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Update on the review of Victoria’s land registry fees
The Transfer of Land (Fees) Regulations 2016 and the Subdivision (Registrar's Fees) Regulations 2016 have been extended until 17 April 2027.
On 14 April 2026, the Subordinate Legislation (Transfer of Land (Fees) Regulations 2016) Extension Regulations 2026 and the Subordinate Legislation (Subdivision (Registrar’s Fees) Regulations 2016) Extension Regulations 2026 were made.
These Extension Regulations extend the operation of the Transfer of Land (Fees) Regulations 2016 and the Subdivision (Registrar's Fees) Regulations 2016 until 17 April 2027.
The statutory fees currently payable by customers will remain in place, until the annual indexation of fees on 1 July 2026 in accordance with the Monetary Units Act 2004.
Consultation outcome
On 5 January 2026, Land Registry Services (LRS) published a Regulatory Impact Statement and proposed regulations on Engage Victoria for public consultation, which closed on 6 February 2026. Sixteen submissions were received.
Feedback generally supported simplifying the land registry fee structure to support the long‑term financial sustainability of the land registry. However, concerns were raised regarding impacts on individuals and businesses, housing affordability and cost‑of‑living pressures, and vulnerable community members experiencing family violence or hardship.
A summary of the issues raised and the Department’s response is available on the Engage Victoria website at engage.vic.gov.au/land-registry-update-to-fee-regulations-2025. LRS will continue to review the feedback and undertake further consultation as required.
Updated Guides
LRS has updated the Guide to Leases (DOCX, 427.3 KB). The changes clarify how leases should be prepared and recorded, including:
- changes to commencement dates, expiry dates, rent, consideration and covenants,
- changes to easements, concurrent leases and State Revenue Office assessments, and
- a new section on extinguishment by merger.
Update to practice for withdrawn, rejected or abandoned electronic instruments
LRS is changing how it notifies customers of withdrawn, rejected or abandoned electronic instruments.
From 1 May 2026, email to customers will:
- confirm that the instrument has been withdrawn, rejected or abandoned, and
- no longer include a PDF copy of the instrument.
This change applies only to electronic instruments.
Why this has changed
Electronic instruments are created and stored in an Electronic Lodgment Network (ELN), therefore:
- returning a copy by email is no longer needed, and
- lodging subscribers can access the rendered instrument through the network if required.
This change does not affect the legal status or effect of a withdrawal, rejection or abandonment.
Building Envelopes filed with Plan of Subdivision instruments
LRS reminds customers about a past process used for some plans of subdivision.
For a short time starting in 2010:
- building envelope sheets were removed from the plan prior to registration, and
- the building envelope sheets were added to the plan instrument
In this scenario, the restriction in the plan of subdivision will contain all wording but will also have a reference to "the building envelopes contained in instrument PSxxxxxx".
The plan instrument can then be searched to view the relevant building envelopes.
Bulk conversion of paper Certificates of Title to electronic Certificates of Title
On 30 January 2026, LRS completed a further bulk conversion of paper Certificates of Title to electronic Certificates of Title.
This conversion applied to folios where ING Bank (Australia) Limited is recorded as the first mortgagee.
As a result:
- the impacted paper Certificates of Title are void after 30 January 2026,
- electronic Certificates of Title are now in place for affected folios, and
- the bank or its legal representatives control the electronic Certificate of Title.
Any transaction lodged on or after 30 January 2026 for affected folios will use an electronic Certificate of Title.
Conversion of a paper Certificate of Title to electronic Certificate of Title
It is sometimes necessary to convert a paper Certificate of Title to an electronic Certificate of Title.
Conversion for electronic lodgment
If you propose to lodge an instrument using an ELN such as PEXA or Sympli:
- the paper Certificate of Title must be converted, and
- the electronic title must then be nominated to the lodgment case through the ELN
Conversion for other reasons
If conversion is required other than for an electronic lodgment, such as:
- proposed lodgment through the SPEAR ELN,
- electronic submission of an imaged paper instrument through Section 104 Generic Residual Document, or
- a stand‑alone conversion request,
you must first email a completed Application to convert a paper Certificate of Title to an electronic Certificate of Title (PDF, 1.3 MB) and clearly state the reason for conversion.
Send the completed application to advice.enquiries@servictoria.com.au. We will process your request and let you know when the conversion is complete.
For more detail, see the Guide to Certificates of Title and Administrative Notices (DOCX, 634.4 KB).
Page last updated: 22/04/26