Landgate Transmission Application: Transferring Property After a Death in WA

Real property does not transfer automatically when someone dies. In Western Australia, all land and property transactions are managed by Landgate, the state's land information authority. Before any property held by the deceased can be sold, transferred to a beneficiary, or formally removed from the deceased's name, you must lodge the correct application with Landgate.

Which application you need depends entirely on one question: how was the property held?

The Crucial First Step: Search the Certificate of Title

Before you do anything, pay for a Certificate of Title search through Landgate's Land Enquiry Services Portal. The search costs $32.60 (rising to $33.90 in FY 2026/27 with CPI indexation). The Title will tell you whether the property is held as:

Joint tenants — both owners hold the property together as a single, indivisible interest. When one joint tenant dies, the survivor becomes the sole owner automatically through the right of survivorship. The property does not form part of the deceased's estate and does not pass through the will. You need a Survivorship Application.

Tenants in common — each owner holds a defined share (e.g., 50/50, or 60/40). When one tenant in common dies, their share passes through their estate — either under their will or under the intestacy rules. The property absolutely forms part of the deceased's estate and requires a Transmission Application (which means you need probate first).

Sole owner — the entire property is in the deceased's name alone. This always passes through the estate and always requires a Transmission Application, which requires probate.

Getting this wrong is expensive. Applying for probate unnecessarily — because you assumed the property was tenants in common when it was actually joint tenants — wastes the $408 court fee and months of time. Going the other way and attempting a Survivorship Application when the property is actually tenants in common leads to rejection.

Landgate Survivorship Application (Form A2)

If the property was held as joint tenants, the surviving owner applies to remove the deceased's name using a Survivorship Application (Form A2 or the Landgate survivorship eForm). Probate is not required for this process.

What you need:

• Completed Form A2 (Survivorship Application)
• An original certified copy of the death certificate
• A Statutory Declaration (Form B3) confirming the deceased was a joint tenant and has died
• Verification of Identity documentation (see VOI requirements below)
• The application fee: $216.60 (rising to $225.10 in FY 2026/27)

This can be the fastest property transaction in the entire estate administration — sometimes completed in days once correctly lodged — because it bypasses the court system entirely.

Landgate Transmission Application (Form A1)

If the property was held solely or as tenants in common, it must pass through the estate. The executor or administrator uses a Transmission Application (Form A1) to record the property in their name as personal representative, before they can sell it or transfer it to a beneficiary.

This step cannot occur until the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration has been issued by the Supreme Court. The transmission into the executor's name is not a final transfer — it is an intermediate step. Once the property is in the executor's name, a separate Dealing must be lodged to complete the transfer to the ultimate recipient.

What you need:

• Completed Transmission Application form
• Original sealed Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (Landgate will not accept a photocopy)
• Death certificate
• Verification of Identity documentation
• Application fee: $216.60 (rising to $225.10 in FY 2026/27)

The Verification of Identity (VOI) Requirement — the Trap Most People Miss

Landgate requires all parties acting as personal representatives in property transactions to undergo a Verification of Identity process. The self-represented version is completed through participating Australia Post outlets — but there is a critical procedural requirement that catches many people unprepared.

The VOI-02 form is not available at Australia Post. You must download it from Landgate's website before visiting the post office. You cannot simply turn up and ask for it at the counter. The process works as follows:

1. Download the Landgate Verification of Identity Form — Self-Represented Party (Western Australia) (VOI-02) from Landgate's website
2. Print it and bring it to a participating Australia Post outlet along with your identity documents
3. Australia Post completes the verification and issues you a receipt
4. Attach the completed VOI-02 and the Australia Post receipt to your Landgate application

Failing to bring the pre-downloaded form means the post office cannot process the verification. This is a rejectable error that requires another visit and delays the lodgement.

If you are residing overseas, Landgate requires you to use a professional representative — self-represented lodgement is not available for overseas-based applicants. Regional WA applicants can lodge by post.

What Cannot Be Done Online

Landgate processes most of its standard transactions digitally, but deceased estate work has important limits. Complex dealings with multiple parties, and any situation where an overseas executor is involved, typically require professional lodgement through a licensed settlement agent or lawyer.

For a standard Survivorship or Transmission Application in a typical WA estate, a well-prepared self-represented executor can complete the process without professional help — but only if they have the correct documents, the correct form pre-downloaded, and understand that Landgate will reject the application for even minor documentation errors.

Putting the Property Transfer in Context

Landgate processes property transfers independently of the banks. Completing the Transmission Application does not close bank accounts, and closing bank accounts does not transfer property. Both must be done in parallel as separate administrative tracks.

The WA Estate Settlement Guide covers the full property transfer pathway for WA estates — Certificate of Title searches, Survivorship vs Transmission decision tree, VOI-02 checklist, the postal lodgement coversheet for regional executors, and the correct sequence of steps to avoid Landgate rejections that cost weeks and re-lodgement fees.

See more Western Australia guides →