Bond and transfer cost calculator

The purchase price is only the start: transfer duty, two sets of attorneys, deeds office fees and the bank's charges all land before you get keys. See the full once off bill and your monthly repayment in one view. No signup, nothing leaves this page.

YOUR PURCHASE
Price, deposit and loan terms. Set the deposit to the full price for a cash purchase; bond costs then fall away.
Prime is 10.5% since May 2026. Your bank quotes relative to it.
Attorney fees per the LSSA guideline; attorneys quote individually.
Monthly repayment
Gross income needed (30% rule)
Transfer duty (SARS)
Transfer attorney fee (incl VAT)
Deeds office: transfer
Bond attorney fee (incl VAT)
Deeds office: bond
Bank initiation fee
Postage, FICA and sundries (estimate)
Once off costs on top of the deposit
Total cash needed to buy

How this works

Transfer duty uses the SARS table effective 1 April 2026: nothing below R1.21 million, then stepped rates up to 13% on the portion above R13.31 million. Attorney fees follow the Law Society's conveyancing fee guideline (the tariff attorneys quote against; fees are negotiable under the Legal Practice Act), charged once on the property for the transfer and again on the bond amount for the bond registration, each plus 15% VAT. Deeds office fees are the statutory registration charges per the current tariff, and the bank initiation fee of R6 037.50 is the National Credit Act maximum that almost every bank charges. The repayment uses the standard amortisation formula at your rate over your term.

Frequently asked questions

What are the costs when buying a house?

Four buckets: transfer duty to SARS (nothing below R1.21 million), the transfer attorney's fee, bond registration costs if you finance (a second attorney plus the bank's initiation fee of about R6 038), and deeds office fees. On a bonded R1.5 million purchase, expect roughly R90 000 in once off costs on top of the deposit.

What is the prime interest rate now?

Prime is 10.5% following the Reserve Bank's May 2026 increase to a 7% repo rate. Banks quote home loans relative to prime; your rate depends on your credit profile and deposit.

Who pays the transfer costs?

The buyer pays transfer duty, both sets of attorney fees and the deeds office fees. The seller pays the estate agent's commission, bond cancellation on their existing bond, and the compliance certificates.

Do you pay transfer duty on a new development?

No. Buying from a VAT registered developer means VAT is included in the price and no transfer duty applies, which is why new developments advertise no transfer duty. The attorney and deeds fees still apply.

Just the duty?

The transfer duty table on its own, for quick checks.

Check transfer duty →

Renting it out?

A residential lease drafted for SA law, R350 in editable Word.

Get the lease →

Selling one day?

See how the primary residence exclusion shapes your capital gains tax.

Check CGT →

Attorney fees follow the LSSA guideline and are negotiable; deeds office fees per the current tariff; sundries vary by firm. Rates and levy clearances, compliance certificates and bond cancellation on the seller's side are excluded. Free tools are estimates, not financial advice.