Find out what professional assistance you might need and how to engage a registered conveyancer, legal practitioner or licensed surveyor.
Change your residential, postal or company address. If you don't do this your old address will remain on the certificate of title.
Your Certificate of Title needs to be updated if you have changed your name. Read more to find out how to change your name on your Certificate of Title.
Notification of a death
While Land Services SA cannot provide legal advice on property transactions, we have developed resources to assist you, should you decide to prepare and lodge your own legal documents as a self-represented party.
You can search the history of a block of land and research family history through the register book.
Subscribe to our Title Watch service and monitor activity against selected properties
This calculator will add up the fee for all types of plans and documents that can be lodged with Land Services SA.
The property transfer fees calculator quickly figures the stamp duty
Click here to view all relevant Land Transaction Fees
The Registrar-General’s Plan Presentation Guidelines (PPG) describes the requirements for property related plans lodged Land Services SA in South Australia.
Gain access to a range of support and guidance for Electronic Plan Lodgement (EPL)
Lodge your cadastral survey plans through the Electronic Plan Lodgement System.
Land Services have developed a Guidance Note to assist Industry Professionals when completing an "Application for Rectification of Boundaries under s223J of the Real Property Act 1886."
Access the most comprehensive property datasets held by Land Services SA through API to upgrade your research ability.
Find out SAILIS account and invoicing updates here
Electronic Conveyancing (eConveyancing) allows practitioners and financial institutions to lodge and settle conveyancing transactions in an electronic workspace provided by an Electronic Lodgement Network Operator (ELNO). A paper lodgement channel remains available for self-represented parties.
The electronic platform enables parties to:
Enquiries relating to the preparation, data entry, and resulting error messages for electronic documents, should in the first instance be referred to the Electronic Lodgement Network Operator to which you subscribe.
There are two approved Electronic Lodgement Network Operators (ELNO) in South Australia:
To find out more, including information on becoming a subscriber to lodge dealings electronically, visit www.pexa.com.au or www.sympli.com.au
The Registrar-General has mandated the electronic lodgement of the following dealings. These dealings represent approximately 92% of the total dealings lodged:
Prefix
Dealing
Dealing Executed on or after
DM
Discharge of Mortgage
3 April 2017
M
Mortgage
12 February 2018
Mortgage (justification for change of mortgagor name)
3 August 2020
E
Encumbrance
DE
Discharge of Encumbrance
T
Transfer
X
Caveat
WX
Withdrawal of Caveat
TA
Transmission Application
AD
Application to Register Death by Survivor
L
Lease
UL
Underlease
SL
Surrender of Lease
SU
Surrender of Underlease
TM
Transfer of Mortgage
TE
Transfer of Encumbrance
The Registrar-General has agreed that where one or more of the following circumstances apply, the dealing will be exempt from electronic lodgement and Land Services SA will accept the dealing lodged in paper.
Download printable version here
Dealings which fit one or more of the following circumstances are considered not electronically tradable and are exempt from electronic lodgement:
The above applies to all categories of electronic lodgements, including mandated and residual dealings.
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a MORTGAGE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a DISCHARGE OF MORTGAGE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a TRANSFER OF MORTGAGE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a CAVEAT dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a WITHDRAWAL OF CAVEAT dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of an ENCUMBRANCE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a DISCHARGE OF ENCUMBRANCE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a TRANSFER OF ENCUMBRANCE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a TRANSFER dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a TRANSMISSION APPLICATION dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of an APPLICATION TO REGISTER DEATH dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a LEASE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a UNDERLEASE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a SURRENDER OF LEASE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a SURRENDER OF UNDERLEASE dealing will not apply when:
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a Transfer of Lease dealing does not apply.
The mandatory electronic lodgement of a Transfer of Underlease dealing does not apply.
To deal with “Work in Progress”, Land Services SA will accept the paper lodgement of a mandated dealing where the dealing is executed prior to the date for mandatory electronic lodgement of the dealing.
