In short
To find out who owns a property in Australia, order a title search from the land titles register of the state or territory where the property is. The search names the registered owners (registered proprietors) and lists mortgages, caveats and easements. There is no single national register. The official fee for one title search in 2026-27 ranges from $8.30 on Victoria’s LANDATA website to $42 in the Northern Territory. In New South Wales an online title search is sold through an authorised information broker, who adds its own charge to the registry fee.
Who owns it: the title search, state by state
| State | Titles office | Official way to search | Fee for a title search (2026-27) | Owner name shown? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Land Registry Services (NSW LRS) | Online only through an authorised information broker or reseller; or over the counter at NSW LRS | $17.00 excl. GST ($18.70 incl.) over the counter; broker prices are higher and vary | Yes | NSW LRS says only the brokers it authorises can access its records. It publishes a broker price table for one-off searches, last updated 1 April 2026. |
| VIC | Land Services Victoria | LANDATA website or an authorised information broker | $8.30 folio search on the LANDATA website ($10.00 for account holders, $21.10 staff-assisted); title text and diagram $16.20 | Yes, with addresses | The register search statement includes the registered proprietors’ names and addresses. GST exempt. |
| QLD | Titles Queensland | OTIS (Online Title and Image Searches), phone or post | $25.71 excl. GST, current title search | Yes | The search shows current owners and registered interests (mortgages, easements, covenants, leases, caveats). |
| WA | Landgate | Land Enquiry Services online, or a Landgate office | $33.90, copy of certificate of title (check search $16.95) | Yes | Searching by owner name alone requires 100-point ID and a MyLandgate account or a visit to an office. Owners can apply for name suppression. |
| SA | Land Services SA | SAILIS online (guest access available) | $36.75, Register Search (copy of the certificate of title); Title Details $13.00 | Yes | The Title Details search ($13.00) gives current registered proprietors, parcel details, last sale and valuation number. GST exempt unless marked. |
| TAS | Land Titles Office (Land Tasmania) | theLIST online, Service Tasmania, the Land Titles Office or by written request | $39.20 per document (statutory charge) | Yes | The folio text shows current owners’ names, easements, mortgages, covenants and caveats. |
| ACT | ACT Land Titles Office (Access Canberra) | ACTLIS online, as a public user or subscriber | $24.00 (copy of register information, “all other searches”) | Yes | You need at least the street name. An owner can apply for name suppression on the register (form 050, no fee). Land is held under Crown lease. |
| NT | Land Titles Office | NT title search website, phone, email or in person | $42 | Yes | Search by street address or parcel; a volume and folio search may not return current titles. |
Fees are those published by each registry for 2026-27; most changed on 1 July 2026. Brokers, conveyancers and search companies charge their own fees on top.
Where each fee comes from
- NSW: NSW LRS 2026/27 fees update, line “Title searches (over the counter delivery)”, $17.00 excluding GST and $18.70 including GST. Online, the price you pay is the broker’s.
- Victoria: LANDATA service charges effective 1 July 2026, “Folio Search” $8.30 on the LANDATA website, GST exempt. A Land Index Search is listed separately at $9.57 (GST inclusive).
- Queensland: Titles Queensland, current title search $25.71 excluding GST.
- Western Australia: Landgate land transaction fees (updated 1 July 2026), copy of certificate of title $33.90; regulated fees are not subject to GST.
- South Australia: SAILIS price list 2026-2027, Register Search $36.75, Register Search Plus $45.50, Title Details $13.00.
- Tasmania: LIST fee schedule effective 1 July 2026, current land title search $39.20 per document.
- ACT: Land Titles (Fees) Determination 2026 (No 2), item 7, $24.00 for a copy of information in the register other than plan searches (plans: $26.00). Inspecting the register costs $36.00. GST does not apply.
- Northern Territory: NT.GOV.AU, “A $42 fee applies”. The page does not show a date or say whether the amount includes GST.
What a title search tells you about the owner
A title search gives the names of the registered owners, not a phone number or email. In Victoria the statement also gives the owners’ addresses for service. If the owner is a company, Landgate notes that the title shows the company, and details of the people behind it come from ASIC.
A search shows what is registered at the moment you run it. Landgate warns that a title “subject to dealing” may not be a complete, up-to-date copy, because a transfer or mortgage is waiting to be registered.
The register does not tell you who lives in the property. A tenant, or a buyer whose purchase has not yet settled, does not appear as owner.
Searching by address or by owner name
Most registries let you search by street address, lot and plan number, or volume and folio reference. Searching by the owner’s name is restricted:
- In Western Australia, a name-only search requires personal identification to the 100-point standard and is limited to registered online users or a visit to a Landgate office.
- In Western Australia and the ACT, owners can apply to have their name suppressed. In Western Australia suppression removes the name from the name indexes, so a name cannot be used on its own to find properties, but the title itself is unchanged.
Before you buy: who orders the search
When you buy, your conveyancer or solicitor orders the title search, checks that the registered owner matches the seller on the contract, and runs a final check before settlement. The search then appears as a disbursement on your bill. What the register contains and the products available beyond a basic search are in land titles and the Torrens register; the settlement steps are in settlement and electronic conveyancing.
Which professional to consult
A conveyancer or solicitor orders and reads title searches and explains caveats, easements and covenants; see conveyancer. For the market value of a property, which a title search does not give, see property valuer.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone find out who owns a property in Australia?
Yes. Each state and territory register is public and anyone can buy a title search for a fee, by address or title reference. Searching by an owner’s name is more restricted.
How much does a title search cost?
From $8.30 (Victoria, LANDATA website) to $42 (Northern Territory) in 2026-27: NSW $17.00 excluding GST over the counter, Queensland $25.71 excluding GST, WA $33.90, SA $36.75, Tasmania $39.20, ACT $24.00. Brokers charge more.
How do I search a NSW title?
Through one of the information brokers authorised by NSW LRS, which says only its authorised brokers can access its records, or in person at the NSW LRS office ($17.00 excluding GST per title search over the counter).
Is there a free way to find the owner?
None of the registries read for this guide offers a free title search. In South Australia the Title Details search, which lists the registered proprietors, costs $13.00.
Does the title search show the owner’s contact details?
No. It shows the registered owners’ names and, in Victoria, their addresses for service. It does not give phone numbers or emails.
Can an owner hide their name?
In Western Australia and the ACT an owner can apply for name suppression. Check with the registry in other states.
General information drawn from the official sources cited and dated on this page. It is not legal, tax or financial advice: for your own situation, ask a licensed professional.
More guides on buying
- Building and pest inspection before you buy
- Buying a home in Australia: the steps, state by state
- Buying at auction in Australia: the rules by state
- Buying off the plan: sunset clauses, deposits and duty (NSW, Vic, Qld)
- Contract of sale and exchange: what you sign, by state
- Conveyance duty in the ACT and the Home Buyer Concession
- Cooling-off period when buying a home, by state
- First home buyer stamp duty concessions in each state
- First home owner grants compared across the states
- Foreign buyers and FIRB approval for a home
- Foreign purchaser surcharge duty in each state
- Home warranty insurance by state: thresholds, cover periods and limits
- Land titles register and title search in Australia
- Land transfer duty in Victoria: rates and concessions
- Property transfer duty in Tasmania: rates and relief
- Settlement and electronic conveyancing in Australia
- Stamp duty in South Australia: how to find your figure
- Stamp duty in the Northern Territory: formula and discount
- Strata title and body corporate: what to check by state
- Transfer duty in NSW: 2026/27 rates and first home buyers
- Transfer duty in Queensland: rates and home concessions
- Transfer duty in Western Australia: rates and first home
- Underquoting and agents' price guides: NSW, Victoria, Queensland
Sources
- 2026/27 Fees Update (NSW Land Registry Services, issued June 2026) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- How to find an information broker (NSW Land Registry Services) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- LANDATA service charges, effective 1 July 2026 (Land Services Victoria) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Property and land titles information (Land Services Victoria) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Searches (Titles Queensland) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Land transaction fees (Landgate WA) (consulted 14 October 2026)
- REG-03 Searching the Register (Landgate WA, version 3, 30 May 2024) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- SAILIS Price List 2026-2027 (Land Services SA, prices effective 1 July 2026) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Get a copy of your Title and Land Search (Land Services SA) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- LIST Fee Schedule, effective 1 July 2026 (theLIST, Tasmania) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- How to search a Torrens title (Land Tasmania) (consulted 14 October 2026)
- Search the ACT Land Titles Register (Access Canberra) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Land Titles (Fees) Determination 2026 (No 2), DI2026-104 (ACT), commenced 1 July 2026 (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Land title lodgement, registration and search forms related fees (Access Canberra) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Search for a land title (NT.GOV.AU) (consulted 21 October 2026)