Inner Sydney

Conveyancing in Ultimo.

The City of Sydney places Ultimo in two of its floodplain catchments. 

Parts of the suburb fall in the Darling Harbour catchment, whose floodplain risk management plan the council adopted in August 2016, and parts in the Blackwattle Bay catchment, whose plan it adopted in May 2015 and whose flood study was updated in 2020. The Blackwattle Bay plan identifies the area around Mountain Street as one of the catchment's areas of high hazard. Consequently, the flood information behind two Ultimo addresses a few streets apart may come from different studies, and the section 10.7 planning certificate for each will state whether flood related development controls apply.

Prepared reviews your contract for sale and the documents prescribed to be attached to it against what Ultimo actually raises. Whether the section 10.7 certificate reports flood related development controls, and which of the council's two catchment studies covers the address. Whether the Ultimo Pyrmont amendment to Sydney LEP 2012 appears as a draft or as part of the plan in force. Whether the land sits in the Mountain Street or Ultimo heritage conservation area. What the section 184 certificate says about levies, capital works and any strata renewal committee. You get answers you can act on before the cooling off period runs out.

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Ultimo at a glance

Postcode
2007
Council
City of Sydney
Water utility
Sydney Water (confirm by address)
Most common dwelling
Flat or apartment

Authorities for Ultimo

Check it yourself

Links to government and third-party sites. We do not control what they publish, and the section 10.7 certificate and the documents attached to the contract for the specific property remain the source of truth.

About Ultimo

Ultimo sits between Darling Harbour and Wentworth Park, with Pyrmont to the north, Haymarket and the city to the east and Broadway along its southern edge. Harris Street runs through the middle of it. Ultimo has no railway station of its own: Central is across Broadway, and the nearest Sydney Metro West station is being built at Pyrmont, between Pyrmont Bridge Road and Union Street, with no opening date on Sydney Metro's station page.

The Ultimo Power House at 500 Harris Street was added to the State Heritage Register as item 02045 on 4 September 2020. The Goods Line, a walkway built along a disused goods railway, opened on 30 August 2015, passes the University of Technology Sydney's Dr Chau Chak Wing Building and continues to Central through the Devonshire Street tunnel. The Sydney Development Control Plan 2012 maps Ultimo as a locality of its own, with a separate Student Precinct beside it.

What the market here means for your contract

At the 2021 Census, Ultimo had 7,410 residents in 3,734 private dwellings, with an average household size of 2.1 people. Flats or apartments made up 87.4% of occupied private dwellings, semi-detached houses, row or terrace houses and townhouses 11.7%, and separate houses 0.2%. Of occupied private dwellings, 68.1% were rented, 12.2% owned with a mortgage and 12.4% owned outright, and group households made up 18.0% of households.

The practical effect is that an Ultimo conveyancing file is usually a strata file, and often one for a lot that has been rented out. The section 184 certificate, the by-laws, the capital works fund and ten-year capital works fund plan, and the owners corporation records often provide a more meaningful picture of the rights, obligations and financial exposures associated with the lot than the contract alone. For the smaller share of terraces and townhouses, the heritage maps and the flood information for the address are often where the questions sit.

Before you sign

In New South Wales you get 5 business days to cool off on an established home, 10 for off the plan, and none at all at auction. If you agree to waive the cooling off period and provide a 66W Certificate then no cooling off applies as well.

That is the whole window. 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.

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Local detail

What we check in Ultimo

Two catchments, two flood studies

The City of Sydney lists Ultimo in the Darling Harbour catchment, which also covers Haymarket, Surry Hills and parts of Pyrmont, and in the Blackwattle Bay catchment, which also covers Glebe, Darlington and parts of Camperdown and Redfern. Each catchment has its own flood study and floodplain risk management plan, adopted in August 2016 and May 2015 respectively, and the Blackwattle Bay flood study was updated in 2020. A council report of 16 February 2026 on a planning proposal for a Mountain Street site referred to a high flood hazard risk in Mountain Street. Under Schedule 2 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021, a section 10.7 certificate states whether the land, or part of it, is within the flood planning area and subject to flood related development controls. We read that answer for your address and, where flooding is noted, the council's information for the catchment the address sits in.

Ultimo Pyrmont amendment, draft or in force

The City of Sydney exhibited a planning proposal to amend Sydney LEP 2012 for Ultimo and Pyrmont from 1 October to 13 November 2024, to give effect to the NSW Government's Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, and approved an amended version on 27 October 2025. As at 21 October 2026, the NSW Planning Portal records the proposal (PP-2024-376) at finalisation, returned to the Department on 31 October 2025 for assessment and drafting, and shows no date on which the amendment was made. The Planning Portal states that draft instruments not made within three years of their exhibition need not be included on a planning certificate. Consequently, a section 10.7 certificate for an Ultimo address may identify the amendment as a draft instrument or as part of Sydney LEP 2012 in force, depending on when it is issued. We read which, and what the change means for the site, rather than assuming either.

