Deeds search: see who owns a property and what it sold for
A deeds search shows who owns a South African property, what it sold for and when, and its bonds, the home loans registered against it. The record is held by the deeds office, and a findproperly report pulls it for one property at a time, priced before you pay.
One deeds search is R99 once-off, with no account needed. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Type a street address and suburb, then pick the property from the list.
An erf is the numbered stand a property sits on. A property deeds search covers one property at a time: a house on its own erf or a unit in a sectional title block.
What a deeds office search returns for one property
A search is a look at the deeds office's record of one property, which you order by buying a report. The title deed is the registered document that shows who owns a piece of land or a sectional title unit in a block of flats, and the record is that deed plus every registration made against it since. An endorsement is a note recorded on a deed after it was first registered.
- The registered owner, with the date they were registered and what they paid
- Every transfer, with its price, its date, the seller and the buyer
- The title deed number of each registered transfer
- Registered bonds, the institutions behind them, and endorsements
- The deeds office the property is filed in, the municipality, the extent (its size) and the zoning
- 15 nearby registered sales with price, date, size and distance
One search, one price, no subscription
Today one search is R99, once-off.
You pay for the property you search and for nothing else. There is no subscription, and a deed search online here needs no account.
The price is on screen first, and nothing is charged until you confirm it. The 15 nearby sales come with the search at no extra cost.
A sample
What the result looks like
This is an example only: the street, the amounts and the dates are invented, and no real owner appears in it. A real report opens with the property and its registered owner, sets out the transfers and bonds in date order, and ends with the 15 nearby sales.
Select a report to bring it to the front.
Which properties a search covers
A report covers the kinds of property a deed search in South Africa most often meets. If more than one property matches, you choose the right one before anything is charged.
- A street address Type the address and suburb, and pick the property from the list.
- A sectional title unit Search the block's street address. If more than one unit matches, you choose yours before anything is charged.
- An erf An erf is the numbered stand a property sits on, and you reach it by searching the street address.
Questions about deeds searches
What is a deeds search?
A deeds search is a look-up of one property in the deeds office's register, the state's record of who holds the rights to land in South Africa. It returns the registered owner, every transfer with its price and date, the bonds registered against the property and the title deed number.
How to check a title deed online in South Africa, with the routes compared
What does a deeds search show, and what doesn't it?
It shows the registered owner, every transfer with its price and date, registered bonds and endorsements, the title deed number and 15 nearby registered sales. It is the record and not an opinion, so it does not put a price on the property. The prices it shows are what properties actually sold for.
Property valuation: what nearby properties sold for, from the deeds office
How much does a deeds search cost?
One search is R99 once-off, with no account and no subscription. With a free account the same search is R86,20, and either way nothing is charged until you confirm the price on screen.
Which properties can I search?
The search starts from a street address and suburb. A house on its own erf and a sectional title unit are covered. If more than one property matches, you choose the right one before anything is charged.
Can I do a deeds search myself?
Yes. Any deeds office will give you a printout of a property's registration facts, and a copy of a title deed on written application, in both cases for the prescribed fee. Online, the government's own DeedsWEB service does the same for registered subscribers.
You apply with an identity document, proof of residence, credit references and banking details, pay a registration fee, and then pay a charge from the published schedule of fees for each search.
We sell one search at a time with no registration: you give us a street address and suburb, see the price and pay once. If you search all day and have the paperwork, DeedsWEB may suit you better.
What happens if the property can't be found?
You don't pay for a report you didn't get. If a guest purchase comes back not found, ambiguous or failed, it is refunded automatically. On an account the credit is never spent, so your balance stays as it was.
How do I pay?
One search is R99 once-off, with no account and no subscription. You pay through Paystack by card, Apple Pay, Instant EFT, SnapScan, Scan to Pay or Capitec Pay, and nothing is charged until you confirm. The receipt comes by email.
Run a deeds search on one property.
Type the street address and suburb, pick the property, and see the price before anything is charged.