LTSA Customer Fee Change

Most LTSA customer fees are changing as of April 1, 2024. Learn more

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Need to change your address? Alert Level: LOW

Learn how to update your mailing address on title with LTSA’s online application form or learn how to make other changes to title.

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Front Counters Open By Appointment Only Alert Level: LOW

Please be aware that LTSA’s Land Title Office front counters are open 9 am – 3 pm, Monday to Friday by appointment only. Many common transactions are now available online. To book an in-person visit, contact the Customer Service Centre at 1-877-577-LTSA (5872) .

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A

Administrator

A statutory decision maker under LOTA, and an employee of the LTSA, responsible for the general administration of LOTA and its regulations.

Adult

An adult in a Power of Attorney is an individual who is 19 years of age or older.

Air Space Parcel

A volumetric, three-dimensional parcel that has upper and lower limits in addition to horizontal (side) limits contained within a single land parcel. May or may not be occupied in whole or in part by a building or other structure. May exist on, above, or below the surface and have any sort of shape as long as sufficiently described in an air space plan and complies with General Survey Instruction Rules (GSIR).

Applicant

(a) The person named on a land title form as the person acquiring an interest in land. (b) The person named as applicant in the application section is the person with whom land title staff is authorized to communicate with regarding an application.

Application

A request submitted to the land title office for the registrar to discharge a statutory duty, including: registration of a transfer, charge, or lien; cancellation of a registered interest in land; and issuance of a certificate.

Assignment of Rents

A charge registered against title allowing a lender to collect rent directly from a tenant if there is a default under a mortgage.

Assurance Fund

Either of the two funds established under Part 19.1 (LTSA Assurance Fund) or Part 20 (Government Assurance Fund) of the Land Title Act, from which claimants suffering loss, damage or deprivation of an estate or interest in land as set out in these Parts is compensated.

The LTSA Assurance Fund is maintained and administered by the LTSA and covers claims relating to losses occurring after the creation of the LTSA; the Government Assurance Fund is maintained and administered by the Province of BC and covers claims relating to losses incurred prior to the creation of the LTSA.

Attorney

An attorney in a Power of Attorney is a person appointed to act on behalf of another. Evidence of this appointment is by way of a Power of Attorney.

B

Building Scheme

A building scheme is a set of restrictions or requirements that are imposed on the owner or leaser of a property, usually to enhance the value of the property.

C

Cadastral Fabric

Includes information such as property boundaries, survey monuments, legal documents, maps and regulations that support registration of lands.

Caveat

Caveat is a warning to beware; lodged on title to prevent further dealings with the land.

Certificate of Pending Litigation

A certificate of pending litigation (CPL) is registered against land to give notice of a court action where someone claims an estate or interest in land or, as the result of another enactment, has a right of action in respect of land.

Charge

An interest in land (less than the fee simple estate) or encumbrance that is registered on the title by the LTSA’s land title office. Charges typically fall into these categories:

  • Mortgages
  • Statutory rights of way (SRWs)
  • Easements
  • Covenants
  • Judgments filed in support of debt/tax collection
  • Claims of Builders Lien

Claim of Builders Lien

A Claim of Builders Lien is an interest registered against land to secure payment for labour or materials. Once filed it remains on a property owner’s title for one year and can interfere with selling the property or securing financing.

Filing a Claim of Builders Lien does not guarantee payment. If you are the lien claimant, it is your responsibility to inform the property owner and to enforce the lien if payment or settlement is not forthcoming. You will require the help of a legal professional.

Generally, the deadline to file a lien is 45 days after the project is completed. For more information, consult the Builders Lien Act.

Claimant

The claimant is the person or corporation to whom the money is owed.

Common Property

That part of the land and buildings shown on a strata plan that is not part of a strata lot. Each strata lot includes ownership of a fractional share of the common property within the strata property, proportional to the ratio of the area of that strata lot to the total area of all strata lots. 

Conveyance

A transfer of an estate or interest in land (other than by will) to a new owner through sale, lease, or other means. A transfer of title is the conveyance of an estate or interest in land in exchange for some financial consideration, typically a sale.

Covenant

In British Columbia, there are generally two types of covenants which are noted as charges on a Land Title:

Covenants or restrictive covenants – must be “negative” obligations restricting what an owner can do on the lands and, similar to easements, there must be a dominant (benefited) lands and servient (burdened) lands.

