Green title, Torrens or strata? Subdivision title types explained

Green title, Torrens or strata? The names change from state to state, but the core difference is the same everywhere: either each lot stands alone as a separate lot of land with its own title (Torrens, freehold or green title), or the lots sit in a scheme with shared common property that every owner belongs to and pays towards, through a body corporate, owners corporation, community corporation or strata company. Which of these you can create, and how, is set by your state or territory.

So "green title vs strata" in WA and "Torrens vs strata" in NSW are the same question. Below are the names each state and territory uses, what changes for an owner, and how the title type can change the approval pathway. This guide does not compare the types financially.

Two families of title

Standalone lots. In NSW, a Torrens title subdivision creates separate lots of land, each with its own title, registered on a deposited plan. Land Services SA describes Torrens title as "the division of land into at least two allotments, which are held independently of one another". In WA the same kind of lot is a freehold, or green title, lot, which ends up on a deposited plan.

Lots in a scheme with common property. Strata, survey-strata, community title and unit title schemes all divide land into lots plus common property. Tasmania's Land Titles Office puts it simply: "A strata scheme is a particular type of development which divides a parcel of land into 'lots' and 'common property'." The owners together form the body that manages the scheme.

Schemes come in two broad shapes, and the official names show it:

Lots defined by a building. Unit-style lots whose boundaries are set by the building, such as its floors, walls and ceilings. Examples are a Queensland building format plan, SA community strata, WA built strata and ACT Class A units.
Lots of land. Lots defined on the ground, by survey, rather than by a building's floors, walls and ceilings. Examples are a Queensland standard format plan, an SA community scheme, WA survey-strata and ACT Class B units. NSW neighbourhood schemes, which typically consist of freestanding houses or townhouses, are similar.

Title types and names by state

State	Standalone lot	Scheme with common property	Body that manages the scheme
NSW	Torrens title (deposited plan)	Strata scheme; community, neighbourhood and precinct schemes (community title)	Owners corporation (strata); association (community schemes)
VIC	Lot on a registered plan of subdivision	Plan of subdivision containing common property	Owners corporation (formerly body corporate)
QLD	Lot created by reconfiguring a lot	Community titles scheme, on a building format plan or standard format plan	Body corporate
SA	Torrens title	Community title (community strata or community scheme); no new strata	Community corporation (strata corporation for existing strata)
WA	Freehold (green title), deposited plan	Built strata, survey-strata, leasehold scheme; community titles (land) scheme	Strata company
TAS	Lot on a sealed final plan	Strata scheme under the Strata Titles Act 1998	Body corporate
ACT	Block with its own Crown lease (leasehold)	Unit title: units plan over one Crown lease	Owners corporation
NT	Separate freehold title	Unit title scheme, set out in a scheme statement and unit plan	Body corporate

The table summarises the names used on official pages.

What each state and territory calls them

NSW. A strata plan is "a subdivision of a parcel of land into separate lots and common property", under the Strata Schemes Development Act 2015. Community title is separate again: community schemes contain two or more development lots, and "neighbourhood schemes are like strata schemes but typically consist of freestanding houses or townhouses". Buyers in a community, precinct or neighbourhood scheme become members of the scheme's association, and its by-laws are in the association's management statement. More in our NSW subdivision guide.

VIC. In Victoria, lots are created on a plan of subdivision, and "an owners corporation is automatically created when a plan of subdivision containing common property is registered". Common property "is whatever it is stated to be on the plan of subdivision". More in our Victoria subdivision guide.

QLD. Subdivision is called reconfiguring a lot, and it includes dividing land into parts by agreement, which the City of Gold Coast says "is commonly known as developing community title schemes". Most bodies corporate are regulated by the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, and each has a survey plan registered with Titles Queensland as either a building format plan or a standard format plan. More in our Queensland subdivision guide.

SA. Land is divided as Torrens title or community title. A community title is "the division of land into at least two lots and an area of common property". It is no longer possible to create new strata divisions, but existing strata schemes continue under the Strata Titles Act 1988. SA.GOV.AU describes two kinds of community title: community strata, where boundaries are defined by the buildings, and community schemes, where each lot is defined by surveyed land measurements. More in our SA subdivision guide.