New functionality has been introduced to enable the electronic lodgement of dealings which were previously not electronically tradable. These are known as ‘residual dealings’. Residual Dealings will continue to be introduced incrementally, with notice being provided to industry as additional dealings become available.
A User Guide has been developed that details the Residual Dealings that can currently be lodged electronically in South Australia, and includes a summary of the requirements for each. This User Guide will continue to be updated as additional functionality is introduced to allow the lodgement of additional Residual Dealings.
At this stage, the electronic lodgement of eligible Residual Dealings is not mandatory.
On 12 June 2019, the Registrar-General exercised discretion under section 273(2) of the Real Property Act 1886 (the Act) to exempt all of the classes of instrument prescribed by regulation under Part 4 Regulation 12(2) of the Real Property Regulations 2009 (the Regulations) from all of the certification requirements under section 273(1) of the Act.
The Registrar-General has now revoked that exercise of discretion and, pursuant to section 273(2) of the Act, exempts only the classes of instrument listed in the attached Schedule (from those classes of instrument prescribed by regulation under Part 4 Regulation 12(2) of the Regulations) from all of the certification requirements under section 273(1) of the Act.
Land Services SA, together with the Office of the Registrar-General have published responses to some of the industry’s most frequently asked questions.
Please view the eConveyancing FAQs here
New E-Conveyancing Tip of the Month
December 2023
Have you checked your Transfer prior to certifying?
Land Services SA has seen an increase of Transfers being lodged and registered where the dealing does not reflect the intended outcome of the Certifier.
This is most commonly occurring when a Certifier’s intention is to transfer the whole of the land from the sole registered proprietor to themselves and another, as joint tenants.
Please note that if the estate and interest panel refers to a ½ share, the resulting outcome is that the current registered proprietor will retain ½ share, and the new incoming transferee and the current registered proprietor will hold the remaining ½ share as joint tenants.
It is the Certifier’s responsibility to ensure that the dealing has been drafted in accordance with their client’s instructions. Errors created by incorrect drafting of the dealing will result in the Certifier being responsible for correcting the error and any associated fees.
Previous E-Conveyancing Tip of the Month
November 2023
The LSSA Registration Team continue to identify errors for electronically lodged Transmission Applications.The most common errors being:
This results in the rendered image of the Transmission Application being incorrect and may also impact correctness of the following Transfer if lodged in series. To further address these issues, Transmission Applications, and where applicable, Transfers in series, will be requisitioned for the above errors.
It is important to note that it is the responsibility of the Certifier, to ensure that all dealing details are correct prior to signing and certifying that they have “taken reasonable steps to ensure that the Registry Instrument or Document is correct and compliant with relevant legislation and any Prescribed Requirement.”
October 2023
There have been several occurrences recently where an Application to Note Change/Correction of Name (CN) has been lodged in series with a Mortgage (Justification for change of Mortgagor Name) (M:CN) for the same name change, for the same entity.
The same change/correction of name for the same party cannot be actioned twice as regards the same Certificate of Title, and two dealings for the same change cannot be accepted for registration.
If a CN and M:CN are lodged in series, for the same name change, for the same entity, both will be requisitioned.
For a change or correction of name for a re-finance, where the justification applies to all titles being secured by the Mortgage, lodge either:
or
September 2023
New lodgements on pick up of unregistered proprietorship dealings, unregistered division dealings, or unregistered dealings issuing new Certificates of Titles, are not electronically tradeable and are exempt from electronic lodgement.
All dealings lodged on pick up of the above categories of dealings will be accepted as paper lodgements.
The land description for dealings on pick up of unregistered division dealings must be current as at the date of the dealing, and if portion of the land, must refer to the Allotment, Plan type and Plan number.
August 2023
The use of an application to note the change or correction of a name is compulsory when a proprietor of the land, or subsidiary interest, is party to a dealing that does not dispose of their entire interest in the land.
