Amendment of Deeds of Grant Act 1884

The Act is short and its operative concepts are narrow and document‑focused. Key concepts and textual mechanics follow from the statute.

• Adjusted boundaries: The Act applies when "the true boundaries of any lands or allotments shall have been duly adjusted under the powers of the said recited Acts or of either of them" (s 1). The recited Acts are referenced in the preamble as the fifth section of 8 Vict., No. 9 and the Act 4th and 5th Victoria, No. 20. The Act does not itself set out how those adjustments are made; it presumes they have been lawfully carried out under the earlier statutes. The statutory trigger is the existence of a duly adjusted boundary that differs from the boundaries in a pre‑adjustment grant (s 1).

• Authorised land officer: The person who performs the endorsement and who keeps the Record Book is the "authorised land officer". That term is not defined within the body of this Act; section 3A makes the term adopt the meaning provided in the Land Administration Act 1997. Practically, the authorised land officer is the administrative actor who may sign endorsements, maintain Record Book entries, and forward certified copies to the Registrar (ss 1, 3).

• Endorsement on deed and memorandum on enrolled copy: Where the original deed is produced, the authorised land officer may endorse the true boundaries "on the back or other convenient part" of the deed and sign that endorsement; the Registrar then records a memorandum of that endorsement on the enrolled copy (s 1). The Act thus contemplates two linked records: an annotated original deed and an annotated enrolled (enrolled copy) deed on the public register.

• Record Book and certified copy: Where the grant has been lost, the Act relies on a Record Book kept by an authorised land officer. The owner may apply for a certified copy of the entry in that Record Book and the authorised land officer shall forward that certified copy, without fee, to the Registrar; the Registrar then makes a memorandum on the enrolled copy (s 3).

• Registrar of Deeds and Transfers: The Registrar is the official required to make and sign the memorandum on the enrolled copy and to re‑deliver the deed to the person who produced it (s 1) or to make the memorandum upon receiving the certified copy sent under s 3. The Act prescribes the Registrar’s recording duty in both scenarios.

• Procedural modality: Sections 1 and 3 set up administrative processes rather than judicial processes. The Act gives the authorised land officer a power to annotate the original instrument and obliges the Registrar to make a corresponding entry on the enrolled copy (s 1). For lost deeds, the Act mandates that certified Record Book entries be forwarded without fee (s 3).

• Scope limitations: The Act’s remedies are limited to situations where boundaries were adjusted pursuant to the recited Acts. The statute uses the phrase "any such Crown Grant as aforesaid" to connect the relief to grants referenced earlier (s 3). The Act does not purport to affect grants adjusted by other processes or under other legislation not mentioned in its preamble and operative sections.

These concepts form the functional core of the statute: an administrative correction mechanism centred on authorised land officers, the Registrar, the original deed and the enrolled copy, and a Record Book for lost grants. The Act prescribes where to place annotations, who must sign them, and when no fee is chargeable for certified copies under the lost‑deed procedure.

The Act allocates duties and procedural rights among a small group of actors and creates effects for private persons with affected grants. The principal categories of affected parties follow directly from the text.

• Owners of grants: The Act expressly addresses grantees, heirs, assignees and "other owner for the time being" of the lands or allotments described in the grant (s 3). These private parties are the beneficiaries of the procedures. In the produced‑deed scenario under section 1, the owner (or person producing the deed) is returned the deed after endorsement and the Registrar’s memorandum is placed on the enrolled copy. In the lost‑deed scenario under section 3, the owner must apply to an authorised land officer to obtain a certified Record Book entry; the owner is the applicant entitled to the Registrar’s memorandum once the certified copy reaches that office.

• Authorised land officers: The Act places primary procedural responsibility on authorised land officers. They may endorse adjusted boundaries on a deed and must sign the endorsement (s 1). They are the keepers of the Record Book and must, on proper application, forward a certified copy of the Record Book entry without fee to the Registrar (s 3). The Act ties the term to the Land Administration Act 1997 by reference (s 3A), so the pool of persons able to act under this statute is defined by that later Act.

