Caveat
A caveat is a notice lodged on a property title by someone claiming an interest; it blocks sale, mortgage or subdivision being registered until it's resolved.
Ask Chalkline about this →A caveat is a notice lodged on a property’s title by a party claiming an interest in the land. While it stands, it prevents further dealings, a sale, mortgage, transfer, or subdivision, from being registered until the caveat is withdrawn, lapses, or is removed by the court. A title search should surface any caveat before you commit.
A caveat is best understood as a freeze, or a warning, not a claim of ownership. Anyone with a caveatable interest can lodge one: a purchaser under an unregistered contract, a party owed money secured by the land, a beneficiary under a trust. It does not stop someone occupying or even building on the land in itself, but it blocks the registration of dealings, which is what trips up a transaction.
A caveat can be cleared three ways:
- Withdrawal by the person who lodged it (the caveator).
- Lapse: the registered owner serves a lapsing notice, and the caveat falls away unless the caveator goes to court to support it within the set time.
- Court order removing it.
For a builder or developer the practical signal is that a caveat on the title is a red flag at due diligence. It points to a dispute or an unresolved interest that can hold up a settlement, the registration of a subdivision plan and its new titles, or a construction-finance mortgage. Find out who lodged it and on what basis before you rely on a clean transfer, or on a registration date sitting in your programme, because a caveat can quietly blow that date out.
Also known as: Title caveat.
Category: Property / Title.
Related
See also
References
- Title search basics (Chalkline) (verified 2026-06-01)
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Verified: 2026-06-01. Quarterly review for currency.