Section 219 covenants – which can impose both positive and negative obligations and can only be registered for the benefit of certain local and provincial governments. There is no requirement for a dominant tenement for s219 covenants.

Crown Debt

A debt due to the Crown or to the provincial government.

Crown Grant

A legal instrument by which Crown lands are transferred to private registered owners in fee simple. The Crown grant document contains a sketch and usually refers to a plan showing the location and extent of the parcel granted. The Crown grant includes description of the terms and conditions of the land grant. When a Crown grant is issued, an initial title for the property is registered in the land title register in the name of the person receiving the grant. The LTSA has a copy of most Crown land grant dispositions issued by the various Crown agencies. Almost all BC Crown land grants are available online in electronic form. The LTSA also retains other types of Crown grants, including mineral Crown grants, Taxation Act grants and timber grants.

Crown Land

Land owned and administered by a government, either federal or provincial. In British Columbia, Federal (Canadian) Crown land includes National Parks, Indian Reserves, federal ports and military bases. Provincial Crown land includes provincial parks and all ungranted land (wilderness) within the provincial boundaries. Most of British Columbia is Crown land.

Crown Land Registry

A registry that records all lands administered by the government of British Columbia and records the purchase and sale of those lands and interests in them.

D

Defect

A defect is a reason why an application for the registration of an interest in land cannot be registered, as determined by an Examiner of Title. The term is also used to describe the state of an application that has been the subject of a Notice Declining to Register (i.e., being “in defect”). 

Demised Premises

A property or a portion of a property that has been leased to a tenant.

Determinable Fee Simple

An interest in land that is granted to a person and heirs, but subject to a qualification that will end the interest upon the occurrence of a defined event.

Disclosure Statement

Also known as the affidavit of assets and liabilities, it is part of the documentation needed for probating a will.

Document

A document refers to any of the land title forms or supporting material (including survey plans) which are submitted as part of an application to register an interest in land within British Columbia. Examples include: title transfers, mortgages and easements. 

Duplicate Certificate of Title

A duplicate of the official certificate of title maintained in the land title register. The issuance of any duplicate certificate of title operates to prevent certain types of transactions on title (e.g., a transfer) from occurring until the duplicate certificate of title is surrendered back to the land title office.

E

Easement

A limited right attached to land (the dominant tenement) for the benefit of the owner of dominant tenement to use land of the owner of servient tenement. An example of an easement would be a driveway crossing one owner’s land (the servient tenement) to provide access to another owner’s land (the dominant tenement).

Encumbrance

A judgment, mortgage, lien, Crown debt or other claim to or on land created or given for any purpose registered against a title. See also Charge. 

Estate in land

The two main types of estate are:

  • Freehold estate: Results in ownership and possession of land for an indeterminable period of time. The most common freehold estate is fee simple, absolute ownership limited only by Crown rights and encumbrances noted on the title. A life estate is another form of freehold that entails possession of the land for the duration of a person’s life.
  • Charge: An estate or interest in land that is less than fee simple, such as a lease, which is the possession of land for a specific period of time, as defined in the lease.

Examination

The process of determining the registrability of a document or plan (or package of documents / applications). To put it in general terms, the examination determines whether a proposed transaction is acceptable. 

Examiner of Title

LTSA employees authorized to conduct examination, registration and/or filing of documents and plans and update of records in the land title register. Liaison examiners are examiners of title who work in the Customer Service Centre. Prior to becoming examiners of title, employees must successfully complete an internal land title examination course and pass a series of exams.

F

Fee Simple

Fee Simple is the form of ownership of real property (real estate) in which the owner has the right to control and transfer the property at will.

Fee Simple Estate

Highest form of real estate ownership; the estate is unconditional, unlimited and perpetual.

Fee Simple on Condition

An interest in land that is subject to a defined condition.

Form

An instrument prescribed under legislative or regulatory authority, including land title forms established by the Director of Land Titles. A form may be used as an application, instrument, or supporting document. An electronic form of instrument is the electronic equivalent of, and has the same legal effect as, a traditional paper instrument. Forms are also prescribed by the Surveyor General. All major forms have electronic and manual versions available online.

Freehold Estate

Exclusive right to enjoy the possession and use of a parcel of land for an indefinite period.

