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How to read a title

How to read a Queensland title search

A Queensland Current Title Search names the registered owner, describes the land and lists every registered easement, encumbrance and interest, plus anything lodged but not yet registered. The fictional sample below is laid out the way Titles Queensland prints it.

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Queensland title search

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  • The official Current Title Search from Titles Queensland
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CURRENT TITLE SEARCH
QUEENSLAND TITLES REGISTRY PTY LTD
Request No: 41234567
Search Date: 22/10/2026 09:14                     1Title Reference: 51999123
                                                  Date Created: 15/06/2021
Previous Title: 50888777

REGISTERED OWNER
2Dealing No: 721456789  02/07/2021

EXAMPLE NOMINEES PTY LTD A.C.N. 600 000 001
 TRUSTEE
 3UNDER INSTRUMENT 721456788

ESTATE AND LAND
Estate in Fee Simple

LOT 23     4SURVEY PLAN 312345
           Local Government: LOGAN

EASEMENTS, ENCUMBRANCES AND INTERESTS

1. 5Rights and interests reserved to the Crown by
   Deed of Grant No. 10123456 (POR 45)

2. 6EASEMENT IN GROSS No 720998877  15/06/2021 at 10:02
   burdening the land to
   LOGAN CITY COUNCIL
   over EASEMENT A ON SP312345

3. 7MORTGAGE No 721456790  02/07/2021 at 14:31
   SUNSHINE EXAMPLE BANK LIMITED A.B.N. 11 000 000 000

ADMINISTRATIVE ADVICES - NIL
8UNREGISTERED DEALINGS - NIL

9CERTIFICATE OF TITLE ISSUED - No

Caution - Charges do not necessarily appear in order of priority

                  ** End of Current Title Search **
COPYRIGHT QUEENSLAND TITLES REGISTRY PTY LTD [2026]
Requested By: SAMPLE INFORMATION BROKER
Page 1/1
A fictional Current Title Search laid out like Titles Queensland's. Names and numbers are invented.
  1. 1Title referenceQueensland titles have an 8-digit reference that is different from the lot and plan.
  2. 2TransferThe dealing that registered the current owner, lodged on 2 July 2021.
  3. 3TrusteeThe company owns the property as trustee, often of a family trust or super fund. The title names the trustee, not the trust's beneficiaries.
  4. 4LandLot 23 on Survey Plan SP312345. The survey plan with the boundaries is a separate document.
  5. 5Crown reservationRights the Crown kept when the land was first granted, often minerals. It appears on most Queensland titles.
  6. 6EasementBurdening the land means this lot carries the easement: the council has a right over Easement A, usually for drainage or services. The survey plan shows where.
  7. 7MortgageA loan secured on the property, lodged at 2:31 pm on 2 July 2021. It stays until a release of mortgage is registered.
  8. 8PendingNothing has been lodged that is waiting to be registered. A sale or new mortgage in progress would be listed here.
  9. 9Paper titleNo paper certificate of title exists. Queensland stopped using paper titles in 2019; the register is the record.

Title reference, previous titles and search date

The Title Reference is an 8-digit number, such as 51999123. It identifies the title and is different from the lot and plan, which describes the land. Date Created is when this title began, and Previous Title lists the titles it came from, for example before a subdivision.

Search Date and time show when the register was checked; the search is correct as at that moment. CERTIFICATE OF TITLE ISSUED - No means no paper title exists. Queensland stopped using paper certificates of title on 1 October 2019, so the register is the record.

Registered owner: names, trustees and how they hold

Dealing No and the date under REGISTERED OWNER identify the dealing (registered document, usually a transfer) that made the current owner the owner. Queensland titles show names only, with no address or contact details.

  • Two or more owners: the title states whether they are joint tenants (the survivor takes the whole if one dies) or tenants in common (each holds a set share that can be sold or left by will).
  • TRUSTEE UNDER INSTRUMENT: the owner, often a company, holds the property as trustee, for example of a family trust or super fund. The number is the registered document that records the trusteeship. The title doesn't name the beneficiaries.
  • A.C.N. after a name is the company's Australian Company Number.

Estate and land

Estate in Fee Simple is ordinary freehold. The land is shown as lot and plan, such as LOT 23 SURVEY PLAN 312345, which you'll also see written Lot 23 on SP312345. Plan prefixes include RP (registered plan), SP (survey plan), and BUP and GTP for older unit schemes. The local government is the council area.

The survey plan, which shows boundaries, areas and where easements run, is a separate document. See survey plans.

Easements, encumbrances and interests

Each registered interest is numbered, with its dealing number and the date and time it was lodged.

  • Rights and interests reserved to the Crown by Deed of Grant: rights the Crown kept when the land was first granted, often minerals. It appears on most titles.
  • EASEMENT … burdening the land: your lot carries the easement and someone else has a right over part of it. Benefiting the land means the reverse: your lot has a right over a neighbour's. An easement in gross benefits a body such as a council or utility rather than neighbouring land.
  • MORTGAGE No … [lender]: a loan secured on the property. It stays until a release of mortgage is registered.
  • CAVEAT: someone claims an interest in the land. It can stop other dealings being registered. See caveats.
  • LEASE: a registered lease, usually long-term or commercial.
'Caution - Charges do not necessarily appear in order of priority' means the list order isn't a ranking. If it matters which mortgage or charge comes first, ask a solicitor.

Administrative advices and unregistered dealings

Administrative advices are notices recorded on the title by government bodies, for example about heritage or environmental matters. They are not mortgages or easements, but they can affect what you may do with the land, so read any that appear.

Unregistered dealings have been lodged with Titles Queensland but not yet registered: a transfer for a sale in progress, a new mortgage or a release of mortgage. NIL means nothing is waiting. Titles Queensland's Dealing Status page lets you check a lodged dealing by its number.

What a Queensland title search doesn't show

  • The owner's address, phone number or email.
  • The survey plan, and the wording of easements, covenants and caveats. Titles Queensland sells a survey plan image for A$27.56 and other instrument images for A$50.16 (2026-27).
  • Past owners. A historical title search shows interests registered since 1994.
  • Zoning, flooding or council rates. Those come from the council.

When to ask a conveyancer

Get advice if you see a caveat, an unregistered dealing you didn't expect, an easement where you want to build, or an owner who holds as trustee when you expected individuals. A conveyancer can order the instruments and explain what they mean for your plans.

Title Registry orders the current Queensland title through an authorised information broker and emails the official PDF, usually within minutes, for A$79. A plain-English summary is coming to Queensland. Titles Queensland's own fee is A$25.71.

Order a Queensland title

Common questions

What is a title reference in Queensland?

An 8-digit number that identifies the title, such as 51999123. It is different from the lot and plan, which describes the land.

What does 'trustee under instrument' mean on a Queensland title?

The registered owner holds the property as trustee, often for a family trust or super fund. The title names the trustee only; the number points to the document that records the trusteeship.

What does 'burdening the land' mean on an easement?

Your lot carries the easement: someone else, such as a neighbour, council or utility, has a right over part of it. 'Benefiting the land' means your lot has the right.

What are administrative advices?

Notices recorded on the title by government bodies, for example about heritage or environmental matters. They aren't interests like mortgages, but they may affect what you can do with the land.

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

No. It shows the registered owner's name only, with no address, phone number or email.

Can I still get a paper certificate of title in Queensland?

No. Paper certificates of title stopped having effect on 1 October 2019. The register is the record, and a current title search shows what is on it.