Inner City & CBD

Conveyancing in Melbourne CBD.

In the Melbourne CBD, 99.2% of occupied private dwellings are flats or apartments. There is effectively no detached housing. That makes almost every purchase an owners corporation purchase, and the contract review turns on the building rather than the land. 

Prepared handles CBD conveyancing as strata work, because that is what it is. You get the owners corporation certificate, the maintenance plan and the fund balance read properly, and cladding, short-stay and off-the-plan terms flagged before you are committed. 

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Melbourne CBD at a glance

Postcode
3000
Council
City of Melbourne
Water corporation
Greater Western Water
Most common dwelling
Flat or apartment

Authorities for Melbourne CBD

Check it yourself

Links to government and third-party sites. We do not control what they publish, and the planning certificate and Section 32 for the specific property remain the source of truth.

About Melbourne CBD

The Hoddle Grid runs from Spencer Street to Spring Street, with the laneway network threaded between Bourke Street Mall, Flinders Street Station and the Queen Victoria Market at the northern edge. Town Hall and State Library stations opened with the Metro Tunnel on 30 November 2025, and all Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury trains moved through the tunnel from 1 February 2026. 

What the market here means for your contract

At the 2021 Census, 99.2% of occupied private dwellings in Melbourne 3000 were flats or apartments, 0.2% were semi-detached or townhouses and 0.1% were separate houses. Seventy-one% were rented, the median age was 29 and the average household held 1.7 people.

A dwelling mix that concentrated changes what due diligence looks like. Boundaries, easements and fencing barely feature. What matters is the owners corporation: its finances, its rules, its repair obligations and its record of defects and levies.

Before you sign

In Victoria you get three clear business days to cool off, and none at all if you buy at auction.

That is the whole window. A contract read after settlement is a bill, not advice. If the property is going to auction, the review has to happen before you raise your hand, and it costs you nothing to have it done. There is no reason to be the person who finds out afterwards.

Send it now, free

Local detail

What we check in Melbourne CBD

Most CBD buildings are Tier 1

 An owners corporation with more than 100 occupiable lots is a Tier 1 owners corporation under the Owners Corporations Regulations. Tier 1 brings audited annual financial statements, a mandatory maintenance plan and a maintenance fund. Ask for all three and read the fund balance against the plan. An underfunded plan on a tower with lifts, facade access systems and plant nearing replacement is a future special levy, not a theoretical risk. 

Combustible cladding on towers of that era

Towers built between roughly 2005 and 2016 sit in the middle of Victoria's combustible cladding cohort. The Cladding Safety Victoria funded rectification program covered more than 1,600 buildings, but buildings outside that scope carry the cost themselves. Ask for the cladding assessment, any correspondence with Cladding Safety Victoria, and owners corporation minutes dealing with rectification. Check the building insurance policy for cladding exclusions. 

Small studios and student apartments

The CBD holds a large volume of studios under 50 square metres and purpose-built student apartments. Many lenders will not finance them, or will cap the loan-to-value ratio sharply. Confirm the internal area from the plan of subdivision before you rely on finance approval. Read the owners corporation rules too, because some buildings limit occupancy or require the lot to be let through a single management operator. 

Short-stay levy and owners corporation bans

Victoria's short stay levy has applied to bookings under 28 days since 1 January 2025. From the same date, an owners corporation can make a rule banning short stays by special resolution, which needs the support of 75% of lot owners. A ban cannot apply to a lot occupied as the owner's principal place of residence. If short-stay income is part of the plan, get the current rules before the cooling-off period ends. 

Off-the-plan terms and the duty concession

Off-the-plan purchases are common across the CBD. Victoria's temporary off-the-plan duty concession for strata apartments and townhouses runs to 20 October 2026 and is open to all purchasers, including investors and foreign buyers, though foreign purchaser additional duty still applies separately. Check the sunset date in the contract and the developer's right to rescind, and plan for the gap between signing and finance approval at settlement. 

Get a Free Contract review

How it works in 3 steps

Step 1

Upload your contract

Upload your contract, add a few details and you’re done. No appointment to book, no credit card and no obligation.

