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    Property title search in Victoria: how to order one and what to look for on the title

    How to do a property title search in Victoria, what the Register Search Statement shows, what an easement is, and what should make a first home buyer ask questions.

    By The Havenli Team

    The short answer: In Victoria, you order a title search online through LANDATA, the official land information service, usually with just the street address. You get a Register Search Statement showing who owns the land, the lot and plan, and anything registered against it: mortgages, caveats, covenants and notices. Order the plan too, because easements often appear there, not in the title text. Then take anything you don't understand to your conveyancer.

    The title is the document in the contract pile that tells you what you're actually buying: the land, and every right other people hold over it. Here's how to order one, read it, and spot the entries that deserve a question.

    Meet Mel, again

    When we last saw Mel, she'd spent a Saturday on four opens in Melbourne's outer north and come home with one shortlist entry: a three-bedroom townhouse in the right school zone, with taps that ran hot fast and no cracks past hairline. The agent emailed the contract and section 32 on Monday.

    Mel wanted a garden shed in the back courtyard for the kids' bikes, and to know whether anything on paper would get in the way. So on Thursday night she ordered the title herself. Mel is an illustrative character, not a real person.

    How do I do a title search in Victoria?

    Title searches are available online through LANDATA or through an authorised information broker, according to Land Services Victoria (the agency was called Land Use Victoria until 21 May 2026). Here's how it works:

    1. Start with the address. You don't need special numbers. Land Services Victoria says you can search any property in the register, and you'll typically need the property address or the title details.
    2. Choose the title and the plan. LANDATA's price list has a folio search (the title), a plan search (the title diagram or plan), and a "title text and diagram" option that bundles both. Take both.
    3. Note the date. The search shows the register at the time it's made: a snapshot, not a subscription.

    If you'd rather not, your conveyancer can do it. Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) lists "find and review property titles" among the things you can engage a conveyancer to do.

    Do you need the volume and folio? Not to start. Volume and folio are the unique numbers that identify each Victorian land title (Land Services Victoria glossary), but the address is enough to begin.

    How much does a title search cost?

    It's a small fee. Land Services Victoria adjusts its search fees each 1 July, along with its lodgment fees, so check the current price on LANDATA when you order.

    Two extras are worth knowing about, each priced separately on LANDATA's list:

    • Instrument search. A copy of a specific registered document, such as a covenant or agreement the title refers to.
    • Historical search. A statement listing the past dealings on a title, useful if you want to see how often a home has changed hands.

    What does a Victorian title show?

    When you do a title search, Land Services Victoria says you receive a Register Search Statement that includes:

    • Registered proprietors. The current owners' names and addresses. This should match the seller named in the contract.
    • Land description. Which parcel you're buying, such as a lot on a plan of subdivision.
    • Encumbrances. Any mortgages, caveats, covenants and notices.
    • Diagram location. Where to find the sketch of the land.

    An encumbrance is simply an interest in the land held by someone other than the registered owner. The Land Services Victoria glossary lists mortgages, easements, leases and restrictive covenants as examples.

    Victoria uses the Torrens system, a system of title by registration under the Transfer of Land Act (CAV definitions). Under section 42 of the Transfer of Land Act 1958, the registered owner holds the land subject to the encumbrances recorded on the folio, but with exceptions. One matters a lot to buyers: the land is still subject to "any easements howsoever acquired", even if they aren't recorded on the title. That's one reason the section 32 must describe easements "whether registered or unregistered" (Sale of Land Act 1962, s32C).

    Mel's title was short. Two owners, matching the contract. A mortgage to a bank, which is normal: the section 32 must disclose any mortgage that won't be discharged before you take possession (s32A). And a line referring her to a plan of subdivision for the diagram.

    What is an easement?

    An easement is a right held by someone to use land belonging to someone else for a specific purpose. Land Services Victoria's glossary entry gives drainage, sewerage and carriageway easements as common examples. In plain English: you own the land, but someone else (often a water authority, the council or a neighbour) has a legal right over a strip of it.

    The catch for first home buyers is where it shows up. Easements are often not spelled out in the title text. Land Services Victoria notes that the diagram may show whether an easement affects the property, and the Subdivision Act 1988 (section 12) requires a plan of subdivision to specify existing registered easements, their purpose, and the land or authority that benefits. When the plan is registered, the easements are created as the plan specifies (section 24).

    That's what Mel found. Her title said nothing about easements. The plan showed a drainage easement running along the back fence, exactly where she'd pictured the shed. Not a deal-breaker, but a real question.

    Questions to ask about an easement: What is it for, and who benefits? Can I build anything over it, even a shed or a deck? Is anything already built on it? Your conveyancer can answer the first, and the council or the authority that benefits can tell you more about the rest.

    Havenli keeps track of all of this for you.

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    What's the difference between Torrens title, strata and owners corporation?

    These aren't three competing choices. They describe different things.

    • Torrens title is the registration system, governed by the Transfer of Land Act.
    • Strata title describes how a multi-unit property is owned. CAV's definition: each unit is individually owned, and all the owners share ownership of the common property, which is managed by an owners corporation.
    • Owners corporation is the body that manages the common property (formerly called a body corporate). CAV says one is automatically created when a plan of subdivision containing common property is registered, and common property may include gardens, driveways, stairwells, fences and more.

    So a townhouse can be on a Torrens title and part of an owners corporation at the same time. The plan must specify which lots and common property the owners corporation covers (Subdivision Act, s27), so read it alongside the title.

