Having Trouble Finding Information on your Family Home? How to Access and Read a Title

Are you unsure if you are listed as a legal owner on your family home? Do you know if your home has multiple mortgages? Are there any other charges, liens or interests registered on the property? You can conduct a title search and obtain the title to your home to answer these questions.

A title search can be helpful if you are unsure who legally owns your family residence or if you are contemplating registering a spousal lienor a certificate of pending litigation (CPL) in the event of relationship breakdown.

This article is a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a title search and read your property’s title.

Step 1: Find your Parcel Identifier (PID)

Each property has a unique 9-digit number called a PID. You can find your property’s PID on the BC Assessment website. Enter your street address in the search bar. Look under “Legal description and parcel ID” on the property assessment to find the PID.

Step 2: Request the Title through LTSA

Visit the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) website and register for an account. Sign in and navigate to “Search Records”. Enter your property’s PID, including hyphens, and search the records.

The search results may yield several documents such as the title, state of title certificate and other documents such as subdivision plans. To get information on the current legal owner or owners and charges on the property, such as mortgages, select title. If you’d like to see the entire history of charges and interests registered on the property, including cancelled charges and discharged mortgages, select “show current and cancelled charges”. This will not include past owners of the property. If you’d like the title to only reflect the current charges, select “show only current charges”, then continue to payment.

As of April 1, 2025, the fee for requesting a title is $10.89 plus applicable fees and taxes.

Step 3: Read your Title

Legal Description

Often, your street address will not appear on your title. Instead, the property will be described using the legal land description and PID.

Ownership

The legal owner or owners of the property will be listed under “Registered Owner in Fee Simple”. If there is more than one owner listed, the title may indicate whether their interests are held as a joint tenancy or as tenants-in-common.

If two owners are listed as joint tenants, when one owner dies, the other owner acquires the deceased owner’s share in the property.

Tenants-in-common can include two or more owners who can hold the property in any proportion. The property does not have to divided equally, one owner can hold 10% or 90% of the property, for example.  If the owners are listed as tenants-in-common, when one owner dies, their proportion of the property becomes a part of their estate and is distributed according to the terms of their will.

Charges, Liens and Interests

Your title will show any charges or liens that are registered against the property. Some common examples include mortgages, easements, statutory rights of way, and covenants.

Easements, statutory rights of way, and covenants are non-financial charges. While there is no financial interest associated with these charges, it provides the listed party with the right to do something in respect of your property. For example, Fortis BC or the relevant municipality may have a statutory right of way which might allow for the maintenance of surrounding utilities or transportation infrastructure.

Mortgages, builders’ liens, leases, assignments of rent, and judgments are examples of financial charges. These registered interests indicate money is owed or may be owed in the future and your property is the lender’s security. The title will indicate whether there are any mortgages on the property and list the associated financial institution or private lender.

If you want more information on a specific charge, you can order the associated documents through LTSA using the unique registration number that appears on the title beside the relevant charge. As of April 1, 2025 the fee for a document or plan is $17.51 plus applicable taxes.

Conclusion

Conducting a title search can give you access to important information about your property, including the current registered owners and whether there are any financial charges or other encumbrances.

If you have questions about your property rights in respect of your family residence or other real estate, contact our team of Vancouver family lawyers for a consultation