Intro to the ADIS Section

The Automated Deeds Indexing System (ADIS) Section was formerly known as the Deeds Registration Branch and contained most of the early land records for the State of New South Wales.  

Copies of the grants of land alienated from the Crown between 1792 and the introduction of the Torrens Title system on 1 January 1863 are filed in Off-Line, Property Information Services, PIS Branch. The earliest held records commencing in 1802 of other land transactions are contained in a Register of Assignments and other Legal Instruments. Known as the 'Old Register' this Register is held by the Archivist, Information Co-ordination Unit, ICT. 

• Registers are held on the 1st floor, North Wing and available for public inspection by contacting The Manager, Customer Services, Titling & Registry Services on the Ground Floor, West Wing; or the Supervisor Off-Line Property Information, Basement 1, Records Wing.

The Supreme Court of New South Wales was established on 17.5.1824 and it was intended that all land transactions would be registered by the Court. However, no legal provision was made for such registrations and it was not until 16.11.1825 that the first Act for the registration of deeds by the Supreme Court was passed. 

The Office of the Registrar General was established by the Registration of Deeds Act 1843 and responsibility for registration of deeds was transferred to that Office. The first registration was made on 5.1.1844. 

The Office of the Registrar General was abolished on 31.12.1849 and registration reverted to the Supreme Court. The Office was re-established on 1.1.1856 and the registration function returned to the Registrar General on 1.5.1857 where it has remained to this day. 

The Registration of Deeds Act 1843 provided, for the first time, for the registration and filing of full copies of deeds instead of the recording of memorials and the system remained basically the same until 2.11.1992.  

The Conveyancing Act 1919 and the Conveyancing (Amendment) Act 1992 allowed for the implementation of the Automated Deeds Indexing System (ADIS) on 2.11.1992. This provided for documents in the Register to be stored in an electronic medium instead of the traditional bound paper Register, and for a computerised indexing system to replace the cumbersome paper index. The paper index remains in this form to this day. 

The Automated Deeds Indexing System (ADIS) was implemented on 2 November 1992 and allowed automated indexing and searching of all “Old System” registrations with the exception of Causes Writs and Orders. All registration copies of deeds were microfilmed from that date until March 1998 when the scanning and storing of the Documents began in the Document and Integrated Imaging System (DIIMS).
 
Causes Writs and Orders are searched internally in the Integrated Titling System (ITS) in the Deeds suite of searches. Copies of Causes Writs and Orders searches are available from Property Information Delivery Service, Ground Floor, Records Wing, Queens Square, Sydney.

From 2.11.1992 (Book 4000) under the Automated Deed Indexing System (ADIS), manual indexing ceased. All indexes since that date relating to Old system land are held in the Integrated Titling System (ITS) and copies of the deeds (from Book 4192) are held on the Document and Integrated Image Management System (DIIMS) and copies must be ordered from Property Information Delivery Service, Ground Floor, Records Wing.

ADIS requires the lodging party to present the original document and a registration copy prepared on A4 size paper for registration. The original document is stamped, numbered and returned to the lodging party. The registration copy is stamped, numbered and filmed. 

The Old System Vendors and Purchasers Index are now searched through Deed Name Search. This inquiry relates to information registered from November 1992 onwards. Manual indexes are available to search for records registered prior to that date.

A Deeds Index Particulars form must be lodged in all cases. The form must be completed by:

• the person lodging the instrument; or    
• a party to the instrument; or    
• a solicitor or agent acting for the person lodging or a party to the instrument.

Entry of the indexing details into ADIS, or into the manual indexes, enables documents to be searched for in a quick efficient manner using names, Principal Deed details, or registered deed numbers. 

A completed Notice of Sale form is required for all documents evidencing a change of ownership, e.g. a conveyance, acknowledgment, or appointment of a new trustee affecting Old System land. 

As part of the conversion process for Old System land, a Statement of Title Particulars form is required for documents evidencing a change of ownership, including mortgage.

Copies of documents registered in ADIS, the series Book 4000 to Book 4191 are on microfilm and available for purchase over the counter from Property Information Delivery Services, Ground Floor, Records Wing, Queens Square, Sydney.

Copies of all documents registered in ADIS from Book 4192 are available for purchase from DIIMS, either over the counter from Property Information Delivery Services, Ground Floor, Records Wing, Queens Square, Sydney, or electronically from the Lands website or from approved Information Brokers.

Security of Interests in Goods Act (SIGA) Search

The Security of Interests in Goods Act 2005 replaces existing legislation covering bills of sale, liens on crops and wool and stock mortgages.  It commenced on 1 March 2006 and simplified the procedure for registering mortgages, or “security interests”, granted over goods. SIGA introduces the concept of a security interest which can be created over goods to secure the payment of a debt or other pecuniary obligation. SIGA allows for mortgages of both agricultural and non agricultural goods.

Three types of agricultural goods mortgages, namely crop mortgage, stock mortgage and agricultural fish mortgage will replace existing crop and wool lien and stock mortgage. Security interests over non agricultural goods will replace existing ordinary bills of sale and traders bills of sale.

These documents are and will continue to be registered in the General Register of Deeds.  They can be searched via the Automated Deeds Indexing Service (ADIS), which provides index searches for all documents registered in the General Register of Deeds from 1992.

The information returned in a SIGA search relates to Security Interests, Bills of Sale, Stock Mortgages, Crop Liens and Wool Liens registered after November 1992. It is recommended that a Manual Search be undertaken where it is considered that an interest may have been initially created prior to that date or a Deed Name Search where it is considered that an interest may have been registered in the General Register of Deeds.

SIGA searches are available for purchase over the counter from Property Information Delivery Service Branch, Ground Floor, Records Wing, Queens Square, Sydney, the Lands website or from approved Information Brokers.