    Mel's plan showed common property: the shared driveway, with an owners corporation for her lot and three others. Under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (section 151), an owners corporation certificate must cover fees, fees and charges imposed or proposed, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and the funds held. The section 32 must include that information or attach a current certificate (Sale of Land Act, s32F). She added "any proposed charges for the driveway?" to her list.

    Some blocks use company title or stratum title instead. CAV notes these are less common than strata title in Victoria and work differently, so get advice before buying into one.

    Do I need a title search if I have a section 32?

    You already have one. For land under the Transfer of Land Act, section 32I of the Sale of Land Act says the section 32 must attach a copy of the Register Search Statement and the part of the document referred to as the diagram location. If the seller isn't the registered owner, it must also attach evidence of their right to sell.

    So why order your own? Timing. A title search shows the register at the time the search is made, and Land Services Victoria recommends searching well before you begin any land transaction. A section 32 prepared weeks ago won't show anything lodged since. A fresh copy costs little and settles the question. The section 32 also covers far more than the title, so read our section 32 checklist for the rest.

    What a title can't tell you: CAV says the section 32 doesn't cover the condition of buildings or the accuracy of measurements on the title. Zoning and overlays sit in the planning scheme, not the title, and our guide to checking zoning and overlays covers those.

    What should worry a first home buyer on a title?

    Most titles are dull, and that's good news. These entries deserve a question, not panic.

    A caveat. A caveat is a document someone with a legal interest in a property can lodge. Once recorded, it warns prospective buyers that a third party might have rights over the property (Land Services Victoria glossary). Ask what the interest is and whether it will be removed before settlement.

    Owners who don't match the contract. If the seller isn't the registered owner, the section 32 must attach evidence of their right to sell (s32I).

    A covenant. CAV describes a covenant as an obligation on the owner to do or not do something, for example that no more than one dwelling may be built on the land (CAV definitions). Order a copy of the covenant itself and read what it restricts.

    A recorded planning agreement. A council must apply to record a section 173 agreement on the register, and once recorded its obligations run with the land (Planning and Environment Act 1987, ss181 and 182). That means they bind you as the next owner.

    An easement where you have plans. As Mel found, the plan is where to look.

    What you might see on a title and what to ask

    Registered proprietor

    What it means
    The current legal owners
    What to ask your conveyancer
    Do these names match the seller in the contract?

    Lot and plan number

    What it means
    Which piece of land you're buying
    What to ask your conveyancer
    Does the plan match what I saw at the inspection?

    Mortgage

    What it means
    The seller's lender has security over the land
    What to ask your conveyancer
    Will it be discharged at settlement?

    Caveat

    What it means
    Someone claims an interest in the land
    What to ask your conveyancer
    Who lodged it, and will it be removed before settlement?

    Covenant

    What it means
    A restriction on what the land can be used for
    What to ask your conveyancer
    What exactly does it restrict, and does it affect my plans?

    Easement (often on the plan)

    What it means
    Someone else's right to use part of the land
    What to ask your conveyancer
    What is it for, who benefits, and can I build over it?

    Section 173 agreement

    What it means
    A council agreement that binds future owners
    What to ask your conveyancer
    What does it require of me as owner?

    Owners corporation

    What it means
    Shared common property and fees
    What to ask your conveyancer
    What are the fees, and are any extra charges proposed?

    How it played out

    Mel sent her conveyancer three questions on Friday morning: what the drainage easement meant for a shed, whether any driveway charges were coming, and whether the title in the section 32 was current. The answers came back before she signed. The shed would go on the other side of the courtyard. The owners corporation had nothing proposed. And her conveyancer had already ordered a fresh title, which matched.

    Three questions, one evening of reading, no surprises. Once you've signed, here's what happens between offer and settlement. And for everything a title doesn't cover, from price to schools, see our guide to knowing a property's true value before buying.

    Is there an easier way to do this for every listing?

    Havenli's property report covers ownership history, overlays and zoning for a listing, and turns your documents into plain questions to take to your conveyancer. It doesn't replace their advice; it helps you use their time well. It's free to start in Victoria, and you can start free here.

    General information only, not legal advice. Have a licensed conveyancer or solicitor review your contract.

    Sources

    All sources checked as at 29 October 2026.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I do a property title search in Victoria?

    Order a title search online through LANDATA, the official Victorian land information service, or through an authorised information broker. You can search any property in the register, and you usually only need the street address or the title details.

    How much does a title search cost in Victoria?

    A small fee. Land Services Victoria adjusts search fees each 1 July, so check the current price on LANDATA before you order. A copy of the plan and a historical search are listed as separate items.

    What does a Victorian title show?

    The Register Search Statement shows the current registered proprietors, a land description, encumbrances such as mortgages, caveats, covenants and notices, and where to find the diagram of the land.

    What is an easement on a property?

    A right someone else holds to use part of your land for a specific purpose. Drainage, sewerage and carriageway easements are common. Easements often appear on the plan or diagram rather than in the title text, so read both.

    What is strata title in Victoria?

    Each unit in a complex is owned individually, and all owners share the common property, such as driveways or stairwells, which is managed by an owners corporation. The plan of subdivision shows which lots and common property the owners corporation covers.

    Do I need a title search if I have a section 32?

    The section 32 must attach a copy of the Register Search Statement and the diagram, so you already have one. A title search only shows the register at the moment it was made, so it's worth checking a current copy before you sign.

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