What a reading costs
Rates
Fees are quoted against the papers, not against a printed menu that pretends every folio is the same thickness. The figures below are starting points for a standard file, exclusive of GST, with extracts and courier billed at cost.
Starting figures
| Reading | Starts at | Usual shape |
|---|---|---|
| Registry Access Assessment | $1,850 | One register, conference, written briefing |
| Application File Review | $920 | Marked-up draft and covering note |
| Title and Search Briefing | $640 | Unpacking of searches already in hand |
| Contested Entry Support | Quoted | Set by the letter and the date on it |
A second register on the same facts is a second quote. It is sometimes less than the first because the standing is already known; it is sometimes more because the inspection rules are harsher.
What moves an estimate
- Historical folios stored off-site, especially cancelled Queensland volumes recalled from archives
- Multi-lot parcels, building-unit plans, or a company extract that trails through former names
- Interstate inspection that requires a local search agent or a booked counter sitting
- A hearing date inside a fortnight
- Papers in a language other than English that must be formally translated before a registrar will look at them
Urgency is a surcharge of one-third when we empty a desk to meet a printed date. We will not invent a printed date to justify it.
How billing runs
An estimate is sent after the first look at the bundle. Work starts when the estimate is accepted and the first invoice — usually two-thirds of the professional fee — is paid. Disbursements for extracts may be billed earlier if a volume will not be produced without prepayment to the registry.
The balance is invoiced when the briefing or marked-up draft is issued. Contested files are billed in stages tied to the chronology, the bundle, and any sitting we attend.
We do not offer retainers that sit unused, and we do not sell a monthly “watch” unless a pending matter has a real gazette or board timetable. That watch is quoted as a short repeating engagement, not a subscription card.
Disbursements
Registry extract fees, certified copies, courier of originals, and off-site retrieval charges pass through at cost. We do not mark them up. If a search agent in another State is required, their invoice is shown to you before they are instructed.
Asking for a figure
Send the register name and the papers you hold to the enquiry desk. A telephone estimate without papers is a guess, and we would rather not guess.