What exactly is a Certified Practicing Conveyancer?

Did you know that there is a difference between a Registered Conveyancer and a Certified Practising Conveyancer?

In summary, while a Registered Conveyancer is subject to certain restrictions and requirements designed to protect consumers, a Certified Practising Conveyancer is held to a higher standard, with requirements for ongoing professional development and annual recertification. 

Our Director Nicole Rajan (nee Xenides) is a Registered Conveyancer with an Advanced Diploma in Conveyancing, and a Certified Practising Conveyancer (CPC).

Not sure how this makes a difference to you? Keep reading for the finer details.

In South Australia, anyone except a legal practitioner who prepares legal documents to transfer property to a new owner must be registered as a Conveyancer with Consumer and Business Services (CBS), a division of the South Australian Government’s Attorney-General’s Department.

This includes sole traders, partners in a partnership, and companies.

Anyone holding this registration is known as a Registered Conveyancer, and this system is designed to protect consumers by ensuring that only people with appropriate qualifications are providing conveyancing services.

Registered Conveyancers also need to follow specific legal procedures when preparing and processing documents for property transactions, and they must hold funds received from clients in a Trust Account held in a bank, building society or credit union which has been approved by CBS.

It is also compulsory for conveyancing businesses to have professional indemnity insurance from a company approved by CBS.

This all sounds very complicated, but when conveyancers are dealing with large sums of money and sometimes complex property transactions, you want to know they are qualified and compliant!

If you want true peace of mind when you’re dealing with a property transaction, we recommend you engage a Certified Practising Conveyancer.

This offers an even greater level of protection because this title is only awarded to conveyancers who meet an additional set of criteria set by the Australian Institute of Conveyancers (AIC).

Here in South Australia, for a Registered Conveyancer to attain the title of Certified Practising Conveyancer they must:

• Be a practising Registered Conveyancer
• Have a minimum of 24 months of experience
• Be a fully paid-up member of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers SA Division (AICSA)
• Have attained 100 professional accreditation points (which equates to a minimum of 10 hours of professional development training or equivalent) in the previous calendar year
• Reapply for the right to use the CPC title each calendar year

At Cornerstone Conveyancing SA we take great pride in our Certified Practising Conveyancer status and our entire team has a commitment to ongoing professional development. We are fully accredited and compliant with government registration requirements and with the Australian Institute of Conveyancers SA Division.

Even the support staff within our practice hold relevant qualifications for their specific duties, including the Australian Institute of Conveyancers SA Division, Certificate in Practical Skills.

As a family business, we truly value the relationships we have with our team, our clients, referrers, suppliers, and supporters and we strive to contribute to the South Australian community in a meaningful way. The satisfaction of our clients is our highest priority, and we pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service at every stage of the conveyancing process.

We would love to have a chat with you about your property transaction and invite you to get in touch with any questions you may have.