A Jamaican certificate of title is a running record, not a one-off document. Each time a dealing is registered, the Registrar of Titles adds an endorsement on title: a dated, numbered entry noting what was registered and in whose favour. Transfers, mortgages, discharges, leases, easements, restrictive covenants, caveats, notes of death and changes of name are all recorded this way.
Endorsements are made on the original title held in the National Land Agency’s register and, where it is produced, on the owner’s duplicate certificate. Read in order, they tell the story of the land: who owned it, which lenders held security and whether they have been paid off, and what rights others have over it. Under the Torrens system, the register as endorsed is what counts, which is why the guarantee of title attaches to it rather than to old deeds.
The common trap is relying on the duplicate alone. Some entries, such as caveats and court orders, may appear only on the original, and the Registrar can register certain dealings without the duplicate being produced. Before buying or lending, your attorney should search the register itself. Owners should also look at the endorsements on their own title from time to time: an old mortgage that was paid years ago but never discharged will still show, and will need to be cleared before a sale.
Related terms: Certificate of title, Discharge of Mortgage, Caveat, Registrar of Titles, Indefeasibility of Registered Titles, Torrens system of land registration.
Accurate as at October 2026.