A contributions plan for two suburbs

Since 1 July 2026, the Ultimo Pyrmont Local Infrastructure Contributions Plan 2023 has applied to land in Ultimo and Pyrmont shown in Figure 1 of the plan. For applications made on or after that date it replaces and repeals the City of Sydney Development Contributions Plan 2015, while consents that already refer to the 2015 plan are not affected. It levies a section 7.12 contribution on development above a cost threshold, and excludes alterations and additions to an existing dwelling house, attached dwelling or dual occupancy. The council has also published advice from the NSW Government that some sites will be subject to the transport project component of the Housing and Productivity Contribution. If you are buying with a development in mind, or buying land that carries an existing consent, we check which plan the consent conditions rely on.

Mountain Street and Ultimo conservation areas

Heritage reports in the council's planning papers of 2025 and 2026 place Mountain Street within the Mountain Street Heritage Conservation Area (C68) and Quarry Street within the Ultimo Heritage Conservation Area (C69), both under Sydney LEP 2012. The Mountain Street report also records Electrical Substation No. 5 on the State Heritage Register as item 00934 and in Sydney LEP 2012 as item I2053, with further local items at 16 to 20, 46 to 52 and 57 to 61 Mountain Street. The council publishes a building contributions map showing how each property contributes to its conservation area, alongside its heritage items map. Conservation areas and heritage items are applied by map, so we read the section 10.7 certificate and the council's maps for the address rather than relying on the street name.

Strata buildings and the rezoning

The council's post-exhibition report of October 2025 said some sites were left out of the exhibited Ultimo Pyrmont controls because they were constrained by an existing strata scheme, and listed a mixed-use strata building in Ultimo of about 98 apartments for a later review after a resident asked for new controls. A Stage 2 planning proposal dated August 2026 covers three Ultimo sites; it has not been exhibited and is not in force. A section 184 certificate states whether a strata renewal committee has been established to sell or redevelop the scheme, and the owners corporation records show what the owners have discussed. Where a building has engaged with the rezoning, we read both.

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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 $1,900 incl. GST fixed.

Either is fine with us.

How we help in Ultimo

Contract for sale reviews

Before you sign anything, we review the contract for sale and explain the terms, special conditions and risks that could affect your purchase.

Prescribed documents and the 10.7 certificate

The documents attached to the contract carry the section 10.7 planning certificate, the title and plan, the sewerage diagram, easements and restrictions, and for strata the scheme documents and by-laws. We explain what they mean 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, strata levies and other adjustments, so nothing is wrong on the day.

Electronic settlement

Land dealings in New South Wales must be lodged electronically, and certificates of title were cancelled in October 2021. We run the whole process securely and keep you informed at each step.

Strata due diligence

Buying an apartment or townhouse means buying into a strata scheme. We review the section 184 certificate, the records, financial statements, by-laws, the capital works fund, maintenance obligations and any known issues.

Easements, covenants and title restrictions

We explain everything affecting the title, including easements, restrictions on the use of land and positive covenants created by a section 88B instrument, caveats, mortgages and other registered interests that could limit what you do with the property.

Transfer duty and land tax clearance

We calculate your duty, prepare the documents and lodge everything with Revenue NSW, and we obtain the land tax clearance certificate so an unpaid charge on the land does not follow you.

See everything we handle across Inner Sydney

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 Ultimo that means which flood catchment and flood controls the certificate reports for the address, whether the Ultimo Pyrmont amendment appears as a draft or in force, and which contributions plan applies, 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 review

No obligation, as many properties as you need for your first 90 days, then $49 a review. Back in 4 business hours.

$1,900

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 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

Which council is Ultimo in?

Ultimo is in the City of Sydney local government area. The council administers Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012 and the Sydney Development Control Plan 2012 there. Since 1 July 2026, development applications in Ultimo and Pyrmont have been subject to the Ultimo Pyrmont Local Infrastructure Contributions Plan 2023, which replaces the City's 2015 contributions plan for that land.

Is Ultimo in a flood area?

It depends on the address. The City of Sydney includes parts of Ultimo in two floodplain catchments, Darling Harbour and Blackwattle Bay, each with its own flood study, and the Blackwattle Bay plan identifies the area around Mountain Street as an area of high hazard. Whether a particular property is affected is a question for the section 10.7 certificate, which states whether the land is within the flood planning area and subject to flood related development controls.

How long is the cooling off period when I buy in Ultimo?

5 business days for an established home and 10 business days off the plan. There is no cooling off if you buy at auction, or if you agree to waive it and a section 66W certificate is provided. Before you sign, check the contract has its prescribed documents attached, including the section 10.7 planning certificate, the sewerage diagram, the title documents and, for an apartment, the strata scheme documents and by-laws. If any are missing, you can rescind the contract within 14 days of it being made.

Buying or selling in Ultimo?

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

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