Step 2

Same business day review

In before 2pm, back before you need it.

We’ll send you a free legal review to help you understand what matters, what to watch for and what to do next.

Step 3

Your call

Walk away, or have us run the matter through to PEXA settlement for $1,600 incl. GST fixed.

Either is fine with us.

How we help in Melbourne CBD

Contract of Sale reviews

Before you sign anything, we review the Contract of Sale and explain the terms, special conditions and risks that could affect your purchase.

Section 32 Vendor Statement reviews

The Section 32 carries the planning controls, easements, owners corporation details and outgoings. We explain what it means and flag anything that deserves a closer look.

Property conveyancing

Buying or selling, we manage the legal transfer of ownership, prepare the documents and coordinate every party through to settlement.

Settlement and statement of adjustments

We prepare and check settlement figures, including council rates, water rates, owners corporation fees and other adjustments, so nothing is wrong on the day.

Electronic settlement through PEXA

Most Victorian settlements now happen electronically. We run the whole process securely and keep you informed at each step.

Owners corporation due diligence

Buying an apartment, townhouse or unit means buying into an owners corporation. We review the records, financial statements, rules, maintenance obligations and any known issues.

Easements, covenants and title restrictions

We explain everything affecting the title, including easements, restrictive covenants, caveats, mortgages, section 173 agreements and other registered interests that could limit what you do with the property.

Stamp duty and Duties Online

We calculate your duty, prepare the documents and lodge everything through Victoria's Duties Online system.

See everything we handle across Inner City & CBD

Why Prepared

Anyone can offer a free review. What matters is what comes back, and who wrote it.

 

Speed

Same-day contract reviews. While others wait on a callback, you are at the next inspection ready to offer.

Expertise

Your contract is reviewed by experienced Australian property lawyers who understand the local property market. In Albert Park that means environmental audit conditions, heritage controls and multi-tier owners corporations, not a generic checklist.

Fixed fee

One price for the conveyancing, published before you commit. No hourly billing, no surprises on the invoice, and no charge at all for the review that got you there.

What it costs

Nothing to have it read. One price if you go ahead.

Most conveyancers charge for a review, or ask you to request a quote before they will tell you anything at all. Here is the whole thing, so you can compare without making a phone call.

Free

Contract and Section 32 review

No charge, no obligation, no limit on how many properties. Back the same business day.

$1,600

Full conveyancing, buying

Incl. GST, fixed. Contract through to PEXA settlement, adjustments and duty lodgement.

$300

Selling, and it does not sell

Professional fees only, plus the cost of any searches already ordered. You are not billed for a settlement that never happened.

Government charges, searches and land transfer duty are payable in addition and are set by the State, not by us. We tell you the total before you instruct.

Start with the free review

Common questions

Do I need an owners corporation certificate when buying an apartment in Melbourne CBD?

Yes. Nearly every CBD dwelling is a lot in an owners corporation, so the certificate is central to the contract review rather than a formality. It shows current fees, fund balances, any special levy struck or foreshadowed, and any legal proceedings. In a larger building, ask for the maintenance plan and the audited financial statements as well, and get a certificate for each owners corporation affecting the lot. 

How do I find out if a Melbourne CBD apartment has combustible cladding?

Start with the owners corporation, and ask in writing. You want any cladding or fire engineering assessment, minutes dealing with rectification, and correspondence about whether the building was funded under the Cladding Safety Victoria program. Buildings that fell outside the funded program carry the rectification cost themselves, which can flow through to special levies and to insurance terms. Check the building insurance policy for cladding exclusions. 

Can I run a short-stay rental in a Melbourne CBD apartment?

Only if the owners corporation rules allow it. Since 1 January 2025 an owners corporation has been able to ban short stays by special resolution, supported by 75% of lot owners, and a ban cannot apply to a lot the owner occupies as their principal place of residence. Victoria's short stay levy has also applied to bookings under 28 days since that date. Get the current rules before the cooling-off period ends. 

Buying or selling in Melbourne CBD?

Send us the contract. You will get it back reviewed, in plain English, with the issues that matter flagged.

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