Under an agreement for sale and purchase of land, a requisition of title is a request made by the purchaser to the vendor to ‘make good’ any defects to the title of a property before settlement. The purchaser may have a right to requisition the title where there is a serious defect or encumbrance that is not notified or included in the agreement.

The purchaser may requisition the title within 10 working days from the date of the agreement. If a requisition is not made within this period, the purchaser is deemed to have accepted the title. Once the requisition is raised, the vendor can remove the defect before settlement or if the vendor does not comply with the requisition, the purchaser can cancel the agreement or proceed regardless.

Defects to a title (in the case of a cross lease) may include alterations to the external dimensions of a leased building that is not included on the current flats plan.

We suggest obtaining legal advice when purchasing a property.