Land title lodgements

Conveyancing transactions and changes to land title ownership are lodged with the ACT Land Titles Office (LTO) for recognition on the ACT Land Titles Register.

The ACT Land Titles Register is the official record of who owns property in the ACT including registered interests on the property such as a mortgage or caveat.

Read about searching the ACT Land Titles Register.

Use the Land Titles Practice Manual [DOCX 2.7MB].

Lodgements can be made by:

• self-represented parties
• legal practitioners or financial institutions acting on behalf of their clients.

Forms and guidance notes

Fees are updated on 1 July of every year.

View all land title lodgement forms and fees.

Seller verification declaration form

You must use the Seller verification declaration form if you are selling land and lodging any of the following:

• Determination/surrender of a Crown Lease
• Notice of appointment/retirement of trustee
• Transfer
• Transmission application (only in cases of bankruptcy).

Buyer verification declaration form

You must use the Buyer verification declaration form if you are buying land and lodging any of the following:

• Application to register a Crown Lease
• Notice of appointment/retirement of trustee
• Transfer by power of sale
• Transfer
• Transmission application.

Self-representation

Self-Represented Parties are individuals who want to prepare and lodge their own documentation with the LTO.

Use one of the Self-Represented Party Lodgement Packs:

• Self-Represented Party Lodgement Pack 1 Categories 1-4 and 6(a) and 6(b) [PDF 1.7 MB]
• Self-Represented Party Lodgement Pack 2 Categories 5(a) and 5(b) – Identifier Declaration [PDF 567 KB]

If you choose to self-represent yourself in the lodgement process, you have 2 options:

• Make an appointment to lodge them in person with the LTO.
• Prepare your documentation and engage a lodging agent to lodge them on your behalf.

Make an appointment

The LTO is located at the Dickson Specialised Centre, 480 Northbourne Avenue, Dickson ACT. To attend the Specialised Centre, you must make an appointment.

You can book an appointment online.

Verifying your identity

As a Self-Represented Party, you are responsible for verifying your identity per the Land Titles (Verification of Identity) Rules 2020.

To have your identity verified you will need to see an ‘Authorised person’ to certify your documents. An Authorised person is:

• an Identity Agent
• a Justice of the Peace
• a Legal Practitioner
• a Notary Public.

Verifying your authority to deal on the land

You also need to provide evidence that you have the authority to deal on the land per the Land Titles (Verification of Authority) Rules 2020.

Examples include:

• a current ACT rates document or utility bill
• a copy of the contract of sale
• loan documentation.

The LTO will only accept your lodgement if you include:

• your identity documents
• the certification of your identity by an Authorised person
• documents linking you to the property.

The LTO will check your documents before accepting the lodgement.

Legal practitioners and financial institutions

Legal practitioners and financial institutions can use electronic conveyancing (e-conveyancing) to lodge documentation.

They must verify your identity first, and also gain your authority to transact on your behalf.

E-conveyancing

The ACT uses an e-conveyancing platform called PEXA to streamline the property transaction process.

Under the Electronic Conveyancing National Law (ACT) Participation Rules 2021 only your legal practitioner or financial institution can use e-conveyancing.

If your representative is a PEXA subscriber you can track the settlement through a smartphone app.

Read about e-conveyancing for lawyers and banks.

Mortgage Validation Service

Financial institutions that hold mortgages in the ACT can use this service to:

• confirm your mortgage records are correct
• check for differences between your information and ours
• help avoid transaction delays for customers who apply to the Land Titles Office.

The fee for this service is $6.60 per mortgage.

To use this service, email actlandtitles@act.gov.au.

Help to fill in application forms

To help you fill in land title application forms, you should:

• read the guidance notes supplied with the land title lodgement forms
• use the Land Titles Practice Manual [DOCX 2.7 MB]
• check your application does not have errors before you lodge it.

Avoid common errors

Check your:

• subleases have correctly numbered annexures and no missing pages
• mortgages do not have missing or incorrect consents
• caveats do not have missing or incorrect names for registered owners (proprietors)
• statutory declaration for corrections has supporting evidence. It must explain the error in detail, how it happened and what we need to do to correct it.

If you need your details changed, check it matches what’s on the land title. This includes:

• previous addresses
• names on death certificates.

You can avoid most of these errors by using Title Search on ACTLIS.

If your land titles application is not correct

Mistakes and missing information can lead to costly delays:

• We cannot register it.
• We put it on hold (called a requisition) until you give us a correct application.
• You may have to pay extra admin fees (called requisition fees).

Requisition fees

You will pay a requisition fee if we need to:

• follow up with you about errors in your application
• check your application again.

Fees depend on how complex the application is. Check the list of simple and complex applications below.

Requisition fees are:

• $120 each for a simple application, such as transfers, transmissions or caveats.
• $240 each for a complex application, such as community title schemes or changes to unit plans
• $455 each for an application to register a unit plan or sublease plan + $15 for each unit over 30 units.

Get your application checked before you lodge

A pre-lodgement check will:

• tell you if your application is correct and ready to lodge
• tell you what changes it needs before you lodge it
• help you avoid extra costs
• help you get your application registered without delay.

Fees for a pre-lodgement check depend on how complex your application is. Check the list of simple and complex applications below.

Fees for pre-lodgement checks are:

• $80 each to check a simple application, such as transfers, transmissions or caveats
• $160 each to check a complex application, such as community title schemes or changes to unit plans
• $309 each to check an application to register a unit plan or sublease plan + $10 for each unit over 30 units.

You can get a pre-lodgement check:

• online
• by appointment in-person at our Dickson Specialised Service Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

To make an appointment, email ltoprelodgement@act.gov.au.

Get a pre-lodgement check

Simple and complex land title applications

Bulletins, waivers and memorandums