A caveat freezes dealings with a title, so getting it off the register is often the last hurdle before a sale or mortgage can close. A withdrawal of caveat is the simplest route: the caveator, or their agent or attorney-at-law, signs a document authorising the Registrar of Titles to remove it. The withdrawal must name the caveator, give the caveat number and the title’s Volume and Folio, be properly witnessed, and be lodged at the National Land Agency with the registration fee.
When the caveator will not cooperate, there are two other ways. The registered owner can ask the Registrar to warn the caveator of a pending dealing; the caveator then has 14 days from service of the notice to obtain a court order stopping the dealing, failing which the caveat lapses. A warning can only be sought when the instrument to be registered is lodged with it. Alternatively, an owner who believes the caveat was lodged without reasonable cause can apply to a Supreme Court judge for its removal.
For buyers, a caveat on the title is a red flag to resolve before completion, not after. Attorneys commonly make a signed withdrawal, or proof the caveat has lapsed, a condition of paying over the purchase money. Lenders who lodged caveats to protect unregistered security will normally sign a withdrawal once paid.
Related terms: Caveat, Registrar of Titles, Title search, Certificate of title, Land disputes, Registration of Titles Act.
Accurate as at October 2026. Time limits are set by law and can change.
