The Office of the Registrar General formally commenced under the new regulator operator model on 1 July 2016 and is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the NSW land title system.
Key aspects of our role include:
- Policy and legal advisor: advising on land title policy and legal matters
- Regulator: overseeing the operations of the NSW land title registry and the connections between the registry and other public and private sector parties
- Review body: handling reviews of decisions made by NSW Land Registry Services (NSW LRS) under section 121 of the Real Property Act 1900
- Independent arbitrator: of disputed title boundaries
- Driver of reforms in land titling: including eConveyancing and digital survey plans
The NSW land title system
A primary function of the NSW land title system is to provide a secure framework for the safe and efficient development of and trade in real property in NSW. The system does this by enabling the registration of the legal rights of owners of land in NSW.
Nearly all land held by private persons in NSW is held in the Torrens Title Register. The Torrens system was introduced in NSW in 1863 and provides land owners and those who wish to deal with land, with proof and security of ownership. The Torrens Title Register defines the ownership and boundaries of properties and records changes as they are registered.
Legal rights registered in the Torrens Title Register are protected by a State Government Guarantee. The register contains information in relation to current ownership and encumbrances on the land such as mortgages, leases and easements.
Operation of the NSW land title system
On 22 September 2016 the Land and Property Information NSW (Authorised Transaction) Act 2016 was passed. The Act established the mechanisms for the Registrar General to be the regulator of a privately-operated land titles business.
The Government invited the private sector to operate the administration of the titling and registry business of Land and Property Information (LPI) under a 35-year concession. The concession started on 1 July 2017.
The Office of the Registrar General is managing the concession to ensure the integrity, security, performance and availability of the NSW land titles system through a range of oversights, rules and directions, quality assurance and strong engagement with stakeholders.
Find out more about our role as a regulator.