• Registrar of Deeds and Transfers: The Registrar is obliged to make and sign a memorandum of an authorised land officer’s endorsement on the enrolled copy and to re‑deliver the original deed to the person producing it (s 1). When a certified Record Book entry is forwarded under s 3, the Registrar "shall thereupon make and sign a memorandum of the true boundaries" in the enrolled copy (s 3). The Registrar therefore carries the duty to create the official record on the enrolled copy in both scenarios.

• The Crown and public record system: Although not a private actor, the Crown’s interests in land records are implicated because the Act operates on Crown grants and the enrolled copy maintained by the Registrar (s 1, s 3). The Act modifies how the public record of titles is annotated, which in turn affects anyone searching or relying on the enrolled copy.

• Legal representatives and conveyancers: Practitioners who handle land transfers and title investigations will be affected in practice because the Act prescribes the method for reconciling discrepancies between original grants and adjusted boundaries. They will need to interact with authorised land officers and the Registrar to obtain the necessary endorsements or memoranda.

Who pays and who acts: The Act puts the administrative acts and the cost of making the entry on the Registrar and authorised land officer, with a statutory no‑fee provision for forwarding certified Record Book entries under s 3. The owner must produce the original deed to the authorised land officer for the s 1 process or apply for the certified copy for the s 3 process. Operationally, the authorised land officer decides whether to endorse in s 1 because the Act states it "shall be lawful for an authorised land officer to endorse", which is permissive in phrasing, whereas s 3 uses mandatory language for forwarding certified copies "shall, on such application being duly made... forward ... without fee" (ss 1, 3). These textual differences affect owners’ ability to compel administrative action.

The Act sets out specific procedural duties for authorised land officers and the Registrar, and provides procedural rights for owners of lands subject to the adjustment processes referenced.

Duties imposed on authorised land officers

• Endorsement power and procedure (s 1): An authorised land officer may endorse the true boundaries, as so adjusted, on the back or other convenient part of the deed if the deed is produced to him for that purpose. The authorised land officer must sign the endorsement. The statutory phrase is "it shall be lawful for an authorised land officer to endorse... which he shall sign" (s 1). The Act therefore creates both a power to endorse and an expectation that the officer’s endorsement be signed.

• Forwarding of certified Record Book copies (s 3): Where a grant has been lost, the grantee or owner may apply to an authorised land officer to forward a certified copy of the Record Book entry of the true boundaries to the Registrar. The authorised land officer "shall, on such application being duly made to him as aforesaid, forward a certified copy ... without fee" (s 3). That language imposes a mandatory duty to forward certified copies on proper application.

Duties imposed on the Registrar of Deeds and Transfers

• Make and sign memorandum on enrolled copy (ss 1 and 3): In the produced‑deed scenario, once the authorised land officer has endorsed and signed the deed and forwarded it, the Registrar "shall make and sign a memorandum of such endorsement in the margin or in some other convenient part of the enrolled copy of the said deed" (s 1). In the lost‑deed scenario, upon receiving the certified Record Book copy, the Registrar "shall thereupon make and sign a memorandum of the true boundaries ... in the margin or in some other convenient part of the enrolled copy" (s 3). The Registrar’s duty to make and sign a memorandum is mandatory in both provisions.

• Return of deed (s 1): After making the memorandum, the Registrar shall "re‑deliver the said deed to the person producing the same as aforesaid" (s 1). Thus the Registrar has a duty to return the original document to that person.

Rights of owners and applicants

• To request endorsement by producing the original deed (s 1): The owner, by producing the original grant to an authorised land officer, puts the officer in a position to endorse the adjusted boundaries. The Act does not expressly create a statutory right of compulsion in s 1; the wording gives the authorised land officer a lawful power to endorse, not an explicit mandatory duty to do so upon production. That difference is significant for any party seeking to compel administrative action.

