How to read a title
How to read a Tasmanian title search
A Tasmanian title search, called the folio text, has three main parts: the description of land, Schedule 1 (the owners) and Schedule 2 (what affects the land), followed by any unregistered dealings. Unlike most states, it normally comes with the folio plan. The sample below is fictional and follows the theLIST layout.
See the exact lot and title before you pay. No title, no charge.
Tasmania title search
A$99
Includes the A$39.20 registry fee and GST
Title + Full ReportA$129
- The official Search of Torrens Title (folio text) from Land Tasmania
- A one-page plain-English summary
- Owner names (titles here don't print an address)
- Usually within minutes, any day of the week
- Exact lot and title confirmed before you pay
SEARCH OF TORRENS TITLE 1VOLUME 178901 FOLIO 12 2EDITION 3 DATE OF ISSUE 18-Jun-2024 SEARCH DATE : 22-Oct-2026 SEARCH TIME : 10.31 AM DESCRIPTION OF LAND City of CLARENCE 3Lot 12 on Sealed Plan 178901 4Derivation : Part of 640 Acres Gtd. to Thomas Example Prior CT 165432/1 SCHEDULE 1 M998877 5TRANSFER to RILEY CITIZEN Registered 18-Jun-2024 at 12.01 PM SCHEDULE 2 Reservations and conditions in the Crown Grant if any 6SP178901 EASEMENTS in Schedule of Easements SP178901 COVENANTS in Schedule of Easements 7SP178901 FENCING PROVISION in Schedule of Easements M998878 8MORTGAGE to Island Example Bank Limited Registered 18-Jun-2024 at 12.02 PM UNREGISTERED DEALINGS AND NOTATIONS 9No unregistered dealings or other notations Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania www.thelist.tas.gov.au
- 1Title referenceTasmanian titles are identified by volume and folio. For a lot on a sealed plan, the volume is often the plan number and the folio the lot number.
- 2EditionThe third edition, issued 18 June 2024. A new edition is issued each time a dealing is registered.
- 3LandThe lot and plan. A Tasmanian title search normally comes with the folio plan, so you can see the boundaries.
- 4DerivationWhere the land came from: part of an original Crown grant to Thomas Example. It's history, not the current owner.
- 5OwnerSchedule 1 names the owner and the transfer that registered them (M998877, 18 June 2024). No address is printed.
- 6EasementsEasements created with the subdivision. Their details are in the Schedule of Easements that forms part of Sealed Plan 178901.
- 7Fencing provisionA term in the plan's schedule, usually saying the subdivider can't be made to pay toward boundary fences. Read the schedule for the exact wording.
- 8MortgageA loan secured on the property, registered a minute after the transfer. It stays until a discharge is registered.
- 9PendingNothing is lodged and waiting to be registered. A sale or discharge in progress would be listed here.
Volume, folio, edition and search date
VOLUME 178901 FOLIO 12 is the title reference. For a lot on a sealed plan, the volume is often the plan number and the folio the lot number, as in the sample. The edition goes up each time a dealing (a registered document such as a transfer or mortgage) changes the title, and date of issue is when the current edition was made.
The search date and search time show when the register was checked. The title is correct as at that moment.
Description of land
Land Tasmania's title search fee covers a single folio including the face plan, so you normally get the boundaries with the title. That saves ordering a separate plan, which most other states require.
- Municipality: the council area, such as City of CLARENCE.
- Lot and plan: for example Lot 12 on Sealed Plan 178901. Tasmanian plans include Sealed Plans (SP), Diagrams (D) and Strata Plans (STR).
- Derivation: where the land came from, usually an original Crown grant and the person it was granted to, often in the 1800s. It is history, not the current owner.
- Prior CT: the title this one replaced.
Schedule 1: the owners
Schedule 1 names the registered owners and the dealing that registered them, such as M998877 TRANSFER to RILEY CITIZEN Registered 18-Jun-2024. With two or more owners, it shows whether they hold as joint tenants (the survivor takes the whole) or tenants in common (each with a set share). Tasmanian titles don't print an address, phone number or email for the owner.
Schedule 2: easements, covenants and mortgages
- Reservations and conditions in the Crown Grant if any: rights the Crown kept when the land was first granted, often minerals. It is on most titles.
- SP… EASEMENTS in Schedule of Easements: easements created with the subdivision, such as drainage or rights of way. The detail is in the Schedule of Easements that forms part of the sealed plan. See easements.
- SP… COVENANTS in Schedule of Easements: restrictions on use set with the subdivision, in the same schedule. See covenants.
- SP… FENCING PROVISION in Schedule of Easements: usually says the subdivider can't be made to pay toward boundary fences. Read the schedule for the exact wording.
- MORTGAGE to [lender]: a loan secured on the property, with the date and time it was registered.
- CAVEAT: someone claims an interest in the land. See caveats.
Unregistered dealings and notations
The last section lists dealings lodged but not yet registered, such as a transfer for a sale in progress or a discharge of mortgage, and any notations the Recorder of Titles has made. 'No unregistered dealings or other notations' means nothing is waiting.
What a Tasmanian title doesn't show
- The full wording of easements and covenants, which sits in the Schedule of Easements or the registered instrument.
- Contact details for the owner.
- Past owners or sale prices.
- Zoning, planning overlays or council rates. Those come from the council.
When to ask a conveyancer
Get advice if Schedule 2 shows a caveat, if a covenant or easement may affect what you want to build, or if an unregistered dealing appears that you didn't expect. A conveyancer can get the Schedule of Easements or instrument and explain it.
Title Registry orders the current Tasmanian title through an authorised information broker and emails it, usually within minutes, with a plain-English summary, for A$99. Land Tasmania's fee on theLIST is A$39.20.
Order a Tasmanian titleCommon questions
What is folio text?
Tasmania's name for the title search: the text of the current folio of the Register, showing the land, the owners and the interests affecting it.
Does a Tasmanian title search include the plan?
Usually, yes. The statutory title search fee covers a single folio including the face plan.
What does 'Derivation' mean on a Tasmanian title?
It records where the land came from: the original Crown grant and the person it was granted to. It isn't the current owner.
What does 'fencing provision in Schedule of Easements' mean?
A term in the sealed plan's schedule, usually saying the subdivider can't be required to pay for boundary fences. Read the schedule for the exact wording.
Does a Tasmanian title show the owner's address?
No. It shows the owners' names and the transfer that registered them, with no address, phone number or email.
What does 'Reservations and conditions in the Crown Grant if any' mean?
Rights the Crown kept when the land was first granted, often to minerals. The line appears on most titles and rarely matters for a home.