Anyone handling your property settlement should hold a current licence. Checking it is quick, free, and the clearest signal that you are dealing with a genuine professional. Here is how, state by state.
Why it matters
A licensed conveyancer is bound by professional standards, must carry professional indemnity insurance, and appears on a public register that also records any disciplinary action. An unlicensed operator offers none of that protection. The register is the one source that cannot be spun in a sales pitch.
Where to check, by state
- New South Wales — NSW Fair Trading's Verify licence register (verify.licence.nsw.gov.au), under Conveyancers. It also shows disciplinary history.
- Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria's public register of licensed conveyancers.
- South Australia — Consumer and Business Services (CBS) "Find a licence holder" register.
- Western Australia — the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety online licence search (conveyancers are "settlement agents" in WA).
- Tasmania — Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) licensed-occupations search.
- Northern Territory — the NT public register at licensingnt.nt.gov.au (conveyancers are "conveyancing agents").
Queensland and the ACT
There is no conveyancer register in these two jurisdictions, because conveyancing there must be done by a solicitor. Check the practitioner on the Queensland Law Society or ACT Law Society "find a lawyer" directory instead.
What to look for
Confirm the licence is current — not expired, suspended or cancelled — that the name matches the person or firm you are dealing with, and that there is no active disciplinary condition. If a firm cannot give you a licence number, that is your answer.
A shortcut
Every conveyancer listed on CompareMyAgents has already been checked against the relevant state register before listing, and we record the licence number on each profile so you can verify it yourself.