• To have a memorandum placed on the enrolled copy where a certified Record Book copy is forwarded (s 3): Where the grant is lost, the owner can apply for the authorised land officer to forward a certified Record Book copy to the Registrar; that forwarding is mandatory, without fee, and triggers the Registrar’s mandatory duty to make and sign the memorandum on the enrolled copy (s 3).

• Fee‑free forwarding in lost‑deed cases (s 3): The Act expressly requires the authorised land officer to forward the certified copy "without fee" in the lost-deed scenario, creating a cost‑saving right for the owner in that specific circumstance.

Limitations and discretionary language

• Permissive versus mandatory language: Section 1 uses the phrase "it shall be lawful for an authorised land officer to endorse", which creates administrative authority but does not say the officer must endorse in every case. By contrast, section 3 employs mandatory language ("shall, on such application being duly made ... forward ... without fee") for the lost‑deed procedure. Practically, owners can compel the forwarding of a certified Record Book copy in lost‑deed circumstances but may be unable, under the text of this Act alone, to compel an officer to endorse a produced deed.

• Scope of remedy tied to prior statutory adjustments: The duties and rights exist only where "the true boundaries ... shall have been duly adjusted under the powers of the said recited Acts or of either of them" (s 1) or where the Record Book contains the entry of the true boundaries (s 3). The Act does not authorise endorsements for adjustments made under other statutes or other processes not referenced in the preamble and operative provisions.

There are no express procedural timelines in the Act for how quickly the authorised land officer must act in s 1, nor for precise formats beyond the general instruction as to where endorsements and memoranda should be placed (back or other convenient part of the deed; margin or other convenient part of the enrolled copy). The Act also does not specify what happens if the authorised land officer refuses to endorse a produced deed, nor does it set out appeal routes or penalties for failure to perform the mandatory duties found in s 3. Those procedural gaps mean administrative practice and other legislation may determine enforcement, but such regimes are not contained in this Act.

The Act does not include any express penal or sanctioning provisions. Its operative sections prescribe administrative powers and duties but do not create offences, civil penalties or express remedies for non‑compliance within the text of this statute.

• No statutory offences or fines: Neither section 1 nor section 3 prescribes criminal sanctions, fines or other pecuniary penalties for failure to perform the functions the Act contemplates. The Registrar's duties and the authorised land officer's duties are set out as obligations in places (for example, forwarding certified copies "shall" under s 3 and the Registrar "shall" make a memorandum under ss 1 and 3), but the Act is silent on what legal consequences follow a default.

• Administrative enforcement by record: The Act’s practical enforcement mechanism is reliance on record creation. The Registrar is required to make and sign memoranda of endorsed adjustments or certified Record Book copies on the enrolled copy. Those memoranda become part of the enrolled record and so function as the statutory device for giving effect to the adjustment in the public register. The Act thus enforces its policy by changing the content of the enrolment, rather than by attaching penalties for non‑performance.

• Reliance on external legal framework for misconduct or remedy: Because the Act does not provide internal sanctions, any enforcement against an authorised land officer or Registrar who fails to act would depend on external administrative law mechanisms, departmental directions, or other statutes governing public officials. The Act itself does not identify those mechanisms. The interpretive provision (s 3A) links the authorised land officer to the Land Administration Act 1997, which may contain disciplinary or administrative frameworks for such officers; however the present Act does not reproduce or summarise such remedies.

• Practical enforcement via property practice: In practice, the operation of the Act creates evidence in the public enrolled copy (the Registrar’s memorandum) that would be relevant to conveyancers, registrars and courts in subsequent dealings. The Act does not itself state the legal efficacy of the memorandum beyond requiring its making and signing. Any legal effect of the memorandum on title, priority or estoppel in subsequent disputes would be determined by other law and judicial interpretation, which this Act does not attempt to prescribe.

• No timeframe or appeals: The Act contains no express time limits for the performance of mandatory duties, nor does it set out appeal rights against decisions of authorised land officers. For s 3 there is a duty to forward "on such application being duly made", but "duly made" is not defined in the Act. The absence of procedural timeframe or appeals is a gap that shifts enforcement to general administrative law and departmental procedures outside this statute.

