Here are some helpful links and information to provide lawyers, notaries and financial instiutions with more information on LTSA services:
Practice News, Publications and Bulletins
Electronic Filing System
Learn more about the LTSA's Electronic Filing System (EFS). On-site or web-based EFS training is available at no charge and qualifies for the Law Society's Continuing Professional Development Program.
Electronic Filing System Use is Growing Fast
EFS is widely used across BC, and statistics from December 2009 show that 51.6% of all Land Title Applications were electronically submitted.
Accessing LTSA Records
There are many ways to access land title and land survey information, and to submit applications:
Application Defect & Withdrawal Process
You may receive a Notice Declining to Register (defect notice) issued under Section 308 of the Land Title Act as a result of deficiencies in an application to register a land title document or survey plan. There will be a defect fee applied, and additional legal documentation and/or additional filing fees may be required. The deficiencies will need to be remedied within 31 days or the application will be cancelled. In certain circumstances, this 31-day period may be extended by the Title Examiner who issued the defect notice. For assistance with defect notices, please contact the Title Examiner listed on the notice.
You may voluntarily withdraw a pending application at any time prior to registration. A request to withdraw an application must be made in writing and must be signed by the applicant as indicated on the application or by the party on whose behalf the application was submitted for registration. The request to withdraw may be delivered by fax or by delivery to the Land Title Office.
Refunds
If a document has been withdrawn or cancelled because a deficiency in a document could not be remedied in the time allowed, a refund may be issued to you. Refunds are usually issued within four weeks. Applicable withdrawal, cancellation, and defect fees will be deducted from your original fees. No refunds are issued for amounts under $15.00. If applicable, a refund of Property Transfer Tax will be issued in a separate cheque by the Minister of Finance.
Markup Delay (for paper applications only)
A markup delay can occur between the time a paper application is received at the counter (and stamped with date and time), and when the pending application will show up on a title search for the lands in question. The delay is usually 20 minutes or less. During this time gap, the title will not show the pending application, even though it has been received and affects the land from the time it is dated stamped. As a result, for practitioners submitting applications via EFS, we suggest allowing for one hour following the time of submission before doing a post-registration search of the lands. This will ensure that any paper form applications affecting the land in questions that may have been submitted prior to the EFS application will be disclosed on the post-registration search.
Legislation
LTSA Service Quality
Under the general direction of the Director of Land Titles, the LTSA's Land Title Division continually works to improve the quality of service it delivers to its customers. The quality, accuracy and turnaround times for land title services are monitored in each land title office, and across all offices. The LTSA has a program to provide practice support to examination staff, and customer training is provided to all levels of examination staff. Knowledge is shared between staff members and captured for future reference.
The Surveyor General Division meets its responsibility to manage the cadastral survey structure of British Columbia through several avenues including managing a number of statutory obligations by:
- Reviewing all legal survey plans of Crown land prior to deposit into a registry
- Issuing Crown grants that lead to title to land in the first instance
- Providing professional guidance on survey issues to government, land surveyors and the public
Our turnaround times/performance targets are as follows:
- Land Title Registration: 6 business days
- Crown Land Survey Plan Approval: 21 business days
- Crown Grant Document Issuance: 21 business days
Title Security
BC's land title system is unique, and very reliable. Land ownership fraud is very rare and there is very little evidence to suggest that it is a problem in BC. For more information, please read:
FAQs
For answers to queries about the LTSA and our services, view our Frequently Asked Questions pages
