A short introduction stating what are the differences between green title, strata title and survey strata.
Green Title
The ownership of property, or the document showing evidence of ownership of a property. In Western Australia the most common form of title in the residential property market is the green title. A green title is the common name given to the traditional block of land, which is not affected by owners of adjoining properties.
Strata Title
Another popular form of property title. A strata title is different from a green title because it covers land that is shared by owners of adjoining strata titles. This shared land is known as common property. Strata titles are often used in developments of home units and townhouses, which require a facility to incorporate a common driveway in the development.
Survey/Strata
Survey/strata was a new concept of registraiton of a strata plan introduced by the 1995 Strata Titles Amendment Act. Survey strata plans differ to a conventional strata plan in that buildings are never defined on the survey strata plan – there are various other differences but this is the main one.
Some extra details
Both green title and survey strata subdivision allow for the creation of vacant blocks whereas strata subdivision may only be used to subdivide land that has existing buildings or structures. Also, a strata title covers land that is shared by owners of adjoining strata titles (such as a common driveway).
In terms of vacant land, the primary difference between a green title subdivision and a survey strata subdivision is the nature of the titles created. Green title allows the creation of individual land titles for each lot, while survey strata creates individual land parcels on one title (eg. units or villas).
Make sure you understand these terms before you go hunting for a property. You will not need to pay strata fees if you buy a house with Green title while you will obviously need to if you buy a strata title or survey strata.
Compiled from REIWA Glossary.
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