Quick answer
Ask for a written schedule separating executor remuneration, Master's and estate-administration expenses, property valuation and preservation, the conveyancer's professional fee and VAT, Deeds Office and bond charges, municipal and levy clearances, tax, sale-related costs and any beneficiary funding. Each line should state who authorises it, which estate or transaction document supports it, who pays it and how it will be reflected in the liquidation and distribution account.
How to use this guide
Do not call every amount a “transfer cost”. Some costs administer the whole estate, some preserve the property, and others arise only from the selected registration route.
Give every amount a status and evidence source
Mark each line as an estimate, approved expense, advance, incurred supplier cost, assessed tax amount, account entry or final reconciled charge. Include the date, issuer, supporting invoice or official figure and the event that will make a provisional amount final. This prevents cash requested for a future clearance from being confused with an expense already paid.
For professional work, identify the mandate, fee basis, VAT treatment and person who approved any work outside the first scope. For a public or third-party amount, preserve the figure or schedule and later receipt. If one person has paid on behalf of the estate, record the authority and proposed account treatment without promising reimbursement before it is approved.
Keep superseded estimates. A revision should show whether the route, property value, bond position, official charge or amount of work changed.
Executor remuneration and estate administration
Ask how executor remuneration is calculated, whether VAT applies, what work it covers and where it appears in the estate account. Keep it separate from fees charged by a conveyancer, estate agent, valuer, tax practitioner or litigation lawyer.
List death notices, advertisements, bank, Master, valuation, postage, tracing and other administration expenses with their supplier and evidence. A global estimate should later be reconciled to actual authorised expenses.
Property preservation and income
Record insurance, security, utilities, rates, levies, maintenance, repairs and valuation costs incurred while the estate holds the property. Identify rent or occupational payments received and the person authorised to collect them.
Ask which amounts are necessary preservation, which improve the property, and which arise from an occupier's use. The estate account and supporting vouchers should make that distinction reviewable.
Conveyancing professional costs
Request the conveyancer's scope and estimate for the actual route: transfer to an heir, sale to a purchaser, redistribution, bond cancellation, endorsement or other deed. Show the professional fee, VAT, registry charges and disbursements separately.
The property transfer guide describes ordinary registration. Estate authority, Master's certification and route-specific documents are additional work and should be identified rather than hidden in a generic property quote.
Bond, title and registry amounts
Obtain the bond balance and cancellation requirements, title-deed status and any replacement, endorsement or correction cost. Deeds Office charges should be linked to the current official schedule and the deed being registered.
If an estate sells to a financed buyer, buyer bond costs are not automatically estate liabilities. Record each party, instruction and agreement allocation rather than merging seller, estate and purchaser accounts.
Municipal and sectional-title clearances
Ask for the rates clearance figure, period covered, payment source and refund process. For a sectional unit, obtain levy information and clearance requirements. Identify disputed arrears or consumption separately from the advance required to enable transfer.
These payments can create a liquidity problem before registration even if the estate ultimately owns a valuable asset. Request dates and reconciliation rules in writing.
Tax and duty treatment
Ask whether the property is distributed to an heir, sold to a buyer or transferred under a redistribution, and record the transfer-duty, exemption, VAT and other tax analysis for that route. Do not copy the ordinary buyer calculation into an heir distribution without checking the legal basis.
The buyer transfer-cost guide is useful for comparison when a purchaser is involved, but it does not replace estate-specific tax and account advice.
Beneficiary contributions and estate liquidity
Create a cash forecast showing the estate balance, expected income, authorised expenses and amounts needed before transfer. If a beneficiary may advance money, document the executor's authority, payment route, intended repayment or account treatment and what happens if transfer does not proceed.
Compare the cost of the actual routes under consideration
If the estate is deciding between distribution, sale or a professionally advised redistribution, ask for separate schedules rather than one blended estimate. Each route may involve different agreements, tax or exemption records, deeds, clearances, sale expenses and funding timing. The cheapest headline total should not determine a route that the estate account and authority do not support.
For each option, show which costs arise even if registration does not complete, which depend on a purchaser or lender, and which are estate-wide expenses that will exist regardless of the property decision. Add the expected source of cash and the approval required before payment.
This comparison is a planning tool, not authority to alter the distribution. Any route change should be checked against the executor’s powers, operative estate account and required professional or Master process before money is committed.
Never pay estate expenses into an individual's informal account. Verify the professional or estate account through a trusted channel and preserve the instruction and proof.
Sale and dispute costs
Where the property is sold, list estate-agent commission, compliance certificates, occupation adjustments and sale-specific legal work under the signed mandate or agreement. Where objections, eviction, title litigation or beneficiary conflict exists, obtain a separate scope and cost estimate.
Use the property transfer checklist to align amounts with authority and registration stages. The lawyer directory can support independent provider discovery where administration and dispute roles should be separated.
Require final reconciliation
For every estimate, preserve the version and change reason. After the relevant work, request final professional accounts, clearance refunds, tax outcomes and payment allocations. Compare them with the estate-account entries and vouchers.
A written cost schedule does not make a disputed charge correct. It reveals which mandate, statute, official schedule, agreement or estate decision is said to authorise the amount and whether the estate has lawful funds to pay it.
FAQs
Are executor fees the same as transfer attorney fees?
No. Executor remuneration relates to estate administration. Conveyancing fees relate to the property registration instruction. The written schedule should identify each mandate and basis separately.
Does an heir always pay transfer duty?
Do not assume that. The treatment depends on whether the property is distributed, sold or redistributed and on the applicable exemption or tax rules. Record the route and legal basis.
Can a beneficiary advance money for transfer costs?
Only through a documented, authorised arrangement that identifies the purpose, recipient and treatment in the estate account. Avoid informal family transfers.
What final cost record should the estate keep?
Keep the approved account entries, professional final accounts, tax outcomes, clearance reconciliations, payment proofs, refunds and the explanation for material changes from estimates.
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Legal note
This article is general legal information for South African readers. It is not legal advice. Speak to a qualified legal professional about your specific facts before taking action.