Manitobans now have faster, more convenient access to the information they need to buy or sell a home or property with access to land title documents through Documents Online, a new Property Registry service. This announcement was made by Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs Minister Jim Rondeau.
“Thousands of legal transactions affecting land ownership occur every month,” said Rondeau. “Manitobans need fast access to information that enables them to buy, sell or transfer a property, or get a mortgage. Documents Online will provide easy access to this information so that land deals can occur with greater ease and simplicity.”
Documents Online will allow people to search, view, download and print available documents in the Property Registry database from the convenience of their own computer. Documents Online currently contains more than 1.5 million documents including most documents registered in all six Land Titles Offices in the last six years. It also includes a significant number of caveats in the Brandon and Winnipeg Land Titles Offices, dating back to the late 19th century, Rondeau said, adding the registry continues to add more documents to the service and it is expected the number of available online documents will double in 2012.
“This is a great benefit for anyone who needs information about property in Manitoba,” said Rondeau. “Previously, if a property owner, lawyer or bank wanted a copy of a mortgage, they had to submit a service request and then wait for the Property Registry to find the document, print it and mail or fax it back. This new service gives access to document information within minutes.”
Documents Online is another step in the Property Registry’s ongoing initiative to improve client services, the minister said. Last year, the Property Registry introduced Surveys Online, which provided similar access to survey plans. Current development plans include an online service for searching titles, as well as a system that will allow for the electronic registration of documents, he added.
For more information on Documents Online, call the Property Registry office at 204-945-2042 or toll free at 1-866-MANITOBA (1-866-626-4862), or visit its website.