I

Indefeasible Title

The title granted to a person as a registered owner under the Land Title Act; an indefeasible title is conclusive evidence, as against the Crown and all other persons, that the person named in the title is indefeasibly entitled to an estate in fee simple to the land described in the title, subject only to certain exceptions set out in s. 23(2) of the Land Title Act.

Index Books

Index books are part of the LTSA’s collection of historical records. They are hardcopy ledgers and registers that contain references, notations and entries about land title interests and surveys for individual parcels.

Various index books were created throughout the years to fulfill record keeping, create cross-referencing capability, meet document retrieval needs and facilitate historical record preservation. Some continue to be used for historical and legal research.

Inter Alia

A charge that is registered on more than one title.

Interest Holder

A beneficial owner of a relevant trust, a corporate interest holder of a relevant corporation, or a partnership interest holder of a relevant partnership.

Interest in Land

  • As defined in LOTA, this term refers to an estate in fee simple;
    • a life estate in land;
    • a right to occupy land under a lease that has a term of more than 10 years;
    • a right under an agreement for sale to occupy land,
    • or require the transfer of an estate in fee simple.
J

Joint Tenancy

A form of co-ownership of interests in land in which the ownership is acquired at the same time and where each owner has an equal interest and equal rights to possess the land. Under the Property Law Act, neither consent of, nor notice to, other owners in joint tenancy is required to sever the joint tenancy. Upon the death of one owner, the interest of the deceased joint tenant passes to the surviving joint tenant(s).

Judgment

A court order or decree by the Federal Court of Canada, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court or Provincial Court or a judge of those courts by which usually money is payable to any person which entitles that person to register the order in the land title office.

L

Land Act

An enactment that provides the statutory framework for the administration of Crown land, establishes the responsibilities of government Ministers regarding the administration of Crown land and provides for the delegation of certain authorities. Many powers have been delegated to the Surveyor General with respect to Crown land definition and disposition.

View the Land Act(link is external).

Land Owner Transparency Act

The Land Owner Transparency Act was passed by the government of British Columbia in May 2019. The first-of-its-kind in Canada, it created an accessible registry of beneficial interests in land in B.C. – the Land Owner Transparency Registry.

Land Owner Transparency Registry

A publicly searchable registry of information about beneficial ownership of land in British Columbia. Beneficial owners are people who own or control land indirectly, such as through a corporation, partnership, or trust. The registry is intended to end hidden ownership of land in BC. The Land Owner Transparency Registry launched November 30, 2020 and opened to public search on April 30, 2021. For more information, visit LandTransparency.ca

Land Survey Act

An enactment that establishes the general guidelines for the conduct of legal surveys in the province and includes specific authorities of the Surveyor General with respect to certain survey practices.

View the Land Survey Act(link is external).

Land Title Act

A comprehensive 400-section statute that prescribes the legal program under which the land title system operates, the Land Title Act designates:

  • The Director of Land Titles to regulate land title practice.
  • The Registrar(s) of Land Titles as the primary statutory decision maker(s) in the administration of the land title system.

The Land Title Act establishes the land title register and requirements respecting its operation and records.

View the Land Title Act(link is external).

Land Title and Survey Authority Act

The enactment that establishes the LTSA as a not-for-profit corporation, governed by a Board of Directors for the purpose of managing, operating and maintaining the land title and survey systems of BC, facilitating the execution of Crown grants, and carrying on other necessary or advisable activities; additionally, the LTSA is established the operate a land title system for a First Nation under a FNCIDA agreement.

Under the Act, the Board is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and governance of the LTSA, and is authorized to appoint the Chief Executive Officer who in turn is authorized to appoint the Director of Land Titles, the Surveyor General and the Deputy Surveyor General(s). 

View the Land Title and Survey Authority Act(link is external).

Land Title Practice Manual

A reference book for land title staff, conveyancing professionals and all others who make applications to the LTSA.

Land Title Register

That part of the records of the land title office, including electronic records, where information respecting registered indefeasible titles is stored. It is independently maintained by the LTSA under the statutory authority of the registrars of land titles and in accordance with the requirements of the Land Title Act respecting permanent records retention.

Land Title Vault

Physical repository of land title records and other related documents. Direct access to original land title and survey records is limited to LTSA employees and those with direct access privileges including land surveyors, historical researchers and registry agents.

