Records of Title
A property title records legal ownership of land. LINZ says the electronic evidence of that title is a Record of Title. Before 2002 the paper record was commonly called a Certificate of Title.
A current Record of Title can show:
- registered owners
- legal description
- registered rights and restrictions
- interests such as mortgages, easements and covenants
- a plan or diagram associated with the title product
It does not contain the property's market or rating value.
GIS versus the legal record
A title-related layer in the LINZ Data Service is useful for analysis and linking. When the legal contents of a particular title are the question, obtain the actual title record through the current LINZ land-record search service.
LINZ's Web Search can find titles, instruments and surveys. An address or parcel can return multiple titles, which is another reason not to model parcel = title.
A research pattern
- identify the current parcel or legal description
- find associated title reference(s)
- inspect the current Record of Title
- follow registered instruments where relevant to the question
- follow survey-plan references when geometry matters
- keep the title identifier in the GIS research table rather than copying only an owner's name
Ownership data and privacy
LINZ publishes some bulk title/ownership datasets under additional licensing and access conditions because personal information is involved. Do not assume an open parcel download gives the same access to owner information. Check LINZ property ownership and boundary data and the specific dataset licence.
For Māori land status, also check Pātaka Whenua; LINZ notes a title alone may not resolve every Māori freehold land status question.
Official source: LINZ: Property title.
Last reviewed: 26 August 2026