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How to read a title

How to read an ACT title search

Residential land in the ACT is leasehold: you own a Crown lease, usually for 99 years, rather than freehold. An ACT title search shows the lease details, the proprietor, the purpose clause and registered interests such as mortgages. The sample below is fictional and follows the ACT Land Titles layout.

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  • The official Certificate of Title search from ACT Land Titles
  • A one-page plain-English summary
  • Owner names (titles here don't print an address)
  • Usually within minutes; some take up to 1 business day, any day of the week
  • Exact lot and title confirmed before you pay
1Volume 3456 Folio 78 Edition 2
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
TITLE SEARCH

LAND
2Coombs Section 41 Block 9 on Deposited Plan 11234 3with 24 units on Unit Plan 5432
4Unit 17 (Class A) entitlement 38 of 1000, 1 subsidiaries
5Lease commenced on 05/09/2018, terminating on 04/09/2117

Proprietor
Taylor Example

REGISTERED ENCUMBRANCES AND INTERESTS
Original title is Volume N/A Folio N/A
Restrictions
6Purpose Clause: Refer Units Plan

Registered Date   Dealing Number   Description
12/03/2021        2876543          7Mortgage to CAPITAL EXAMPLE BANK LIMITED

End of interests

Page 1 of 1                                     Searched by SAMPLE at 10:15:20 on 22/10/2026
This data (excluding administrative interests) is certified correct by the Registrar-General at 10:15:20 on 22/10/2026
8Unregistered dealings have not been formally recorded in the register.
A fictional Certificate of Title search laid out like ACT Land Titles's. Names and numbers are invented.
  1. 1Title referenceThe volume and folio identify the title (the Crown lease). Edition 2 means it has changed once since it was created.
  2. 2Block and sectionACT land is described by division (suburb), section and block. You can search ACTLIS with these or with the volume and folio.
  3. 3Units planThe block is divided into 24 units on Units Plan 5432. The plan shows each unit and the common property.
  4. 4Unit entitlementUnit 17's share of the scheme is 38 of 1000, used to work out things like levies and votes. The subsidiary is usually a car space or storage area.
  5. 5Crown leaseACT land is leasehold. This 99-year Crown lease began in 2018 and ends in 2117.
  6. 6Purpose clauseThe lease's purpose clause says what the land can be used for. For units it points to the units plan.
  7. 7MortgageA loan secured on the unit, registered 12 March 2021. It stays until a release is registered.
  8. 8PendingAny unregistered dealings would be listed with the interests. None appear here, so nothing is waiting to be registered.

Volume, folio and edition

Volume 3456 Folio 78 identifies the title (the Crown lease), and the edition number goes up each time a dealing (a registered document such as a transfer or mortgage) changes it. ACTLIS, the ACT's online land titles system, lets you search by address, by volume and folio, or by parcel details.

The footer shows when the search was made and that the data, excluding administrative interests, is certified correct by the Registrar-General at that time.

Land: division, section, block and unit

ACT land is described by division (the suburb), section and block on a deposited plan, for example Coombs Section 41 Block 9 on Deposited Plan 11234. Rural land may be described by district and block instead.

For an apartment or townhouse, the title adds the units plan: 'with 24 units on Unit Plan 5432', then the unit itself. Unit entitlement, such as 38 of 1000, is the unit's share of the scheme, used to work out things like levies and voting. Subsidiaries are subsidiary units attached to it, usually a car space or storage area. See strata and unit plans.

The Crown lease: start, end and purpose

'Lease commenced on … terminating on …' gives the term of the Crown lease. Most residential leases run for 99 years. For buying, selling and borrowing, a Crown lease works much like freehold.

The purpose clause under Restrictions says what the land may be used for, such as a single dwelling. On a unit title it often reads 'Refer Units Plan'. The Crown lease document itself, with its full terms, is a separate search on ACTLIS that returns an image of the original lease.

Proprietor

The Proprietor section names the registered owners of the lease and, with two or more, how they hold it: as joint tenants (the survivor takes the whole) or tenants in common (each with a set share). Don't rely on the title for contact details: no ACT title shows a phone number or email.

Registered encumbrances and interests

  • Original title is Volume … Folio …: the earlier title, where there is one. N/A means none is recorded.
  • Restrictions: the purpose clause and any other limits on use.
  • The dealings table: each registered interest with its registration date, dealing number and description, such as 'Mortgage to [lender]'.
  • Mortgage: a loan secured on the lease. It stays until a release is registered.
  • Caveat: someone claims an interest in the land. See caveats.
  • Unregistered dealings: documents lodged but not yet registered. The footer reminds you they 'have not been formally recorded in the register', so they may still change.

What an ACT title doesn't show

  • The Crown lease document and its full terms.
  • The deposited plan or units plan (an ACTLIS fee of A$26 each in 2026-27) and the text of instruments (A$24 each).
  • Past owners. A historic title search lists every edition and dealing.
  • Owners corporation levies, planning rules or rates.

When to ask a conveyancer

Get advice if you see a caveat or unregistered dealing you didn't expect, if the purpose clause may not allow what you want to do, or if you're buying a unit and need the owners corporation records. A conveyancer can order the Crown lease and plans.

Title Registry orders the ACT title through an authorised information broker for A$99, with a plain-English summary. Most arrive within minutes; some ACT titles take up to 1 business day. ACTLIS charges A$36.00.

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Common questions

Do you own your land in the ACT?

You own a Crown lease, usually for 99 years, rather than freehold. You can sell, mortgage and leave it much like freehold, and the title shows when the lease began and ends.

What is a purpose clause?

The part of the Crown lease that says what the land may be used for, such as a single dwelling. On a unit title it often says 'Refer Units Plan'.

What is unit entitlement on an ACT title?

A number set by the units plan, such as 38 of 1000, that measures the unit's share of the scheme. It is used to work out things like levies and voting.

What does 'subsidiaries' mean on an ACT unit title?

Subsidiary units attached to the main unit, usually a car space or storage area.

What is the difference between volume and folio and block and section?

Division, section and block describe the land; the volume and folio identify the title. You can search ACTLIS with either.

Does an ACT title search show unregistered dealings?

Yes, where any exist. They have been lodged but not formally recorded in the register, so they may still change.