Quick answer
A certificate of title is a document showing who owns a parcel of land and what interests, such as mortgages or caveats, are recorded against it. In Australia the official record is the state's electronic land register, not the paper certificate. NSW, Queensland and Tasmania have stopped issuing paper certificates, so lenders rely on a current title search instead.
Key points
- The land register, not the paper document, is the legal record of ownership
- Paper certificates lost effect in Queensland (2019) and NSW (2021), and Tasmania stopped printing them after 31 August 2026
- Victoria uses an electronic certificate whose 'control' usually sits with the first mortgagee
- Lenders order a fresh title search before approving any property-secured loan
Plenty of owners still have a framed or filed paper certificate of title, sometimes passed down a generation. It feels like the deed to the house. In most of Australia it’s now closer to a souvenir, because the real record lives in a government database.
What a certificate of title shows
Under the Torrens title system used across Australia, each parcel of land has a folio in the state register. A certificate of title is a copy of that folio at a point in time. It lists:
- the registered owner or owners;
- the land description (lot and plan number);
- registered mortgages, caveats, easements, covenants and other encumbrances.
The register itself is the conclusive record. The certificate only reflects what the register said on the day it was printed.
Where paper certificates stand, state by state
The move to electronic conveyancing has retired the paper document in stages:
| State | Status of the paper certificate |
|---|---|
| Queensland | No legal effect since 1 October 2019 |
| NSW | Cancelled on 11 October 2021, with all dealings now electronic |
| Victoria | Replaced by an electronic certificate (eCT) when next used in a transaction |
| Tasmania | No longer issued or printed after 31 August 2026 |
Queensland’s change had a side effect lenders noticed. Handing over a paper certificate used to create an informal equitable mortgage there. That rule went in 2019, so holding the document no longer gives a lender anything.
In Victoria the eCT has a “control” holder, the party entitled to deal with the title. Where a bank holds a first mortgage, it or its lawyers usually hold control. That’s one reason a second lender can need the first lender’s cooperation to register its own mortgage.
Why it matters when you borrow against property
When a business loan is secured by land, the lender’s first job is checking the title. It orders a fresh title search to confirm whose name is on the folio, which interests sit there already and whether any of them would get in the way of its security. Names must match the borrower or guarantor exactly. An unexpected caveat or a mortgage you’d forgotten to discharge can stall settlement.
An example
A Launceston joinery owner wants $180k against an investment unit to buy a CNC router. They post the lender their grandmother’s paper certificate. The lender thanks them but orders a title search, which reveals a 2009 mortgage that was repaid but never formally discharged. The owner’s conveyancer chases the old bank for a discharge, and funding lands roughly seven days behind schedule. Grandma’s certificate never left the envelope. (Illustrative figures.)
Planning to borrow against land? You can tell us what you need here and we’ll check what’s workable.
Related terms
A title search is the live version of this document. Registered mortgages and caveats are the two interests lenders look for most. If the property already carries a home loan, a second mortgage business loan or a caveat loan can still be on the table. For a first estimate of usable equity, try the property equity calculator.
Thinking of using your title as security?
Leave the old certificate in the drawer; we’ll read the register ourselves. Filling in the form is roughly sixty seconds of typing, and no lender pulls your credit history because you asked a question. Nothing gets broadcast across the market either. One of our team looks over the property, the debt already on it and the purpose of the funds, and phones you once they have a view. Be precise with the address and the balances owing, because a clean match between your answers and the title is what lets us point you at a sensible structure straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my paper certificate of title to get a business loan?
Generally no. Lenders work from a current title search issued by the land registry. In states where paper certificates have been abolished, the old document has no role in the loan at all, although it does no harm to keep it.
What should I do with an old paper certificate of title?
In NSW and Queensland it's now a keepsake with no legal effect. Tasmania says an old certificate may count as partial evidence of a right to deal for a period, but the register is what matters. Store it safely or ask your conveyancer about destroying it securely.
Is a certificate of title the same as a title search?
They show similar information, but a title search is a snapshot of the register on the day it's ordered. That's why lenders insist on a fresh search rather than relying on an old certificate.
Who holds the title when there's a mortgage?
On paper-based systems the mortgagee used to keep the certificate. Today, with electronic titles, the first mortgagee typically holds the right to deal electronically. In Victoria this is called control of the electronic certificate of title.
Can someone steal my property with my certificate of title?
Title fraud is the reason states moved away from paper. Registries now rely on identity and right-to-deal checks by subscribers such as lawyers, conveyancers and banks, so a stolen paper certificate is far less useful to a fraudster than it once was.