Land title search for any property in Australia

A land title search is a printout of the current record for one piece of land in your state's land register. It's what most people mean by a certificate of title, a property title search, 'a copy of my title' or 'the title deeds'. Each state names it differently: a folio in NSW, a Register Search Statement in Victoria, a Record of Certificate of Title in WA. A folio is simply the register's page for one title.

Paper deeds have mostly gone. NSW and Queensland have abolished paper certificates of title, and new Victorian titles are electronic. Whether or not there's an old paper copy in a drawer, the title search is the up-to-date record.

Every Australian title shows:

• Owners: each registered owner's full name, and how they hold the property: as sole owner, as joint tenants, or as tenants in common with set shares.
• The land: the lot and plan, and the title reference.
• Mortgages: each registered mortgage, with the lender's name.
• Caveats: notices lodged by someone who claims an interest in the property.
• Easements and covenants: rights of way, drainage and service easements, and restrictions on building or use.
• Pending dealings: documents lodged at the registry but not yet registered, such as a transfer or a new mortgage. A dealing is any document lodged against a title.
• An owner's address: only in Victoria, WA, SA and the NT, where the title prints an address for service of notices.

Start from the job you're doing. Most people need only the title search. Building work and boundary questions usually need a second document as well.

• Guides by job: proof of ownership, is my mortgage discharged?, who owns this property?, before you buy, inherited property, separation and is my landlord the owner?.
• We sell title searches in every state. Plans and registered documents aren't available from us yet; your state registry or its brokers sell them today. See deposited plans and 88B instruments.

1. 1Type the property's address. If you have it, you can search by lot and plan or by title reference instead.
2. 2Check the match. Before you pay, we show the lot, plan and title reference for every title at that address. Units and rural properties often have more than one title, so pick the one you want.
3. 3Choose Title search or Title + Full Report, and pay. We hold the amount on your card and take it only once the registry supplies your title.
4. 4Get the registry's PDF, unchanged, and your plain-English summary by email, usually within minutes, any day of the week.

Each state and territory runs its own land register, so the document name, the title reference and the registry fee all differ. Every title names the owners; only four print an address for them.

• Victoria's fee is the cost of searching by address. LANDATA charges A$8.30 if you already know the volume and folio.
• Tasmania's fee includes the face plan, the drawing of the lot. The NT fee is approximate.
• State guides: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT and NT.

Usually, yes. Our price includes the registry's fee, and you can often get the same document for less from the registry or one of its brokers. If you already know your title reference and are happy to read the title yourself, going direct is the cheapest route.

• Victoria: LANDATA charges A$8.30 with the volume and folio, or A$17.87 by address.
• NSW: NSW Land Registry Services sells through authorised information brokers. The registry fee is A$18.70.
• Queensland: Titles Queensland sells online for A$25.71.
• WA: Landgate sells online for A$33.90.
• SA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT: Land Services SA (A$36.75), theLIST (A$39.20), Access Canberra (A$36.00) and the NT Land Titles Office (about A$29.00).

Most titles arrive by email within minutes, including at night and on weekends. Some ACT and NT searches are handled manually and can take up to 1 business day.

No title, no charge. When you pay, we place a hold on your card. If the registry can't supply the title, the hold is released and you pay nothing.

Because you confirm the lot and title reference before paying, you know exactly which title you're getting. If something in the title or the summary doesn't look right, reply to the delivery email and a person will check it. You can see what you'll receive on the sample title page.