Clearance certificates
If you are buying a property or providing finance to a buyer, you need to obtain a land tax clearance certificate. The issue of a clear land tax certificate protects the buyer of land from having to pay any outstanding money owing by the previous owner.
You should apply for a land tax clearance certificate as soon as possible in the conveyancing process. If you receive a certificate with a land tax charge, the vendor of the property will need to contact us and arrange for the release of the charge.
To make sure there is enough time to process a request to release the charge before settlement, vendors should allow 10 working days.
If you obtain a clear certificate towards the end of the calendar year and settlement happens in the following calendar year, you should make sure your certificate is for the year in which settlement will happen.
You can apply for the certificates online through an approved client service provider or download an application form.
Clearing land tax certificates
You can now use OSR's nominated settlement rooms to remove a charge from a land tax clearance certificate at the time of settlement.
To obtain a clearance stamp you will need 3 things:
The land tax clearance certificate showing a charge, and
One of the following documents:
a current quote of an amount to clear for that particular land item, or
a land tax assessment including the land item, and
A Bank, Credit Union or Building Society cheque for an amount equal to, or greater than, the clearance amount or land tax assessment.
Both a quote for the amount to clear the land tax or the land tax assessment will be accepted as long as the due date for payment shown on the document has not passed.
You can obtain a clearance quote by calling the land tax enquiry line.
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