Lease

A contract that grants exclusive possession of a property for a set period of time.

Leasehold

The interest that is held by a tenant under a Lease.

Lessee

The party to whom the lease is granted, also known as the tenant.

Lessor

The party who grants the lease, also known as the landlord.

Letters of Administration/Grant of Administration

If no will was left by the deceased, certain individuals are eligible to apply for a grant of administration in order to handle the estate. If successful, the person who is named as administrator is legally able to distribute the estate.

A grant of administration can also be used to assign an administrator if:

  • The deceased did not name an executor
  • The executor has died since the will was made and no alternate executor was named
  • The executor gives up the right to apply to the court for probate

Lien

An interest in land claimed to secure the payment of a debt or the performance of some other obligation. Examples include Claim of Builders Lien for payment of debt related to labour or materials, Certificate of Lien for payment of strata fees, or Tax Act Liens for payment of various taxes.

Life Estate

Occupy and use property for the duration of the property owner’s life.

M

Mark Up

The act of recording a pending land title application against an affected parcel(s) in the land title register to record the time, date and nature of the application(s) and to provide notice of the pending application(s).

Mortgage

An interest in land granted by the registered owner (the mortgagor) to a lender (the mortgagee) as security for a debt.

P

Parcel

A lot, block or other area in which land is held or into which land is subdivided.

Parcel Identifier (PID)

A nine-digit number that uniquely identifies a parcel in the land title register of British Columbia. The registrar assigns PID numbers to parcels for which a title is being entered in the computer register as a registered title. The Land Title Act refers to the PID as the permanent parcel identifier.

Pending Applications

An application that has been received by a land title office, time and date stamped and is awaiting registration or filing. 

Personal Representative

The person who administers the estate of a deceased person as executor or Court-appointed administrator.

Plan (Survey) – Land Title Act

A graphical representation of a survey conducted by a BC land surveyor which shows the spatial extent, area, corner monuments and generally the geographic location of a specific area of land for the purpose of:

  • Establishing the boundaries of a new parcel of titled land; e.g. Subdivision Plan, Strata Plan, Reference plan pursuant to Section 99(1)(c), (f), (g) and (h).
  • Defining an area of land that is being dedicated to the public or to close an area that has been so dedicated, e.g. road, park or land returned to Crown.
    Re-establishing a corner or angle of an existing parcel of titled land, e.g. posting plan.
    Registering a charge against title to land affecting a portion of land within a title, e.g. Easement, Covenant, Lease, and Statutory Right of Way.

Land title examiners examine survey plans affecting all privately-held land under the Land Title Act.

Plan (Survey) – Surveyor General Division

A graphical representation of a survey conducted by a BC land surveyor that shows the extent, area, corner monuments and generally the geographic location of an area of untitled land, more specifically being:

  • A parcel as defined pursuant to the Land Act
  • An interest pursuant to the Mineral Tenure Act
  • An interest pursuant to the Coal Act
  • A wellsite location pursuant to the Oil & Gas Activities Act
  • The reposting of a corner of any of the above

Additionally a plan may be a graphical description of a Park or Protected area which is not based upon a survey by a BC land surveyor, and finally, the boundaries of a park or protected area as surveyed by a BC land surveyor.

Posting Plan

A plan showing one or more posts set to define or redefine an exisitng parcel of land.

Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney is a document under which a person or corporation grants to a person or corporation the power to act as one’s agent or attorney. In order to use a Power of Attorney for land title purposes, the Power of Attorney must be filed with the Land Title Office. Section 51, Land Title Act, provides this requirement. For more information, review the Power of Attorney Act under www.bclaws.ca (link is external)

Priority Agreement

A Priority Agreement is a notation on a Land Title where one chargeholder has chosen to grant priority over its prior registered charge to a subsequent chargeholder.

Privately-Held Land

Land that has been granted and is owned by private individuals or corporations and is registered in the land title register.

Property Transfer Tax

A tax paid when one purchases or gains an interest in property that is registered at the land title office. The provincial Ministry of Finance is responsible for administering the Property Transfer Tax (PTT). If you require assistance or a copy of the form, please contact the Ministry of Finance, Property Transfer Tax Section. Consult the Ministry’s webpage (link is external).

