Wills & Estates Lawyer Fees in Perth (2026)

• A house with a loan. Greater Perth has 41.9% of households paying off a mortgage, against 35% nationally (ABS 2021 Census). An estate with a mortgaged house has a lender to deal with, and the Supreme Court of WA notes that banks, Landgate and share registries will often want a copy of the grant. Expect a quote toward the upper part of $1,550–$16,000 when property, a loan and shares all need transferring.
• Small estates handled informally. Not every estate needs a grant. The WA Public Trustee says a small estate may be dealt with informally, for example where the only asset is a small bank account, and assets owned jointly may pass straight to the other owner. With 26.6% of Perth households renting (ABS 2021 Census), some estates hold no land at all; ask whether formal administration is needed before paying for it.
• De facto and blended families. Without a valid will, the Administration Act shares the estate by formula, and Legal Aid WA says the rules change with the estate's value and the type and number of family members. De facto partners have inheritance rights, including in certain cases after living together for at least two years before the death. A will written around your real family, at times built on a testamentary trust costing $2,050–$5,100, replaces those formulas.
• The Public Trustee option. The WA Public Trustee drafts wills that name it as sole executor, or that name your spouse or de facto partner first and the Public Trustee as substitute. Its charges come from a Scale of Fees reviewed every year and open to the scrutiny of the WA Parliament, and for new deceased estates it works from a standard schedule of tasks rather than a percentage commission. Ask a private firm to explain its own basis as clearly.
• Enduring power of attorney. Anyone over 18 with full legal capacity can make an enduring power of attorney in WA, and unlike an ordinary power it keeps working if they lose capacity. You choose whether the attorney's authority starts at once or only when capacity is lost. The $610–$1,200 tier covers drafting both documents, so ask whether the lawyer will also explain the role to the person you appoint.
• Challenging the will. The Family Provision Act lets a partner, a former partner receiving or entitled to maintenance, children, parents and in some cases step-children and grandchildren ask the Supreme Court for a larger share. Applications are due six months after the grant at the latest, and Legal Aid WA says extensions are rare. Disputes of this kind fall in the $25,500–$41,000 band, and the final figure depends on how far the matter runs.

Use a solicitor where there is property, a business, a blended family, overseas assets or any chance the will is challenged.

A single person with modest assets and a simple wish can use a low-cost online will; be aware Public Trustee 'free' wills are recovered through commission on the estate.