Deeds Office – Johannesburg

The Johannesburg Deeds Office registers property in the southern half of Gauteng: the City of Johannesburg itself, Ekurhuleni, the West Rand and Sedibeng. Between them, Johannesburg and Pretoria account for a large share of every deed registered in the country each year.

Anyone searching a Gauteng property needs to know which of the two offices holds it, because the boundary runs between metros rather than around the province. A Sandton or Soweto property is registered in Johannesburg; a Centurion or Pretoria East property is registered in Pretoria.

Sectional title, and why it matters here

Johannesburg’s registry holds an unusually high density of sectional title schemes — flats, cluster developments and mixed-use buildings across the metro. That changes what you should search for. A sectional title unit has its own deed, but it also belongs to a scheme, and the scheme is what tells you how many units exist, who owns them and how the common property is held.

Our Sectional Title Unit List returns every unit in a scheme with its current owner and purchase details for R295.00, which is the search to run when you are looking at a building rather than a single flat. For a single unit, the Instant Property Search takes a scheme name and unit number and returns that unit’s record in seconds.

What you can order for a Johannesburg property

Everything below is ordered online and delivered by email. Nothing needs a visit to the office.

• Instant Property Search — the registered owner, purchase price and date, bond amount and bondholder, and full transfer history, returned in seconds for R230.00.
• Title Deed (Deed of Transfer) copy — the registered deed itself, R675.00, 1 to 10 Working Days.
• Marriage Contract (ANC) copy — an antenuptial contract registered at any registry, R685.00.
• Property Valuation Report — a market-value estimate built from registered sales and comparables, R230.00.
• Instant Person Search — every property registered to a named person, R230.00.

See every search and what it costs

Certified copies from Johannesburg

Johannesburg is one of the seven registries that issues certified copies. A certified Title Deed copy (Section 66) costs R995.00 and takes 2 - 3 Weeks, because the document is prepared and signed at the office rather than pulled from the electronic record. A certified Marriage Contract copy (Section 67) is R995.00 on the same turnaround.

Most people do not need one. An informational copy is accepted for almost every purpose — checking conditions, confirming ownership, due diligence before an offer — and only a formal legal process such as winding up an estate or a divorce usually calls for certification.

Order a certified Title Deed copy

Frequently asked questions

Is my property registered in Johannesburg or Pretoria?

Johannesburg registers property in the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, the West Rand and Sedibeng. Pretoria registers property in the City of Tshwane and the north of the province. If you are unsure, an Instant Property Search returns the registry along with the ownership record.

Can I search a whole sectional title scheme rather than one unit?

Yes. The Sectional Title Unit List returns every unit in a scheme, with the current owner, purchase price and purchase date for each, for R295.00. You need the scheme name and scheme number, which the unit’s own deed will give you.

How fast can I confirm who owns a Johannesburg property?

In seconds. The Instant Property Search reads the electronic registry directly and costs R230. Ordering a copy of the deed itself is a separate, slower step, and most people find they do not need it once they have the ownership record.