Hi there. In New South Wales, the land titles office is operated by Land & Property Information. LPI maintains a register of all titling information for property in the state. Each property on the register has a ‘certificate of title’ which shows the current owner(s) of the property plus any registered interests affecting the property such as a mortgage or easement.

Anyone can search the register and obtain a copy of the certificate of title, even if you are not the owner of the property. To do this, you will need the ‘title reference’ for the property – this is a unique identifier for each property. If you do not know the title reference, you can search for the title reference using the street address. Fees apply for both types of searches. You can do these searches in person at an LPI office or online at www.lpi.nsw.gov.au. A list of all LPI offices can be found on that website.

Once you have obtained the certificate of title, you will need to decipher its contents. This can sometimes be challenging without professional assistance. A property lawyer can help you understand the certificate of title and the impact of each of the registered interests. Note that the certificate of title may not show every legal interest affecting the property, as some third party interests may not have been recorded on the register.