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How to read a title

How to read a NSW title search

A NSW title search has four parts: the land, the First Schedule (who owns it), the Second Schedule (what is registered against it) and the Notations (what has been lodged but not yet registered). The sample below is fictional, but it is laid out the way NSW Land Registry Services prints a real one.

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New South Wales title search

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  • The official Title Search (folio) from NSW LRS
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NEW SOUTH WALES LAND REGISTRY SERVICES - TITLE SEARCH
-----------------------------------------------------

1FOLIO: 12/1234567
------

             SEARCH DATE       TIME          EDITION NO    DATE
             -----------       ----          ----------    ----
             22/10/2026        9:41 AM       2             26/5/2019

LAND
----
LOT 12 IN DEPOSITED PLAN 1234567
   AT MOAMA
   LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA MURRAY RIVER
   PARISH OF TATAILA   COUNTY OF CADELL
   3TITLE DIAGRAM DP1234567

FIRST SCHEDULE
--------------
JANE CITIZEN
JOHN CITIZEN
   4AS JOINT TENANTS                                          5(T AP731255)

SECOND SCHEDULE (4 NOTIFICATIONS)
---------------
1   RESERVATIONS AND CONDITIONS IN THE CROWN GRANT(S)
2   DP1234567  6EASEMENT TO DRAIN WATER 1 METRE(S) WIDE AFFECTING THE
               PART(S) SHOWN SO BURDENED IN THE TITLE DIAGRAM
3   DP1234567  RESTRICTION(S) ON THE USE OF LAND REFERRED TO AND
               7NUMBERED 2 IN THE S.88B INSTRUMENT
4   AP731256   8MORTGAGE TO HARBOURSIDE EXAMPLE BANK LIMITED

NOTATIONS
---------
9UNREGISTERED DEALINGS: DM AY118842

                    ***  END OF SEARCH  ***

PRINTED ON 22/10/2026

* Any entries preceded by an asterisk do not appear on the current edition of the Certificate of Title.
Warning: the information appearing under notations has not been formally recorded in the Register.
SAMPLE INFORMATION BROKER an approved NSW Information Broker hereby certifies that the information contained
in this document has been provided electronically by the Registrar General in accordance with Section 96B(2)
of the Real Property Act 1900.
Copyright © Office of the Registrar-General 2026                         Received: 22/10/2026 09:41:12
A fictional Title Search (folio) laid out like NSW LRS's. Names and numbers are invented.
  1. 1Title referenceIn NSW the lot and plan is the title reference, called the folio identifier: Lot 12 in Deposited Plan 1234567.
  2. 2EditionThis is edition 2, made on 6 May 2019. A new edition is made each time a dealing (a registered document) changes the title.
  3. 3PlanThe boundaries are on the deposited plan, which is a separate document. Order it if you need measurements or where the easement runs.
  4. 4How they own itJane and John own the whole property together. If one dies, the other becomes the sole owner, whatever a will says.
  5. 5TransferT means transfer: dealing AP731255 is the document that made them the owners.
  6. 6EasementA 1-metre strip of this lot can be used to drain water from other land. You usually can't build over it; the plan shows where it is.
  7. 7RestrictionA covenant created with the subdivision limits how the land can be used. The wording is in restriction 2 of the 88B instrument, not on the title.
  8. 8MortgageA home loan secured on the property. It stays on the title until the bank's discharge is registered.
  9. 9PendingDM is a discharge of mortgage. It has been lodged but not yet registered; once it is, the mortgage drops off and a new edition is made.

Folio, search date and edition: the top of the title

The folio identifier is the NSW title reference (a folio is one title record in the register). In NSW it is simply the lot and plan: FOLIO: 12/1234567 means Lot 12 in Deposited Plan 1234567. A strata unit looks like 6/SP12345, and a lot in a sectioned plan is written lot/section/plan, such as 3/2/758000.

The search date and time show when the register was checked; the title is correct as at that moment. The edition number goes up each time a dealing (a registered document such as a transfer, mortgage or discharge) changes the title, and the date beside it is when the current edition was made. If you search again later and the edition hasn't changed, nothing new has been registered.

What does the LAND section tell you?

It gives the lot and plan, the locality, the council area, and the parish and county (old survey districts the register still uses). TITLE DIAGRAM DP1234567 names the plan that shows the boundaries.

The plan is not part of the title search. If you need measurements, the shape of the lot or where an easement runs, you need the deposited plan or strata plan itself.

First Schedule: who owns it and how they hold it

The First Schedule lists the registered owners' names. NSW titles don't print an owner's address, phone number or email.

