General Law titles

Before the Torrens system was introduced in 1862, a General Law system operated in Victoria.

Under this system, a chain of title proved ownership of a piece of land. This chain was made up of all the documents involved in every sale, resale or mortgage of the property.

When the state progressed to the Torrens system, owners of land covered by a General Law title were not compelled to convert their titles to the new system. Many of those titles have been converted over the intervening years but those that remain in the system are still valid proof of ownership.

A program to convert Victoria’s remaining General Law titles to the Torrens system continues.