Fee Shake-Ups And Duty Drops

Why 2025's rule changes could add – or shave – tens of thousands off your next property deal.

The South African property market received two pieces of news this year that every buyer, seller and estate agent should know about. First, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) pushed the transfer-duty exemption threshold up – no duty is now payable on properties up to R1 210 000, and every duty bracket has moved up as well, so all the higher bands now start correspondingly higher. Second, the Legal Practice Council's latest conveyancing-fee guidelines (and the fierce price-competition they have unleashed) are reshaping how attorneys charge for transfers – prompting some firms to introduce fixed or "hybrid" fees that rise only with genuine file complexity.