Inner City & CBD

Conveyancing in Southbank.

Southbank is the densest residential area in the country, in some of its tallest towers, and it does not sit entirely inside one municipality. Most of the suburb is in the City of Melbourne, but part of it falls within the City of Port Phillip, which changes the rating authority and the local provisions that apply. 

Prepared confirms the rating authority by address, then works through what a very large owners corporation actually commits you to over the next decade. 

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Southbank at a glance

Postcode
3006
Council
City of Melbourne (part City of Port Phillip)
Most common dwelling
Flat or apartment

Authorities for Southbank

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 Southbank

Southbank Promenade runs along the Yarra, with the arts precinct on St Kilda Road taking in the Arts Centre, NGV, Melbourne Recital Centre and the VCA on Sturt Street, and Crown on the riverbank. The residential towers cluster along City Road, Kavanagh Street and Queensbridge Street. Southbank Boulevard has been progressively converted from road reserve into open space. Until the urban renewal program began in the early 1990s, this was industrial and factory land. 

What the market here means for your contract

At the 2021 Census, 98.3% of occupied private dwellings in Southbank were flats or apartments, 1.3% were semi-detached or townhouses, and separate houses recorded 0.0%. Sixty-seven% were rented.

Southbank holds some of Australia's tallest residential buildings. At that scale an owners corporation is effectively a small infrastructure business, and its forward liabilities for lifts, facade access systems, chillers and fire systems are the main financial risk in the purchase.

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 Southbank

Very large owners corporations and forward liabilities

An owners corporation with more than 100 occupiable lots is Tier 1 under the Owners Corporations Regulations, which brings audited financial statements, a mandatory maintenance plan and a maintenance fund. In Southbank's tallest towers those obligations sit over enormous plant and facade replacement costs. Read the maintenance plan against the fund balance, and ask whether the plan is funded or merely adopted. The gap between the two is what becomes a special levy. 

Combustible cladding across the tower stock

Southbank is dominated by buildings from the 2000s and 2010s, the core of Victoria's combustible cladding cohort. Establish whether the building was assessed, whether it was funded under the Cladding Safety Victoria program, and whether rectification is complete. Buildings that fell outside the funded scope carry the cost themselves, and that can affect both insurance terms and what lenders will accept. 

Confirm which council rates the property

Part of Southbank sits in the City of Port Phillip rather than the City of Melbourne. Which one applies determines the rating authority, the local laws and the local planning provisions, and it flows into the certificates in the vendor statement and the rates adjustment at settlement. Have it confirmed against the address before the certificates are ordered, rather than assumed from the suburb name. 

Short-stay concentration and owners corporation rules

Short-stay letting is heavily concentrated in Southbank towers. Since 1 January 2025 an owners corporation has been able to ban short stays by special resolution, needing the support of 75% of lot owners, and some buildings have already resolved to do so. Victoria's short stay levy also applies to bookings under 28 days. If short-stay income is part of your case for buying, get the current rules before the contract becomes unconditional. 

Off-the-plan terms and the duty concession

Southbank carries the largest off-the-plan pipeline in the inner city. Victoria's temporary off-the-plan duty concession for strata apartments and townhouses runs to 20 October 2026 and is available to all purchasers, including investors and foreign buyers, with foreign purchaser additional duty still applying separately. Check the sunset date and the developer's right to rescind, and be clear on how the finished apartment may differ from the display material. 

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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 $1,600 incl. GST fixed.

Either is fine with us.

How we help in Southbank

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

Which council covers Southbank?

Mostly the City of Melbourne, but part of Southbank falls within the City of Port Phillip. Which one applies to a specific property determines the rating authority, the local laws and the local planning provisions, and it affects the certificates in the vendor statement and the rates adjustment at settlement. It should be confirmed against the address rather than assumed from the suburb name. 

What should I look for in the owners corporation certificate for a Southbank tower?

Look past the current quarterly fee. In a building with more than 100 occupiable lots the owners corporation must have audited financial statements, a maintenance plan and a maintenance fund, so ask for all three and compare the plan against the balance. Then look for special levies struck or foreshadowed, cladding rectification, and any current legal proceedings. That is where the real exposure sits. 

Can I use a Southbank apartment for short-stay letting?

Only if the owners corporation rules permit it, and a number of Southbank buildings have restricted it. Since 1 January 2025 an owners corporation has been able to ban short stays by special resolution supported by 75% of lot owners, though a ban cannot apply to a lot the owner occupies as their principal place of residence. Victoria's short stay levy applies to bookings under 28 days. Get the current rules before the contract becomes unconditional. 

Buying or selling in Southbank?

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

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