In short, the Act enforces correction of boundaries by administrative record alteration, not by penal measures. It relies on the existing roles of authorised land officers and the Registrar to operationalise the policy. Remedial or disciplinary enforcement for non‑performance must be sought under other statutory regimes or administrative processes not contained within this Act.

The Act is explicitly framed as procedural machinery that operates in conjunction with, and only in the circumstances created by, other statutes and public offices. The text makes direct interlinks; those interactions govern the scope of the Act and the identity of administrative actors.

• Reliance on earlier boundary‑adjustment Acts (preamble and s 1): The Act applies where boundaries have been adjusted "under the powers of the said recited Acts or of either of them". The preamble specifically names the fifth section of 8 Vict., No. 9 and the Act 4th and 5th Victoria, No. 20. The Act therefore presupposes the substantive authority for boundary adjustment in those older statutes and is designed to simplify administrative follow‑up to such adjustments. The Act does not itself create new substantive powers to adjust boundaries; it only provides the procedural means to record those adjustments on grant instruments and enrolled copies.

• Definition of authorised land officer (s 3A): Section 3A states that "authorised land officer has the meaning given by the Land Administration Act 1997." This is a direct statutory cross‑reference, and it imports the definition and any statutory status, appointment, functions and constraints that the Land Administration Act supplies. The effect is that whether an individual is an authorised land officer for purposes of this Act is determined by the Land Administration Act 1997, not by this Act.

• Interaction with deeds enrolment and registry practice: The Registrar of Deeds and Transfers is the official recipient of endorsements or certified Record Book copies for the purpose of making a memorandum on the enrolled copy (ss 1, 3). Although this Act imposes recording duties on the Registrar, the wider statutory framework governing the Registrar’s overall functions, custodial responsibilities and processes is likely to be located in other written laws or departmental instruments. This Act operates as a specific instruction to the Registrar with respect to endorsements under its terms, but the broader machinery of title registration and conveyancing will be governed externally.

• Procedural rather than substantive modifcation of grants: The Act prescribes endorsements and memoranda but does not purport to alter the original grant's enacting words beyond allowing the authorised land officer to endorse the adjusted boundaries on the physical deed and the Registrar to note the endorsement on the enrolled copy. The legal effect of those endorsements and memoranda in relation to other statutory regimes (for example, Torrens title doctrine, if relevant) is not set out in this Act. Any interaction with property law doctrines, priorities, indefeasibility or registration consequences must be determined by the rules in place elsewhere and by judicial interpretation.

• Amendment history and amendments by later statutes: The compilation table shows this Act has been amended by subsequent statutes, including the Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1987 (Pt VI), which amended sections 1 and 3 and inserted section 3A; the Statute Law Revision (Short Titles) Act 1966 which provided the short title; the Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1997 which amended s 3A; and the Statutes (Repeals and Minor Amendments) Act 2011 which made amendments appearing in the current text. The Act therefore sits within an evolving statutory fabric and has been adjusted to fit newer statutory structures, notably by tying "authorised land officer" to the Land Administration Act 1997.

• Implied dependence on office titles and records that may have changed names: The Act uses the office title "Registrar of Deeds and Transfers." The compilation and amendment history suggests administrative roles and procedural names have been updated over time. Whether and how the Registrar’s functions have been moved or re‑named in later laws is outside this Act; practical operation requires checking current administrative arrangements.

Overall, the Act is an administrative, record‑keeping complement to earlier substantive boundary adjustment statutes and to the Land Administration Act 1997’s personnel definitions. It prescribes precisely how authorised land officers and the Registrar should annotate deeds and enrolled copies but does not operate in isolation from the larger statutory and regulatory framework governing land administration, registry practice and title law.

The Act as presented is a compilation that records a sequence of amendments and reprints. The compilation table in the source provides the authoritative amendment timeline and related details.