R

Registered Owner

A registered owner is the person who owns an interest in land, either in terms of ownership of title in fee simple, or ownership of a charge. A registered owner is recorded in the land title register upon registration. 

Registrar

An official keeper or recorder of records. Each Land Title Office has a Registrar of Land Titles, to find your nearest registrar, contact us.

Registrar’s Caveat

A caveat lodged by the Registrar to prohibit dealing with the land.

Registration

The act of recording the ownership of, or interests in, land in the land title register.

Registration Number

The unique serial number assigned to each entry in the Land Title Register.

Release

The cancellation of a charge or legal notation on title. For example, when a mortgage has been paid off, the mortgage endorsement is released from title. Also known as a discharge.

Relevant Corporation

A corporation or limited liability company. However, does not refer to a corporation or limited liability company that is (a) referred to in Schedule 1 of LOTA, or (b) added by regulation to Schedule 1 of LOTA.

Relevant Partnership

A general, limited, limited liability, professional or foreign partnership within the meaning of the Partnership Act.

Relevant Trust

An express trust, bare trust, or prescribed trust.

Reporting Body

  • The Land Owner Transparency Act (LOTA) determines who is a reporting body. A person will be a reporting body only if the land being registered is;
    • Owned by a corporation
    • Owned by a partnership, or
    • Being held in a trust.
  • A relevant corporation, a trustee of a relevant trust or a partner of a relevant partnership that is required to file a transparency report under LOTA.

Right of Way

A right to have access to land for a specific use, often granted to a municipality or utility company in order to provide and maintain services to parcels of land (such as underground cables or pipelines).

S

Settlor

The entity that established a trust.

Sketch Plan

A preliminary plan.

State of Title Certificate

A formal statutory certificate issued upon request, certifying the current state of a title. The State of Title Certificate is a document that is issued by the land title office giving evidence of ownership of title and all particulars concerning registered interests in that title as at the date and time of its issuance. The State of Title Certificate is issued electronically or as a hardcopy document.

Statutory Right of Way

A statutory right of way is a right created by section 218 of the Land Title Act. SRWs allow a public agency to access a private property. This agreement grants the right to use a portion of the property to install and maintain infrastructure needed for the delivery of a specific service or services.

Strata Lot (Bare Land)

A lot created under the Strata Property Act not comprised of part of a building but with an interest in common property.

Strata Lot (Building)

A lot comprised of part of a building with an interest in common property. Commonly known as a condominium or townhouse.

Subdivision

The division of land into two or more parcels, generally by deposit of a subdivision plan.

Subscriber

An individual who is authorized to electronically sign electronic applications, electronic instruments, electronic instruments, electronic plan applications or property transfer tax returns.

Surveyor General Vault

Physical repository of plans, field Notes, Crown grants and other related documents for the province of BC. It holds hard copies of Crown grants, E&N Railway Plans, Oil and Gas Activities Act Well Site Plans, Dominion Township Plans, Land Act Plans, Railway Plans, Indian Reserve Plans, Mineral Tenure Plans, etc.

T

Tenants in Common

Land held as tenants in common must be distributed in accordance with the wishes of the deceased set out in a will or, where there is no will, in accordance with the Wills, Estates and Succession Act.

Title

Depending on the context in which it is used title means, on the one hand the right of ownership of land and, on the other, the instruments or evidence of such right. In the register, title to land evidences fee simple ownership of land in one or more Registered Owner(s). Also referred to as land title and indefeasible title. A title may also refer to the ownership of interests in land less than fee simple, such as a mortgage or easement.

Transfer

The voluntary act of a registered owner of an interest in land transferring that interest to another person, typically as a consequence of a sale or gift of the land to that person. The term includes a conveyance, a grant and an assignment. 

Transferee

An individual or corporation to whom an interest in land is transferred.

Transferor

An individual or corporation transferring an interest in land to another party.

Transmission

A change of ownership of land consequent on death, sale under execution, order of court or other act of law, or on any testamentary settlement or legal succession in the case of intestacy.

U

Undersurface Rights

An interest in something that lies below the surface of the land.

W

Web Filing Form Practice Guides

Web Filing Form Practice Guides offer comprehensive practice information for completing land title Web Filing forms.

Withdrawal

The act of withdrawing an application before it is registered, either voluntarily or in response to having received a Notice Declining to Register.