  • AS JOINT TENANTS: the owners own the whole property together. If one dies, the survivor becomes the sole owner, whatever the will says.
  • AS TENANTS IN COMMON IN EQUAL SHARES (or stated shares): each owner holds a separate share they can sell or leave in a will.
  • One name only: a sole owner. A company or trustee appears under its own name; the title doesn't set out the trust.
  • The dealing in brackets, such as (T AP731255), is the document that made them owners. T stands for transfer.

Second Schedule: mortgages, easements, covenants and caveats

The Second Schedule lists every registered interest affecting the land, numbered in order. The heading counts them, for example SECOND SCHEDULE (4 NOTIFICATIONS). Most entries start with the dealing or plan number that created them.

  • RESERVATIONS AND CONDITIONS IN THE CROWN GRANT(S): rights the Crown kept when the land was first granted, often minerals. It is on most NSW titles and rarely matters for a home.
  • EASEMENT: a right for someone else, such as a neighbour, council or utility, to use part of your land for drainage, sewer, services or access. 'SO BURDENED IN THE TITLE DIAGRAM' means the strip is drawn on the plan. See easements.
  • RESTRICTION(S) ON THE USE OF LAND … S.88B INSTRUMENT: a covenant created with the subdivision, such as rules on building materials or the number of dwellings. The wording is in the 88B instrument, not on the title.
  • MORTGAGE TO [lender]: a loan secured on the property. It stays until the lender's discharge of mortgage is registered.
  • CAVEAT BY [name]: someone has lodged a claim to an interest in the land. It can block a sale or new mortgage until it is withdrawn, lapses or is removed. See caveats.
  • LEASE TO [name]: a registered lease, usually a long commercial one.
An entry preceded by an asterisk doesn't appear on the old paper certificate of title. NSW stopped issuing paper certificates on 11 October 2019, so this only matters if you still hold an old paper title.

Notations and unregistered dealings: what's in progress

Anything under NOTATIONS has been lodged with NSW LRS but not yet registered. The footer says so: 'the information appearing under notations has not been formally recorded in the Register'. UNREGISTERED DEALINGS: NIL means nothing is waiting.

Each pending dealing is a type code and a number. T is a transfer, M a mortgage and DM a discharge of mortgage. In the sample, DM AY118842 means the bank has lodged the discharge; once it is registered, the mortgage drops off and a new edition is made. If you've paid off a loan and the mortgage is still there with nothing pending, see is my mortgage discharged?

What a NSW title search doesn't show

  • The owners' address or contact details. No Australian title shows a phone number or email.
  • The plan drawing, and the wording of easements, covenants or caveats. Those are separate documents.
  • Past owners or sale prices. That needs a historical title search, which Title Registry doesn't offer yet.
  • Zoning, planning controls, council rates or building approvals. Those come from the council, for example a planning certificate.

When to ask a conveyancer or solicitor

Most titles are routine: owners, a mortgage, the Crown grant line and perhaps an easement. Get advice before you act if you see a caveat you don't recognise, an unregistered dealing you didn't expect, a restriction or easement where you plan to build, or names that don't match what you were told.

Title Registry orders the current NSW title through an authorised information broker and emails it, usually within minutes, with a one-page plain-English summary, for A$79. The registry's own fee is A$18.70.

Order a NSW title search

Common questions

What does 'Second Schedule' mean on a NSW title?

It lists everything registered against the land apart from ownership: mortgages, easements, covenants, caveats, leases and the Crown grant reservations. The number in brackets, such as (4 NOTIFICATIONS), counts the entries.

What does 'unregistered dealings' mean?

A document has been lodged with NSW LRS but not yet registered, such as a discharge of mortgage or a transfer. It sits under Notations until it is registered.

Why is my paid-off mortgage still on my NSW title?

The mortgage stays until the lender's discharge is registered. If 'DM' appears under unregistered dealings it is on its way; if not, ask your lender whether it has been lodged.

Does a NSW title search show the owner's address?

No. NSW titles show the registered owners' names only, with no address, phone number or email.

What is the folio identifier?

The NSW title reference, written lot/plan, such as 12/1234567 for Lot 12 in Deposited Plan 1234567. Strata units use the strata plan, such as 6/SP12345.

What does 'reservations and conditions in the Crown grant' mean?

When the Crown first granted the land it kept certain rights, often to minerals. The line is on most NSW titles and rarely affects how you use a home.

Is a title search the same as a certificate of title?

The title search is the official record of the folio today. NSW stopped issuing paper certificates of title in October 2019, so the search is what you use as proof of ownership.