• Original enactment: The statute originated as an Untitled Act, cited in the compilation table as 48 Vict. No. 13 1884, assented 10 September 1884 and commenced on that date. The preamble and operative text date from that enactment.

• Short title insertion (1966): The Statute Law Revision (Short Titles) Act 1966 (81 of 1966) inserted a short title for the Act, now recorded in section 4. That Act assented 12 December 1966 and commenced the same day. Section 4 as inserted provides that the Act may be cited as the Amendment of Deeds of Grant Act 1884.

• Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1987 (Pt VI): The Act was amended by the Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1987 (No. 126 of 1987). The source notes that section 1 was amended (see marginal note after s 1) and section 3 was amended, and section 3A was inserted by s 31 of that amending Act. The amending Act received assent on 31 December 1987 and relevant provisions commenced 16 September 1988 (see the compilation table citing s 2 and the Gazette reference).

• Reprints: The source lists a reprint of the Amendment of Deeds of Grant Act 1884 as at 12 July 1989 (incorporating amendments to that date), and a Reprint 2 as at 10 October 2003, which would have consolidated amendments up to that later date.

• Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1997: Section 141 of the Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1997 (No. 31 of 1997) amended the Act further. That amending Act received assent 3 October 1997 and the relevant changes commenced 30 March 1998 (see s 2 and Gazette reference). The compilation table notes s 3A was amended by s 141 of the 1997 Act, which explains why s 3A now references the Land Administration Act 1997 for the definition of authorised land officer.

• Statutes (Repeals and Minor Amendments) Act 2011: The Statutes (Repeals and Minor Amendments) Act 2011 (No. 47 of 2011) made further amendments (s 16 and s 27) recorded in the marginal notes to sections 1 and 3. That amending Act received assent 25 October 2011 and commenced 26 October 2011. The compilation table records this change and lists the Act as included in the reprint.

• Reprint dates: The compilation table indicates reprints and versions of the Act as at 12 July 1989 and 10 October 2003. The 2011 amendments are included in the compilation table, implying they have been incorporated into the current compiled version of the Act.

• Footnotes and cross references: The source includes footnotes indicating that the "Untitled Act" of 1884 is now known as the Amendment of Deeds of Grant Act 1884 and that the short title was inserted by the 1966 statute (note 3). The compilation table provides the statutory path for how the Act reached its current form and indicates the dates of assent and commencement for the major amendments.

The amendment history shows incremental adjustments to align the Act with modern administrative structures, notably by defining "authorised land officer" with reference to the Land Administration Act 1997 and by updating procedural text through the 1987 and 1997 amendments. The compilation table is the primary source in the Act text for the amendment chronology and the dates of reprints.

The statute as provided contains no litigation history. The Act text and accompanying compilation table do not list any cases, judicial decisions, or disputes interpreting the provisions. There are no court references, no reported appeals or judicial summaries in the text, and no annotations that cite judicial treatment of its provisions.

Accordingly, within the source material supplied:

• There is no recorded case law cited in the Act itself or in its marginal notes.

• The Act does not summarise any judicial interpretation of the effect of the Registrar's memorandum on title, nor does it record any litigation about the scope of an authorised land officer’s power to endorse a deed under section 1.

• The Act does not reference or summarise any disputes concerning the meaning of "duly adjusted" boundaries, nor the legal effect of the memorandum on subsequent conveyancing.

For a practitioner or researcher seeking to know how courts have interpreted the Act, this statute provides no direct guidance. Any litigation history would need to be researched in external legal databases and case reports. The absence of litigation references in the compiled statute means the compiled text supplies only the statutory mechanics and amendment history; it does not provide judicial gloss or precedent.

The Act is compact and administrative, but several practical points follow strictly from its wording and should be noted by practitioners and owners. These are not judgments about the policy but are mechanical caveats rooted in the text.

• Limited scope to adjustments under the recited Acts: The Act only applies where boundaries have been "duly adjusted under the powers of the said recited Acts or of either of them" (s 1). If a boundary adjustment occurred under a different statute or by some other process not encompassed by those recited Acts, this Act does not itself authorise the endorsement/memorandum procedure. Confirm the adjustment was made pursuant to the recited Acts before relying on this procedure.

