Deed searches

The General Register of Deeds commenced on 16 November 1825 with the introduction of the Registration of Deeds Act 1825. It was established to keep a record of deeds for all registered common law (now known as old system) land transactions. Each deed was (and still is) identified by a unique Book and Number reference with each book containing 1000 deeds. Initially, an index known as the Vendors Index was set up to record vendor and purchaser names, deed type, book and number and a summary of the land transaction details.

Additional registers of deeds include:

• Miscellaneous Register (established 1920 to record any instrument whatsoever, whether affecting or relating to land or not. This register was discontinued on 30 June 1976 and is not available electronically)
• Register of Causes, Writs and Orders (established 1920)
• Bills of Sale (from 1925)
• Stock Mortgages (from 1898)
• Wool and Crop Liens (from 1898)
• Register of Resumptions (from 1930)
• Powers of Attorney (from 1920)
• Change of Name - the index for this register was kept in separately bound books from 1875 to 1967. From 1967 to 1996 the deeds were recorded in the Vendors index. Records from 1992 to 1996 must be searched through Deeds Name Search. From April 1996 to date all change of name records have been kept by and must be searched through the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages.

Deed searches with InfoTrack

• Causes Writs and Orders
• Security Interest in Goods (SIGA)