LTSA employees are unable to interpret information contained on title or other land title record. If you require legal advice or assistance in understanding your property ownership, you may need to hire a legal professional.
The following table contains a description of the different types of property alerts:
Assignment of Rents lets a lender collect rent directly from tenants if the property owner stops paying their loan. It's registered on the property’s title as a charge to show the lender has this right. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. |
Caveat is a notice on the property’s title filed by someone who claims they have a right to your property. It acts as a warning to anyone dealing with your land about this claim. A caveat effectively freezes your title, preventing you from selling, transferring, or making other changes until the claim is resolved. The caveat must be dealt with before these transactions can go through. Most caveats expire after two months unless the person who filed it takes legal action. However, some government caveats don't expire. People might file a caveat to protect interests like unregistered ownership rights, enforce property-related contracts, or secure money they're owed related to the property. A caveat may also be filed to protect the interest of the registered owner. |
Certificate of Pending Litigation is a notice on the property’s title warning that there's an active court case involving your land. This tells anyone interested in your property that legal action is underway that could affect ownership or rights to the land. This certificate severely restricts what you can do with your property. While it's on title, you typically can't sell, refinance, or make other changes to your title until the court case is resolved. |
Change of Address updates the mailing address on the property’s title. It's important to keep this current because official notices get sent to this address - including property tax bills, assessment notices, and other government correspondence. If the address is outdated, you might miss important documents about your property. You or someone with your permission can apply to change the mailing address on title if it is incorrect. |
Charge Release removes a claim from the property’s title. It may happen when you pay off your mortgage, clear up a lien, or remove other restrictions on the property. Removing a charge is usually good news since it lifts restrictions. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. |
Claim of Builders Lien is a charge registered on the property’s title when someone who worked on or supplied materials for your property hasn't been paid. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. This could be contractors, workers, or suppliers who did improvements to your property. According to the Builders Lien Act they can file this lien to try to get paid, but they must take it to court to make it official. They're responsible for telling you about it and pursuing payment. While this lien doesn't prevent you from dealing with your property, lenders are often reluctant to lend money when one is registered on title. A Claim of Builders Lien can usually be resolved by paying the outstanding debt to whoever did work or supplied materials for your property. |
Covenant is a legal agreement registered on the property’s title as a ‘charge’ that restricts how you can use your land. As the property owner, you must agree to these restrictions when they're put in place. These agreements are typically made with government bodies such as the Crown, municipalities, regional districts, or agencies like the Agricultural Land Commission. The covenant stays with the property even if you sell it, so future owners must also follow the same restrictions. |
Crown Debt (also called a Crown Lien) is a legal claim the government places on the property’s title when you owe them money. Both the Federal and Provincial government can register this charge against your land. It's their way of securing the debt you owe them. A lien on your property’s title may prevent you from selling or refinancing your property. |
| Easement is an agreement where a property owner gives another permission to use part of their land for a specific purpose, for example, allowing a neighbour to drive across their driveway to reach the main road. |
| Freehold Transfer is when land ownership changes hands. This happens when you buy, sell, or add/remove a person from the property title. Once approved, a new title is created showing the new ownership. Only a lawyer, notary, or authorized agent can submit this paperwork on behalf of the current owner. |
Injunction is a court order registered on the property’s title that acts like a hold. It generally prevents you from selling, transferring, or making changes to your property while it's in place. Injunctions are often used during legal disputes that could affect property ownership. The court uses this to freeze the property until the legal matter is resolved. |
Judgment is a legal claim placed on the property’s title when someone wins a court case against you for money you owe them. The court allows them to register this charge on your title without your permission. This gives them a way to collect the money - they can potentially force the sale of your property to pay the debt if you don't pay what the court ordered. A Judgment doesn't legally prevent you from selling or transferring your property, but lenders usually won't lend you money when one is on your title. |
Land Tax Deferment Act Agreement lets qualified property owners delay paying their property taxes through a Minister of Finance government program. You still owe the taxes plus interest - they're just postponed, not forgiven. When this agreement is registered on your property’s title as a charge, it creates restrictions. For example, you can't sell your home until you pay back all the deferred taxes and remove this charge from the title. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. |
Mortgage is a loan in which the property is used as security. When you have a mortgage, it's recorded on the property's title as a charge, which means it shows that the lender has a claim on the property until the loan is paid off. Anyone who checks the title can see that money is still owed on the property. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. |
| Notice of Maintenance Order is placed on the property’s title when you owe unpaid spousal or child support. The Director of Maintenance Enforcement can register this on behalf of the person you owe money to, helping them collect what you owe. |
Plan is a survey document registered with the property’s title. It's a map created by a BC land surveyor that shows the exact boundaries, size, corner markers, and location of a piece of land. Plans are used to create new or re-establish existing property boundaries (subdivisions or stratas), set aside land for public use (parks) or show specific areas within a property that have restrictions or rights (easements or rights of way). Plan types include Plan Application, Posting Plan, Strata Plan, Strata Plan Amendment, Subdivision Plan and Survey Plan. |
Priority Agreement is when one charge holder agrees that their charge will rank below another charge that was registered later. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. Normally, whoever registers their charge first gets paid first if the property is sold. But with this agreement, a later charge can jump ahead. For example, if you have a two mortgages on title, the first mortgage would normally be paid before the second. A priority agreement could give priority to the second mortgage and it would be paid first. This can happen without the owner knowing, since it's an agreement between the charge holders. Usually, no action is needed when a priority agreement is registered on a property’s title. |
Property Transfer Tax Act Lien is placed on the property’s title when you owe unpaid Property Transfer Tax to the Province. This gives the government a way to collect the tax you owe. While this lien doesn't prevent you from dealing with your property, it may make it harder to get financing. |
| Restrictive Covenant is an agreement where a property owner promises to limit what they do on their land for the benefit of neighbouring property owners, for example, agreeing to keep trees trimmed so they don't block a neighbour's view. |
Statutory Right of Way gives a public agency the right to access part or all of your property for utilities or services and is added to the property’s title as a charge. A ‘charge’ on title is a legal claim against a property that limits what you can do with it or affects its value. This means the public agency can install and maintain things like water lines, sewer pipes, or telecommunications equipment. These agreements are typically with organizations like your local municipality, utility companies, or telecom companies that need access to your property to provide services to the community and must be agreed to by the property owner. A Statutory Right of Way stays with the property even if you sell it. |