• Different rules for produced and lost deeds: The procedure in s 1 requires the original deed to be produced to an authorised land officer. If the deed is not available, the s 1 route is unavailable. Section 3 addresses lost deeds, but it requires that a Record Book entry of the true boundaries exists and that the owner applies to an authorised land officer to forward a certified copy (s 3). The mechanisms and preconditions differ materially between the two sections.

• Permissive language for produced‑deed endorsements: Section 1 uses permissive phrasing , "it shall be lawful for an authorised land officer to endorse" , which establishes authority but does not unambiguously create a mandatory duty compelable by the owner. By contrast, s 3 is mandatory on the authorised land officer "on such application being duly made" to forward the certified copy without fee. Practitioners should not assume a right to compel an endorsement under s 1 based solely on the Act; administrative practice or other legislation may govern compulsion.

• No specified legal effect of endorsements or memoranda: The Act requires endorsements and memoranda to be made, but it does not set out the legal consequences of those endorsements for title, priority, indefeasibility or dispute resolution. The Act records the administrative steps but does not declare how courts should treat the annotations. Users should not treat the Act as itself settling doctrine about the effect of the recorded memorandum.

• Reliance on the Record Book: The lost‑deed remedy hinges on an entry "in the Record Book kept by an authorised land officer" (s 3). If the Record Book entry is absent, inaccurate or contested, s 3 offers no alternative within this statute. The Act does not provide a procedure for correcting erroneous Record Book entries; any correction would need to be pursued under other processes.

• No fees for certified copies, but no other cost relief stated: Section 3 expressly requires forwarding the certified copy "without fee". Section 1 contains no comparable fee provision for the endorsement/forwarding of an original deed. It is therefore possible that other fees or costs could attach under separate fee statutes or registry rules when producing the original deed, although the Act itself does not charge a fee in s 1. Check current registry fee schedules and departmental procedures.

• No timelines or appeal paths in the Act: The Act provides no specific timeframes for action by authorised land officers or the Registrar, nor does it set out appeal routes if an officer refuses to endorse or a Registrar fails to make the memorandum. Administrative remedies would need to be sought under other statutes or general administrative law.

• Definition of authorised land officer externalised: Section 3A imports the definition from the Land Administration Act 1997. Who may act under this Act therefore depends on that external statute. Practitioners must check the Land Administration Act to confirm the identity and appointment of authorised land officers, and whether any statutory changes have altered that concept since 1997.

• Potential office name changes: The Act refers to the "Registrar of Deeds and Transfers." Administrative office titles and responsibilities can be changed by later statutes or administrative reorganisation; confirm the current responsible office and its custody arrangements in contemporary departmental documents.

• Physical location of endorsements and memoranda: The Act specifies endorsing "on the back or other convenient part of the deed" and the Registrar making a memorandum "in the margin or in some other convenient part of the enrolled copy" (ss 1, 3). Those flexible locations may complicate later searches or indexing, particularly if registry systems have moved to digital images. Practitioners should ensure that the endorsement and the Registrar’s memorandum are adequately recorded and accessible.

• No internal dispute resolution or correction process: If an authorised land officer or the Registrar records an incorrect memorandum, or if there is disagreement over the adjusted boundaries themselves, the Act gives no internal correction mechanism. External remedies will be required.

These practical caveats derive directly from the Act's wording. They indicate where additional procedural checks, corroborations with the Land Administration Act, or external administrative and legal steps will be necessary.

This section sets out concrete steps, grounded in the statutory text, that owners, conveyancers and authorised land officers should follow to implement the procedures the Act prescribes.

For owners seeking correction where the original deed is available (section 1 route)

1. Confirm the adjustment: Verify that the boundaries were "duly adjusted" under the powers of the recited Acts referred to in the preamble and s 1. The Act applies only where such an adjustment has been lawfully made under those Acts. The Act itself does not detail how the adjustment is evidenced; obtain whatever statutory or administrative evidence exists of the adjustment before approaching an authorised land officer.

