What are Title Deeds?
A title deed is a document for registered properties in Singapore that exhaustively records all transactions regarding each parcel of property. It is an important document that contains:
- A description of the property;
- The nature of the estate (freehold or leasehold)
- Details about interests or encumbrances (e.g. mortgages) of the property; and
- The owner of the property (therefore proving ownership of the property as well).
Such information can be accessed by both property owners and potential buyers – before they enter into any transactions.
In a typical sale and purchase agreement, there usually must be a valid title deed proving good title (i.e. proving correct ownership, without any encumbrances, etc.) before such transactions can take place.
Hence, it is important that the title deed is kept updated as well (detailed process below).
In Singapore, there are different types of title deeds. They are:
- “Certificate of Title” (For landed properties e.g. terrace houses or bungalows);
- “Subsidiary Strata Certificate of Title” (For condominiums and other apartment units); and
- “Subsidiary Certificate of Title” (For Housing Development Board (HDB) flats).
This article will explain:
- Where are title deeds stored?
- How to view your title deed
- What happens if you lose your title deed
- How to amend your title deed
Where are Title Deeds Stored?
If your property is under mortgage or you have used your Central Provident Fund (CPF) monies to buy your property, your title deed will be safe-kept at the Land Titles Registry of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) under the Paperless Title Scheme. This is based on the agreement of participating financial institutions and statutory boards with SLA.
If you had purchased the property without any mortgage or use of CPF monies, the title deed would have been printed and released to you for safe-keeping.
Alternatively, if you had fully repaid the mortgages and/or CPF monies, the title deed would then be printed and released to you.
Viewing Your Title Deed
If your title document has not been printed and released to you, you may wish to view your title deed before entering into any transactions.
If you own a private property or a HDB flat (whose title records have been digitised), you will be able to view your title deed free of charge online at MyProperty by SLA. For the list of HDB properties that have been digitised, click here.
This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will be able to access this service by logging in with your SingPass. However, you will be able to search for the title records of only the property for which you are the registered owner, or on which you have lodged a caveat as a purchaser.
If your property is not listed in MyProperty, this could be for one of the following reasons:
- There is no caveat lodged by you as a purchaser for the private property or HDB flat that you have bought
- The identification number used at the time of login differs from the SLA’s records
- The property is bought on trust with you as the beneficiary and not the trustee.
If you would like to save a soft copy of your title deed, you will be able to download it by selecting the pdf icon that is displayed next to it.
Loss of Title Deed
If the title deed for your property has been released to you but you have misplaced it, you cannot transact your property.
If that is the case, you may apply to the Registrar of Titles for a new title deed. You will have to satisfy the Registrar of Titles that the title deed has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully withheld. This replacement process could take about 2 months.
To apply to replace the title deed, you will need to complete Form 13A which can be found here. There is a different form for each type of title deed (depending on whether your property is a landed property, condominium unit or HDB flat, as mentioned above).
The form must be lodged online with the Singapore Titles Automated Registration System eLodgement (STARS eLodgement) portal during lodgment hours which are from 8.30 am to 1.00 pm on weekdays.
The fee for such a replacement is $78.30.