In short. In Victoria, the consumer regulator refers to a seller's legal practitioner or conveyancer1 holding deposits, so both act on property transactions. In Queensland the state's own buying guide says to appoint a solicitor3, while also noting you may do your own or have it done2.
What is the difference in practice?
A licensed conveyancer specialises in property transfers. That is the whole job: the contract, the searches, the adjustments, settlement, lodgement. A solicitor does that work too, and can also advise on matters that run past the transfer, such as a dispute with the vendor, a deceased estate, a trust structure or a family arrangement.
For an ordinary purchase of an established home with no complications, the work is the same either way. The difference shows up when something goes sideways and the answer needs legal advice rather than transaction management.
What could we actually verify?
Less than we expected, and we would rather say so than fill the gap with confident prose.
| Jurisdiction | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| Victoria | Consumer Affairs Victoria refers to the seller's legal practitioner or conveyancer1 holding the deposit in trust, so both professions act on transactions. |
| Queensland | The state buying guide tells buyers to appoint a solicitor3. The state also says you may do your own or have it done2. |
| NSW, SA, WA, TAS, ACT, NT | Not yet verified from the regulator's own page. Check the register for your state before engaging anyone. |
This table will grow. Each row waits on an official page that states the rule plainly, rather than an industry article restating it.
Is it true that Queensland is solicitors only?
The claim is repeated constantly, and the official pages we found neither state it nor contradict it in those words. What the Queensland Government does publish is a buying guide that points you to a solicitor, suggesting you find a firm that specialises in property or conveyancing, alongside the statement that you may do your own conveyancing or have it done for you.
So the useful, defensible version is narrower than the folklore: in Queensland, the path the government describes for buyers who want help is to appoint a solicitor, and a buyer is not compelled to engage anyone at all. If you need the legal position rather than the practical one, ask the Queensland Law Society or the Legal Services Commission, and get it in writing.
We treat the ACT the same way. We did not find an official page setting out who may be engaged for conveyancing work, so there is no claim here in either direction.
Which should you engage?
Think about the transaction rather than the title. A first purchase of an established house, one buyer, standard finance, nothing unusual on the title: a licensed conveyancer in a state that licenses them is built for exactly that, and usually prices it accordingly.
Lean to a solicitor when the situation carries legal questions: buying with family, a deceased estate, a property with an access or easement problem, an off-the-plan contract with terms you want argued, a dispute that is already brewing. The cost difference is small next to the cost of the wrong advice at settlement.
How do you check who you are hiring?
Ask for the licence or practising certificate number and look it up on the regulator's public register. Anyone legitimate will give it to you without a pause. It takes two minutes and it is the only check that rules out the people you most want to avoid.
Then compare on scope and disbursements rather than on the headline fee, which the fees guide goes through line by line.