get a clear picture of what your specific property transaction will cost under the current 2026 guidelines.