Exceptions to this are:
For both Applications to Register Death by Survivor, and Removal of Caveats, any discrepancy between the correct name of the person making the Application, as confirmed by the Applicant’s Verification of Identity documents, and the register book, should be recited in the Applicant panel as:
“(New or correct name) of (insert address) registered as (former or incorrect name) as a consequence of (insert reason)”
Although the above applications are acceptable without the prior registration of an Application to Note Change/Correction of Name, no alteration will be made to the Applicant’s name on the Certificate of Title.
The Applicant’s name will only be updated when an Application to Note Change/Correction of Name is lodged.
July 2023
In ELNO workspaces the use of “Registered Conveyancer, or Solicitor, on behalf of an Applicant” should only be used in dealings where the Dealing Sub-Category in the Residual Dealing User Guide specifically indicates that this is an option, being:
ORDER OF COURT (PURSUANT TO SECTION 8 OF THE ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS ACT 1991)Applicant(s) is a Prescribed Person on behalf of the Judgment Creditor
DISCHARGE OF ORDER OF COURT (PURSUANT TO SECTION 8 OF THE ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS ACT 1991)
Applicant(s) is a Prescribed Person on behalf of the Judgment Creditor
WARRANT OF SALE
ENFORCEMENT WARRANT
CESSATION OF LIEN
Applicant(s) is Prescribed Person on behalf of the Registered Proprietor(s) of a title.
If you try to include “Registered Conveyancer, or Solicitor, on behalf of” in Applicant panels that do not allow for this option, the dealing will not lodge successfully.
There have also been lodgement cases where the incorrect Dealing Sub-Category has been selected, resulting in the lodgement of the wrong dealing, and subsequent requisition. If you are unsure of the dealing heading, please review the Dealing Sub-Categories in the Residual Dealing User Guide prior to making your dealing selection.
This will aid in ensuring the selection of the correct document type, and legislative references, for the dealing the Subscriber is intending on creating in the ELNO workspace.
Prior to lodgement, please view the image of the rendered form to check for accuracy of data entry and correctness of the dealing.
The Residual Dealing User Guide is located on the Electronic Conveyancing page on the LSSA website: https://www.landservices.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/7058/Residual-Dealing-User-Guide-South-Australia-Release-4-v1.0.pdf
June 2023
When a full withdrawal is required for any dealing, the original bar-coded dealing that was delivered with the requisition slip, should be returned to this office.The correcting agent is to provide a letter requesting the dealing be Fully Withdrawn. This letter is to include the following information:The reason for the Full Withdrawal RequestDetails of who and how the EFT refund (if applicable) is to be paid to;Signed consent of all Certifier(s)Once we have received the original requisitioned dealing with the signed request attached, the full withdrawal process can be completed.Please note that a full list of instructions and required signatories is available on the website at:https://www.landservices.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/2839/Withdrawal-of-a-Document-Guidance-Notes.pdf
To facilitate the registration process and ensure consistency in the register, this office will always use the following abbreviations for Australian registered Companies and Associations:
Proprietary __________________ PTY. Limited _____________________ LTD. Company ___________________ CO. Number ____________________ NO. And ________________________ & No Liability __________________ N.L.Australian Company Number ___ ACNIncorporated ________________ INC.
There have been several instances recently where a Certifier has been trying to change an Australian company name to override the standard company abbreviations described on the register and to have one or more of the above words described in full. The use of the above abbreviations is permissible under section 149 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and section 65 of the Associations Incorporation Act 1985 and no Applications to Note Change/Correction of Name should be lodged for any of the above abbreviations to appear in full.
To provide further clarity for industry, Land Services SA, in conjunction with the Office of the Registrar-General, has released an update to the Exemptions for Electronic Conveyancing. A printable version of the updated Exemption Guidelines has also been added.
When entering an entity, or individual name, in an electronic workspace, it is essential that the name is entered as per their Verification of Identity documents.
