Frequently Asked Questions

PersonCheck searches the South African Deeds Registry by person rather than by property. Enter a deeds office, the person's surname (with initials or first names) and their ID number, and we find the properties and deeds documents registered to that individual — including title deeds, antenuptial and marriage contracts.

A property search starts from a property — an address, erf or scheme — and tells you about that property and its owner. PersonCheck starts from a person and tells you what that person owns across a deeds registry, plus the contracts tied to them. If you already have an address or erf, search by property instead at DeedsCheck.

All data comes from the South African Deeds Registry — the official record of property ownership and registered deeds documents. PersonCheck simply makes that record searchable by person, quickly and in plain English.

The ID number is required for POPIA compliance. You can't look someone up by name alone — the ID confirms exactly who you are searching for and pins every result to that one person. It also keeps the search accurate where several people share a name.

Then the search returns no result. We only ever show the person whose ID you declared — we never list other people who happen to share the surname. If you get "not found", double-check the deeds office, the surname spelling and the ID number, or the person may simply hold no property registered at that office.

The name lookup is free — it confirms the person at the chosen deeds office. You then choose what to unlock: a Person Document Search (which documents and properties exist) or a Person Full Report (everything, including prices, dates and shares). You pay once, per report.

The Person Document Search shows you which properties and deeds documents are registered to the person — enough to see what exists and order copies — with the financial detail masked. The Person Full Report reveals everything: each property with its purchase price, dates and ownership share, plus all the documents in full.

Yes. Each document in your report has an Order Copy option — title deeds, antenuptial contracts (ANCs) and marriage contracts included. We obtain the official copy from the registry on your behalf and deliver it to you. Anything you've already paid toward the report is credited toward the copy.

The free lookup is instant. Once you've paid, the report is generated within a few minutes. You can keep the order page open or wait for the email — the report appears there automatically. Document copies that have to be sourced from the registry take a few working days.

A person's property is registered at the deeds office that covers where the property is. If you're not sure, start with the office for the area you expect the person to own in — for example Cape Town for the Western Cape, or Johannesburg/Pretoria for Gauteng. Each search covers one office at a time.

Either one — not both. If you have the person's initials (e.g. "J P"), use those; otherwise enter their first names (e.g. "Johannes Petrus"). The surname is always required, and for a multi-word surname like "Van Der Merwe" enter the full surname.