If you are purchasing land, it’s important to know what the title is, because this can effect what you can do with it. It’s important to consult with property lawyers to ensure any problems to land use can be determined and explained in a way you can understand. Simply knowing the title may not be much use; you have to also know what it means to you and your property specifically in order to avoid any problems.
Here is a list of the different land titles in Western Australia and what they mean: –
- Green title: This title usually indicates that the property has no areas on it that have to be shared. This is what most land sold for residential purposes is in WA. If it is a property with a free standing home, it is most often a green title. However, this is not always the case and you should look into the matter before signing on the dotted line, because occasionally green title does come with restrictions. One example could be a sewer line that runs through your property that could prevent you from adding an extension to the house or even installing a pool.
- Purple title: This title is an old one that came into existence after the second World War when multi-story residential buildings became popular and there were no rules or regulations about who could live in them. In fact, ownership was granted only to shareholders in the company that developed the building. Purple title is now conferred in retirement villages as well as some other new developments. If the property you are going to buy is of this title, you need to ascertain whether an agreement is necessary before you can actually live there, once the shares are transferred into your name.
- Strata title: Strata title is usually seen in high rise residential developments where it confers the right of the purchaser to live in an area specified by cubic metre and gives them the use of certain ‘common’ areas along with other residents. Such areas might be a laundry, stairwells, gymnasiums, swimming pools, hire rooms, lifts, driveways and gardens. You have to attend meetings and vote on issues that affect the whole community and also pay additional levees for the upkeep of communal areas.
- Survey strata: This is similar to strata title, but is used for single tier property subdivisions that are side by side. This is usually a green title block that has been subdivided into smaller lots with homes built on them. There may be a common driveway shared by all and there is a levee attached to this area in order to keep it in good condition. There could be certain building restrictions, so make sure you check.
4 Different Land Titles