WA. WA has freehold (green title) lots and, under the Strata Titles Act 1985, which Landgate administers, several kinds of strata scheme. In built strata, lot boundaries "are defined by reference to the building or buildings shown on the strata plan". Survey-strata lots have boundaries "marked out by a licensed surveyor and shown on the survey-strata plan". A leasehold scheme is a strata or survey-strata scheme "set up for a fixed term lease of 20 to 99 years". WA also has community titles (land) schemes. More in our WA subdivision guide.

TAS. A subdivision creates new lots on a final plan that the council seals. Strata schemes fall under the Strata Titles Act 1998, a separate pathway, and the body corporate comes into existence automatically when the strata plan is registered by the Recorder of Titles. More in our Tasmania subdivision guide.

ACT. "Leasehold is ACT's system of land tenure", and a residential Crown lease is usually for 99 years. Block subdivision creates new blocks, each with its own Crown lease, while unit titling registers a units plan over one Crown lease. ACT Planning says "a unit title is a type of property ownership where you own a defined part of a Units Plan", with Class A units bounded by floors, walls and ceilings and Class B units having "a 'footprint' on the ground". More in our ACT subdivision guide.

NT. A subdivision can create separate freehold titles, or unit titles can be created from an existing parcel under the Unit Title Schemes Act 2009. Buyers are told what they own "will be set out in a unit plan". More in our NT subdivision guide.

Survey strata vs green title

Both create a lot of land, and the difference is what comes with it. A green title lot is not part of a scheme. A survey-strata lot belongs to a strata scheme, and in a strata scheme Landgate says "all the owners share ownership of and responsibility for the 'common property'". The strata company is "the governing body of the strata titles scheme".

Elsewhere, the closest comparisons are Torrens lots against a neighbourhood scheme (NSW), separate lots against a standard format plan (QLD), Torrens title against a community scheme (SA), and separate blocks against Class B units (ACT).

What changes for the owner

Owning a lot in a scheme means owning your lot plus a share of common property, and accepting shared decisions about it.

Common property

Common property is the part that is not in any lot. Official examples include gardens, fencing, pools and elevators (NSW), driveways, pathways, foyers and fences (VIC), and shared driveways, letterboxes and swimming pools (QLD). On a standalone Torrens or green title lot, there is no common property to share.

Membership and meetings

You join the managing body automatically. In NSW, "when you buy a property in a strata scheme, you automatically become part of the owners corporation". The same is true of an owners corporation in the ACT and a body corporate in the NT.

Levies

Schemes are funded by the owners, and amounts are set scheme by scheme.

NSW: levies pay for repairs and maintenance, administrative costs and capital works.
VIC: the owners corporation raises fees from lot owners to meet its financial obligations.
QLD: owners pay regular levies towards the day-to-day running costs of the body corporate.
SA: lot entitlements, annexed in the community plan, determine the amount each owner pays towards insurance and other fees.
WA: contributions (levies) are "the fees paid by all lot owners in a scheme to cover the projected costs and expenses".
TAS: contributions are proportioned in accordance with each lot's unit entitlement.
ACT: unit owners pay levy contributions to the owners corporation.
NT: body corporate fees cover management, security, cleaning, repairs, maintenance and insurance of the building and common property, and extra sinking fund fees may apply.

By-laws and rules

Every scheme has its own rules. In NSW, strata by-laws can deal with pets, smoking, short-term rental accommodation, parking and noise, and a community scheme's by-laws sit in its management statement. Queensland by-laws "regulate the behaviour of owners, occupiers and their invitees on the common property and within their lots". In SA, by-laws are compulsory for all schemes and can be changed by special resolution. In Tasmania, the model by-laws apply unless the body corporate has its own. A standalone lot has no scheme by-laws, though easements, covenants and planning rules can still apply.

Insurance and maintenance

Who insures and maintains buildings depends on the state and the type of scheme:

VIC: the owners corporation must take out and maintain required insurance.
QLD standard format plan: the body corporate must insure for full replacement value each building that shares a wall with another; for a stand-alone building with no common walls, the lot owner is responsible for building insurance.
QLD building format plan: the body corporate maintains the outside of the building, its foundations and roof, and the owner is generally responsible for the inside of the lot.
SA community strata: the buildings are part of the common property, so the community corporation must maintain and insure them.
SA community scheme: each owner maintains and insures the buildings on their lot, and the corporation insures buildings or structures in common areas.
TAS: the body corporate must insure all buildings and other improvements (if any) on the strata site.

How the title type can affect the approval pathway

In several states the title type changes the application, the certificate or the timing.

