Lodging Documents Guidelines

The legal process through which property is bought and sold is referred to as conveyancing, with the preparation, execution, verification and lodgement of numerous legal documents being fundamental elements of conveyancing.

A ‘land transaction’ is any action occurring on a property, for example buying and selling property, taking out a mortgage, paying off a mortgage, leasing and inheriting property, to name a few.

The main pieces of legislation which underpin conveyancing in South Australia are the Real Property Act 1886 (commonly referred to as the RPA) and the Electronic Conveyancing National Law (South Australia) Act 2013 (commonly referred to as the ECNL).

These Acts, together with the Registrar-General’s Statutory Instruments and other ancillary pieces of legislation detail the legal requirements that must be adhered to when transacting land in South Australia.

Lodgement Mediums

Currently in South Australia you can lodge documents electronically through an Electronic Lodgement Network Operator (ELNO) or physically at Land Services SA premises.

Despite the medium in which you lodge documents, the same conveyancing requirements apply.

E-Conveyancing

Industry professionals can register with an ELNO to lodge documents online.

E-Conveyancing is Land Services SA preferred method of lodgement as it delivers the following benefits:

  • Fast access to cleared funds
  • Safe encrypted signing
  • Efficient settlement with real-time lodgment of documents

Physical Lodgement

Land Services SA provide an unassisted ‘Drop and Go’ service for industry professionals to manually lodge documents for registration.

Clients using the ‘Drop and Go’ service must ensure their documents are accompanied by a Lodgement Coversheet which can be printed via SAILIS.

‘Face to Face’

Land Services SA provide a ‘Face to Face’ lodgment service for members of the general public.

Industry professionals are expected to lodge all mandated dealings via their preferred Electronic Lodgement Network. If a documented exemption is identified, and involves one of the following priority dealing types, then Industry members may lodge via the “Face to Face” method and payment will be accepted by cheque, cash, or credit card.

  • caveats and removal of caveats
  • liens
  • orders of court
  • warrants of sale

Please see the LSSA website for the Mandatory Electronic Lodgement of Documents and the published Exemptions List for further information. Any non-mandated dealings that are lodged in paper and the fees paid in cash, must be lodged in via the “Face to Face” method.

Document Lodgement Guidelines

Land Services SA examine all Lands Titles Office documents lodged for registration to ensure compliance with legislative requirements as well as the Registrar-General’s statutory instruments and standards.

Where documents do not comply, these are returned to the relevant party for correction and lodgment. The Correction and Rejection Process Guidance Note has been developed to assist Industry Professional and members of the public better understand Land Services SA processes.

Land Services SA have produced the  Guidance Notes for your use:

Red Packet Eligibility Criteria

Land Services SA has the ability to assist clients in difficult and extenuating circumstances. This Red Packet Service is free of charge and allows dealings to be prioritized for immediate examination and can be applied for at any time.

To find out more about the eligibility criteria and application process, please see the below link:

Red Packet Priority Service

* if you do not meet the Red Packet criteria as outlined in the above link, we have an alternative service called Fast Track - please see the below link for further details https://www.landservices.com.au/products-and-services/fast-track