SG Diagram vs Title Deed: What's the Difference?

"SG diagram" and "title deed" get used as if they were the same document. They are not. They come from different offices, answer different questions, and you often need one without needing the other. Getting this right saves you ordering the wrong thing.

The short version

• A title deed tells you who owns the property and what bonds are registered against it. It is a deeds-office record.
• A Surveyor General (SG) diagram tells you what the land is — its boundaries, beacons, dimensions and total extent. It is a survey record.

Ownership versus survey. That is the whole distinction.

What the title deed covers

The title deed is the legal proof of ownership. It records the current owner (or owners), the property description, the purchase consideration, and any conditions, plus it links to the bonds registered over the property. When you want to know who owns a property, whether there is a bond, or the history of transfers, you are asking a deeds question — and the place to do that is DeedsCheck, not SGCheck.

What the SG diagram covers

The SG diagram is the approved survey of the land. It shows the exact shape of the property, the survey beacons at each corner, the length of every boundary, the bearings between beacons, the registered extent (the official size), and any servitudes crossing the property. It says nothing about who owns the land — only what the land physically is. That is what SGCheck retrieves.

Side by side

• Question it answers: Title deed — "who owns it / what is bonded?" · SG diagram — "where are the boundaries / how big is it?"
• Contains: Title deed — owner, conditions, bonds, transfer history · SG diagram — beacons, boundary lengths, extent, servitudes.
• Use it for: Title deed — proof of ownership, due diligence, conveyancing · SG diagram — building plans, boundary disputes, subdivisions, consolidations, re-pegging.
• Get it from: Title deed — DeedsCheck · SG diagram — SGCheck.

Which one do you actually need?

Ask what you are trying to do:

• Confirming ownership, checking for a bond, or running due diligence before an offer? You need the title deed / deeds search — use DeedsCheck.
• Querying a boundary, preparing building plans, subdividing, consolidating, or settling a fence-line dispute with a neighbour? You need the SG diagram — use SGCheck.

Sometimes you genuinely need both: the deed to prove ownership and the diagram to prove the boundary. They complement each other — which is exactly why the two tools sit side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is the SG diagram attached to the title deed?

The title deed references the property's survey, but the SG diagram is a separate document held in the survey records. Getting a copy of the title deed does not automatically give you the diagram, and vice versa.

Can I find the owner from an SG diagram?

No. An SG diagram shows boundaries and dimensions, not ownership. To find the owner you need a deeds search — that is what DeedsCheck does.

I just want my erf size — which one is that?

The official extent (size) of the property is on the SG diagram, expressed in square metres or hectares. That is an SGCheck lookup.

Do I need an SG diagram to transfer a property?

Transfers are handled through the deeds office on the existing survey, so a fresh diagram usually isn't required just to transfer. You'll typically need the diagram for building, subdividing or resolving a boundary question.