NASSAU, Bahamas — The head of the Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) has warned that a new minimum fee schedule for lawyers, due to take effect on 1 January 2026, will sharply raise the cost of buying property, The Tribune reported on 10 December 2025.
Under the Bar Association’s new scale, the minimum conveyancing fee for unregistered land rises from 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent of the purchase price, and for registered land to 3.5 per cent. BREA president Carla Sweeting said about 99 per cent of property transactions in The Bahamas involve unregistered land, so most buyers would face the higher rate.
Other fees are also rising. Drawing up a will goes to $350, from $202.40 under a scale set in 2006, and administering an estate worth under $100,000 rises to $850. Sweeting said she expected some attorneys to charge below the new minimums, and warned that more family properties could fall into disrepair because heirs cannot afford probate.
What it means
Analysis: On a $400,000 home on unregistered land, the minimum legal fee would rise from about $10,000 to about $20,000, on top of VAT and stamp tax. Higher probate costs also risk leaving more inherited homes in legal limbo, reducing the supply of properties that can be sold with clean title.
Editor’s note: This article was added to the Jamaica Homes News archive on 30 September 2026. It reports events from December 2025 and is dated to when they were reported.
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