Property & Planning Law

Dangers of paper title

In Queensland when you buy or sell a property paper titles are generally not generated.  Paper titles have essentially been "outdated" in favour of an electronic system and, as such, you will not be issued a paper title when you buy a property.


Despite this, there are instances where a paper title is issued, particularly if the seller purchased the property a long time ago (or a specific request is made for a paper title to be issued).  If a paper title has been issued, it is extremely important that the paper title is located prior to settlement (it will need to be exchanged with the purchaser on settlement).  If the paper title is lost, it can take 4-6 weeks to sort out the issue, as an application needs to be made to land titles to dispense with the issued paper title.  This could mean settlement is delayed or, even worse, the purchaser may terminate the sale contract.


All GLR Law conveyancing clients are urged to advise GLR Law immediately if a paper title has been issued.