Office Circular No. 2-2013

DISTRIBUTION: SURVEYORS

SUBJECT: Changes to Fees and Search Options (from 1 July 2013)

In accordance with Section 143B(2) and Schedule 3, Item 16 of the Land Titles Act 1980, Schedule II, Item 4 of the Registration of Deeds Act 1935 and Section 10 of the Survey Co-ordination Act 1944 a fee for requisitions and hourly search fees will be charged from 1 July 2013.

Requisition Fee
Where the Recorder requires a Registered Surveyor to amend a plan or accompanying document or to supply additional information a requisition fee is payable. The requisition fee will be $43.80. Registered Surveyors are encouraged to review the Plan of Survey Checklist. Plans that do not meet the requirements of the Checklist may be subject to requisition.

Where the requisition is raised in relation to incorrect plan fees only, the requisition fee will be $22.04. This fee will be charged to the lodging party.

Plans that do not comply with the Recorder's Lodgement Checklist will be returned for correction. In this instance the plan will not be lodged and a requisition fee will not be charged. If the plan is lodged and does not comply with the Lodgement Checklist a Requisition will be raised and a fee will be payable. This fee will be charged to the lodging party.

Hourly Search Fees
The hourly search fee only applies when the LTO is requested to conduct a manual search to identify plans not provided from the LIST on line search. The amount of the fee will vary depending on the extent of the search request and the time taken to complete the search. The time is calculated from the commencement of the search until the completion but does not include time taken to copy plans. It is charged in addition to search fees.

The hourly (or part thereof) search fee for LTO plans is $29.20
The hourly (or part thereof) search fee for Deeds Office (DO) plans is $29.20.
The hourly (or part thereof) search fee for Central Plan Office (CPO) plans is $40.00.

The fees are calculated accumulatively. The table below details how hourly search fees are calculated.

	Extent of Search	Extent of Search	Extent of Search	Extent of Search
LTO ($29.20)	√	√		√
DO ($29.20)	√	√	√
CPO ($40.00)	√		√	√
Total Hourly Fee*	$98.40	$58.40	$69.20	$69.20

* Fees calculated on the basis that each search (LTO, DO or CPO) was each less than 1 hour.

The hourly search fee can be avoided if the Surveyor undertakes a full search (a LIST on line search and a manual search of records previously provided on USB) and requests copies of specific plans. The hourly search fee will not be charged in these circumstances provided the LIST Survey Search Reference Number and Plan Reference Numbers are provided with the request and the LIST search was undertaken in the past six months.

If a LIST search has not been undertaken the LTO will charge search fees and the hourly search fee. The search options and applicable fee are outlined in the following table.

Cadastral Search Options and Fees

Search Method	Fees Applicable	Billing Method	Performance
Surveyor undertakes LIST search and completes Cadastral Search Request Form to request LTO to undertake full or limited manual search.	Search Fee LTO = $43.80 DO = $29.20 CPO = $20.00 Hourly Search Fee LTO = $29.20 DO= $29.20 CPO = $40.00	Invoice Invoiced for hourly search fees - effective 1 July 2013	Search completed 5 working days after request received by LTO
Surveyor undertakes full search (LIST and manual) and completes Request for Additional Plans Form to request specific plans from LTO.	Search Fee LTO = $43.80 DO = $29.20 CPO = $20.00	Invoice	Requested plans emailed to Surveyor within 1 working day of receiving request
Surveyor requests specific plans only. No LIST search undertaken. Complete Request for Additional Plans Form to request specific plans only from LTO.	Single plan LTO = $29.20 DO = $ 29.20 CPO = $ 10.00 Multiple plans LTO = $43.80 DO = $29.20 CPO = $20.00	Invoice	Requested plans emailed to Surveyor within 1 working day of receiving request

All fees quoted in this Circular are for 2013-14.

ALICE KAWA
Recorder of Titles