Conveyancer
A conveyancer manages the legal transfer of property ownership between buyers and sellers. The work sits at the intersection of property law, contract administration, and client communication. It is a specialist role that requires a state-issued licence and formal study.
What this job is
Conveyancers handle the paperwork and legal steps involved when property changes hands. This includes preparing and checking contracts of sale, conducting title searches, liaising with banks and government agencies, and making sure settlement happens on time and without errors. Unlike solicitors, conveyancers focus specifically on property transactions rather than broader legal matters. The role carries real responsibility because mistakes can delay or derail a property deal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 17.4% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
A typical day involves reviewing contracts for a mix of residential and commercial clients, ordering searches on titles and planning certificates, and following up with lenders about finance conditions. There is regular contact with real estate agents, buyers, sellers, and government land registries. Conveyancers track settlement dates closely and prepare adjustment figures for rates and taxes. Much of the work is deadline-driven, particularly in the days leading up to settlement. Electronic lodgement platforms such as PEXA are now central to daily operations in most states.
Who does this now
About 7,200 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
Is it steady
E-conveyancing platforms typically automate much of settlement. Title searches and standard contracts are partly automated. Complex matters tend to stay human-led.
What this role asks for
Diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2)
Registration or licensing is required.
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation had trouble finding suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
Entry into conveyancing typically requires a Diploma or Bachelor-level qualification in conveyancing or property law, followed by a state-issued conveyancer's licence (JSA Occupation Profile). Licensing requirements vary by state and territory, so it is worth checking the relevant state authority before starting a course. Courses may be available through registered training organisations listed at yourcareer.gov.au. Some states may also have free or subsidised training options, which can be explored at dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe.
The honest hard part
Conveyancing looks straightforward from the outside, but the pressure around settlement deadlines is significant. A missed search, an overlooked encumbrance, or a delayed bank instruction can cause a settlement to fall through, which has serious financial and legal consequences for clients. Career changers coming from unrelated fields often underestimate how much state-specific property law they need to absorb, and how quickly that knowledge needs to be applied under time pressure. Building a client base or finding an employer willing to take on someone new to the field can also take time, particularly in competitive urban markets.
Where the jobs are
In practice, conveyancing work tends to follow property market activity, so roles are more common in areas with higher volumes of residential sales, including capital cities and growth corridors.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 5991, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Attention to Detailcore
- Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
- Correspondence Draftingcore
- Court Filing and Deadline Managementcore
- Legal Document Preparationcore
- Matter Managementcore
- Record Managementcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Stakeholder Communicationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verification and Authenticationcore
- Written Communicationcore
- Active Listening
- Civil law
- Civil process order
- Docusign Electronic Signature Platform
- Electronic Document Management
- Invoicing and Billing Administration
- Legal Research
- Legal Terminology
- Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
- Negotiation
- Policy Interpretation
- Risk Identification
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
What Conveyancer workers move into, from ten years of tax records.
Last updated: 10 October 2026
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