NSW: a Torrens plan is registered after a subdivision certificate, but "a strata plan cannot be registered by LRS unless it has a Strata Certificate". In 2026/27 the council DA fee is $458 + $53 per additional lot for subdivision with no new public road, and $458 + $65 per additional lot for strata subdivision. LEPs do not always treat the types the same way, and minimum lot size rules can still prevent a strata subdivision in some areas.
VIC: subdivision runs through a planning permit, certification of the plan and registration. Subdividing existing buildings or creating a shared driveway as common property adds building compliance and an owners corporation.
QLD: creating a community titles scheme is part of reconfiguring a lot, and the plan is registered as a building format plan or standard format plan.
SA: strata is no longer an option for new divisions, so a new division is either Torrens title or community title. Both need land division consent and planning consent, which together form the development approval.
WA: green title, survey-strata, leasehold survey-strata and community titles (land) scheme subdivisions all go to the Western Australian Planning Commission on Form 1A. Splitting a site where buildings already stand into built strata lots uses a separate form, Form 15A.
TAS: under section 30 of the Strata Titles Act 1998, a council's certificate of approval is required for a strata plan. The council must check that planning scheme requirements have been met, and where a permit is needed for the proposed use of the lots, the certificate can only be issued once that permit exists (section 31). The Tasmanian Planning Commission has asked whether a draft granny flat amendment should preclude converting a primary residence and secondary residence to strata title; that question was still open at 4 October 2026.
ACT: block subdivision needs a development application for the lease variation and subdivision. Unit titling comes after the homes are built: every dwelling needs a certificate of occupancy and use, and the Territory Planning Authority may approve the application if it meets section 20 of the Unit Titles Act 2001. In RZ1, unit titling on a standard block is allowed only where the block is at least 600 m².
NT: separate titles are applied for on Form 21, and a unit title scheme on Form 113 (scheme statement). An independent unit cannot get its own title through a unit title scheme, and a separate freehold title is only possible if the subdivision meets every requirement, including the minimum lot size.

You can see how a report sets out title and planning issues for one address in our sample report.

Check your own block

A Subdivision Checker report applies these rules to one address: planning and zoning, heritage, environment, bushfire, flood, servicing, contamination and title, plus indicative costs. It is a starting point, not a substitute for advice from a licensed surveyor or town planner. Order a report for your address.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between green title and strata title?

A green title (freehold) lot stands alone: it is a separate lot of land with its own title and no shared common property. A strata lot is part of a scheme that divides land, and sometimes buildings, into lots and common property, and every lot owner is a member of the body that manages it, called a strata company in WA. The names differ by state, but that split is the core difference.

Is Torrens title the same as green title?

They describe the same kind of lot. NSW and South Australia call a standalone lot Torrens title: in NSW a Torrens subdivision creates separate lots of land, each with its own title, and Land Services SA describes Torrens title as at least two allotments held independently. WA calls a freehold lot green title. In each case the lot is not part of a scheme with common property.

What is survey strata in WA?

Survey-strata lots have boundaries marked out by a licensed surveyor and shown on a survey-strata plan, rather than defined by a building as in built strata. Lot owners share ownership of any common property, such as a driveway, and belong to the strata company. Green title and survey-strata lots use the same application to the Western Australian Planning Commission, Form 1A.

What is community title?

It depends on the state. In NSW, community, neighbourhood and precinct schemes are made under community land legislation, and neighbourhood schemes typically consist of freestanding houses or townhouses. Queensland uses community titles schemes with a body corporate. In SA, community title is the division of land into at least two lots and an area of common property, and WA has community titles (land) schemes.

Does the title type change the approval process?

Often. In NSW a strata plan needs a strata certificate before NSW Land Registry Services will register it, and the council DA fee differs. SA no longer allows new strata divisions. WA uses Form 1A for green title and survey-strata but Form 15A for built strata. In Tasmania a strata plan needs a council certificate of approval, and in the ACT unit titling is only possible once the homes are built.

Who insures the buildings in a strata or community scheme?

It varies by state and scheme type. In a Queensland standard format plan scheme, the body corporate must insure each building that shares a wall with another, while the owner of a stand-alone building insures their own. In an SA community scheme, each owner insures the buildings on their lot, but in community strata the corporation insures the buildings. In Tasmania the body corporate must insure all buildings on the strata site.

Sources

This guide is general information only, current at October 2026. Rules, fees and maps change, and every block is different. Speak to a licensed surveyor or town planner about your property.