Certifiers should pay particular attention to how the Association is described in the Certificate of Incorporation, or for a Company, how they are described in the ASIC search. The name of the entity should be entered in the electronic workspace exactly as they are described in the searches.
For individuals, Certifiers should take care to ensure that name spelling is correct, and that their Given Name(s) and Family Name are entered into the correct field, as per their Verification of Identity documents.
If you notice an error in your dealing after lodgement, but prior to registration, the responsible Subscriber can email [email protected] with a request to have the document referred for correction so that you can amend the dealing.
Once the dealing is registered, an Application to Note Correction of Name would be required to be lodged to amend any error in the incoming party name.
If you are acting on behalf of yourself within a PEXA workspace, please ensure that you choose “I am the Transacting Party” in the Participants screen to ensure the correct certifications are presented upon signing.
Whenever a proprietor is divesting themselves entirely of the estate and interest being dealt with, an Application to Note Change/Correction of Name is not required. Reference to the change, alteration or correction of name must be recited in the Transferor panel and will render as:[New name] registered as [old name] as a consequence of [insert justification]
It is important to note that a transfer in which the registered proprietor transfers all their estate and interest in the land, but then, in the same transfer, acquires a fresh interest as transferee, is regarded as a total disposal of interest. If the transferor's name has changed or altered the above recital is still required.
Documentation supporting the change/correction of name should be retained in your evidence file.
Registration Officers will requisition for clarification if it appears that the transferor's name has changed and no tie up and justification has been included in the Transferor panel.
Further detail can be found via our Transfer/Transferor Guidance Note: https://www.landservices.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/5164/T1-Guide-Version-3.pdf
Sections 32 & 49 of the Development Act 1993 have been repealed and replaced by Sections 101 & 131 respectively of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (PDIA).
Lodging parties are reminded that development approval may in certain circumstances be required to lease portion of an allotment.
It is the responsibility of the certifying party to ensure that a lease or underlease does not contravene the relevant provisions of the PDIA.
Lease and Underlease Form Changes
A statement that the lease or underlease does not contravene the relevant section of the PDIA (formerly Development Act) is no longer required on the lease and underlease forms.
Instead, this is covered by the prescribed certification that the ‘Certifier has taken reasonable steps to ensure that the Registry Instrument or Document is correct and compliant with relevant legislation and any Prescribed Requirement.’
PEXA Lease and Underlease forms have now been updated to remove the relevant panel and mandatory electronic lodgement of Leases and Underleases will apply.
For a full list of mandatory electronic lodgements and exemptions, please refer to:
https://www.landservices.com.au/businesses-and-property-industry-professionals/registrar-general/electronic-conveyancing
Did you know that the most common patent error in both Paper and Electronic Environments is in relation to a Transmission Application (TA)?
When preparing a Transmission Application by Personal Representatives (TA) it is important to check the grant of Probate to determine if leave has been reserved for the non-proving executor(s) to obtain Probate.
Where leave has been reserved, the capacity in the PEXA workspace should be entered as:
Executor Leave Reserved
By ensuring the correct selection you avoid requisition and delays in the registration of your dealing.
Do you want to know more about this? Please check out the LSSA Industry Education Hub
There is a recording of one of our webinars which will assist, make sure you pay extra attention to Slide 11.
LSSA Industry Education Series 1 Webinar 3: Electronic Lodgement Policies and Procedures – click here to view the recording
A training program has been introduced to assist practitioners to transition from paper to electronic lodgement. Details of this training and support can be found on in our Industry Education Hub.
Since the introduction of eConveyancing in South Australia in 2016, the Office of the Registrar-General has undertaken significant formal and informal stakeholder consultation about the future of eConveyancing. Particularly, in 2019, the Registrar-General consulted widely with industry, including through field visits, and concluded that majority support exists for mandating eConveyancing.
Feedback received prior to this initiative through formal consultation remains available for your information: