Land Title Law Change

Historically there have always been two copies of every Certificate of Title to land. One copy was held permanently in the Land Registry Office, while the duplicate was held by the owner or the owner’s mortgagee. All details of any transfers of ownership, mortgages or other dealings affecting the property were entered on both copies.

As from 14 October 2002 this has changed. All the paper copies of the Certificates of Title held in the Land Registry have been converted to an electronic format, and as from that date, these electronic copies will be the only ones to be maintained and updated.

This means that the owner’s duplicate paper Certificate of Title has now become redundant, and no longer has any legal affect.

This is a significant change to the land transfer system, and has come about as a consequence of the new electronic registration system currently being implemented. Any property owner now wanting verification that his or her ownership of their property is correctly recorded, can at any time obtain a copy of the electronic title. The new system also has the advantage of avoiding the often significant expense and delays which could occur if the duplicate title was lost.

While the old duplicates of titles no longer have any legal standing, many people may wish to retain them for historic interest. If we are holding your title and you would like us to return it, please let us know.