How to Find What Property Someone Owns in South Africa

Every property transfer in South Africa is recorded in the Deeds Registry, against the people who own it. That means the registry can be searched two ways: by property (you have an address or erf) or by person (you have a name and want to know what they own). This guide is about the second one.

What the deeds registry records about a person

For each registered owner, the deeds record links to the properties they hold, the title deeds that transferred those properties to them, and related documents such as antenuptial and marriage contracts. So a person search can show you the properties registered to someone, and the documents tied to them — across a deeds office.

What you need to search by person

• The deeds office — property is registered at the office that covers where it is (for example Cape Town for the Western Cape).
• The surname, plus the person's initials or first names.
• The person's ID number — this is required for POPIA. You can't look someone up by name alone; the ID confirms exactly who you mean and keeps the result accurate where people share a name.

How the search works

The name lookup is free: it confirms the person at the deeds office you chose. From there you choose how much to see — a Person Document Search (which properties and documents exist, with the figures masked) or a Person Full Report (everything: each property with its purchase price, dates and ownership share, plus all the documents in full).

Ordering the actual documents

Both reports list the deeds documents registered to the person, each with an option to order an official copy — a title deed, an antenuptial contract or a marriage contract. We obtain the copy from the registry on your behalf.

Searching the other way around

If you already have the address or erf number and want the property and its owner, that's a property search — do it at DeedsCheck instead. PersonCheck is for when the person is your starting point.

Do it now

Pick the deeds office, enter the surname, initials or first names, and the person's ID number, and run a free lookup to see what comes back.