Melissa Hayward

Licensed Conveyancer, Your Choice Conveyancing

Melissa Hayward is the principal of Your Choice Conveyancing in South Australia and has worked in conveyancing since 2001.

She acts on private treaty and private sale transactions across metropolitan and regional South Australia. She has sat on the PEXA advisory council, where a change she proposed to the handling of transfers was adopted.

For Unreserved, Melissa explains what sellers run into between signing and settlement: the new identity checks, what happens when a caveat is lodged before settlement, and what private sellers in South Australia need to have ready.

Principal, Your Choice ConveyancingConveyancing since 2001PEXA advisory councilMetro and regional SA

Articles with Melissa

Melissa on Unreserved.

Expert contributor · 6 min

A caveat landed 13 minutes before settlement. The money had already moved.

A caveat lodged 13 minutes before a $945,000 settlement froze the title after funds had moved. A South Australian conveyancer explains what a caveat does and what a prepared seller checks.

Ben Williams · 5 October 2026

Expert contributor · 9 min

Ask a conveyancer: what South Australians get wrong when they sell privately

GST, deposits, Form 1 timing, contract turnaround and unapproved decks. A South Australian licensed conveyancer answers the questions private sellers ask most.

Ben Williams · 20 September 2026

Expert contributor · 6 min

Selling in 2026? Expect to prove who you are. Possibly three times.

New anti-money-laundering rules mean sellers now get identity checked by their conveyancer, their bank and their agent. A licensed conveyancer explains what you will be asked for and when.

Ben Williams · 25 August 2026

Melissa's comments on Unreserved are general information, not legal advice. Conveyancing requirements differ in every state. Articles on Unreserved are written by Ben Williams with input from expert contributors.