There are many legitimate reasons why you might need to find out who owns a property in South Africa. Perhaps you've spotted your dream home but there's no "For Sale" sign. Maybe you need to contact a neighbour about a boundary dispute, or you're an investor looking for off-market opportunities.
Whatever your reason, the good news is that property ownership in South Africa is public information. All property transactions are recorded at one of the 11 Deeds Offices across the country, and this information is accessible to anyone willing to search for it.
Historically, finding a property owner meant a trip to your nearest Deeds Office. You'd need to:
This process could take several hours or even require multiple visits. If the property falls under a different Deeds Office jurisdiction, you'd need to travel there or request an inter-office search.
Today, you can find property owner information from your computer or phone in minutes. Online services like ours have live links directly into the Deeds Office database, providing instant access to property records.
A property search typically reveals:
The easiest approach for most people. Simply enter the street address into an interactive map search tool. The system will identify the correct erf number and deeds office automatically, then retrieve the ownership information.
If you know the property's erf number and township name, you can search directly. This is common when dealing with municipal accounts or building plans where the erf number is referenced.
You can also search in reverse - enter a person's name or ID number to find all properties registered to them at a specific Deeds Office. This is useful for estate planning, divorce proceedings, or verifying someone's property portfolio.
The Protection of Personal Information Act means that while property ownership is public record, certain personal details are protected. ID numbers are partially masked in search results to balance transparency with privacy.
Deeds Office records show the registered owner, which may differ from who currently lives at the property. If a sale is in progress but not yet registered, the previous owner will still appear in records.
For apartments and townhouses in sectional title schemes, you'll need to know the unit number and scheme name, not just the street address. The search works slightly differently but provides the same ownership information.
Once you've identified a property owner, you can:
Our Instant Property Search provides immediate results using our live connection to the Deeds Office. Simply locate the property on our interactive map or enter the address, and receive a comprehensive report via email within minutes.
No registration required. No waiting in queues. Just accurate property information when you need it.