2. Produce the original deed: Present the original deed to an authorised land officer for endorsement. Section 1 requires the deed to be produced to the authorised land officer "for that purpose" before any endorsement is made.

3. Request endorsement: Ask the authorised land officer to endorse the adjusted boundaries "on the back or other convenient part" of the deed and to sign the endorsement as the Act contemplates. Note the Act’s wording that it "shall be lawful" for the officer to endorse; administrative practice may govern whether the officer will do so in the particular case.

4. Obtain confirmation of forwarding: If the authorised land officer endorses and signs the deed, the officer is required to give or forward the endorsed deed "forthwith" to the Registrar of Deeds and Transfers, who will then make a memorandum on the enrolled copy and re‑deliver the deed to the person producing it (s 1). Seek a written acknowledgement from the authorised land officer that the endorsement has been forwarded, and keep any receipts or tracking.

5. Check the Registrar’s memorandum: After the Registrar has made and signed the memorandum on the enrolled copy, obtain a certified copy or confirmation from the Registrar that the memorandum has been recorded in the margin or other convenient part (s 1). This recorded memorandum is the public manifestation of the endorsed adjustment.

For owners with lost deeds (section 3 route)

1. Verify Record Book entry: Confirm there is an entry of the true boundaries in the Record Book kept by an authorised land officer. Section 3 relies on the existence of that entry; without it, the s 3 procedure cannot be used under the Act.

2. Apply to an authorised land officer: The grantee, heir, assignee or other owner should make a formal application to an authorised land officer to forward to the Registrar a certified copy of the entry in the Record Book. Ensure the application is "duly made" (s 3) and follow any departmental application form or procedural requirements used by authorised land officers.

3. Note fee‑free forwarding: The authorised land officer is required by s 3 to forward the certified copy "without fee". Confirm in writing that no fee will be charged and obtain a record of the forwarding.

4. Obtain the Registrar’s memorandum: Following receipt of the certified copy, the Registrar "shall thereupon make and sign a memorandum of the true boundaries ... in the margin or in some other convenient part of the enrolled copy of the said deed" (s 3). Request and retain a certified copy or official confirmation that the memorandum has been made.

For authorised land officers and registrars

1. Follow statutory form and placement: When endorsing adjusted boundaries on an original deed, place the endorsement on the back or other convenient part of the deed, sign it and forward it to the Registrar "forthwith" (s 1). When making the Registrar memorandum, place it in the margin or in some other convenient part of the enrolled copy and sign it (ss 1, 3).

2. Maintain the Record Book: Keep clear, accurate entries of adjusted boundaries in the Record Book. When a lost deed application is properly made, forward a certified copy of the relevant Record Book entry to the Registrar as required by s 3 and do so without charging a fee.

3. Record keeping and receipts: Both authorised land officers and Registrar staff should issue acknowledgements and receipts of actions taken: endorsements made, certified copies forwarded or memoranda entered. Although the Act does not prescribe particular forms, written evidence will be important for owners and conveyancers.

4. Consult the Land Administration Act 1997: Ensure the person performing the functions is an "authorised land officer" as defined in the Land Administration Act 1997 (s 3A). Confirm appointment and delegation rules under that Act where relevant.

Cross‑checks and best practice

• Verify statutory basis of the boundary adjustment before starting the process. The Act depends on the adjustment being made under the recited Acts. Documentary proof of that adjustment should accompany applications.

• Keep copies of everything. Owners and conveyancers should obtain certified copies of the Registrar’s memorandum and retain copies of any endorsements or certified Record Book copies forwarded by an authorised land officer.

• Confirm current administrative arrangements. The Act uses office titles and recordkeeping practices that may have been modernised (for example, electronic registries). Confirm with the relevant land administration department the current office responsible for the Registrar function and any digitised processes or forms that replace or supplement the physical‑document procedure described.

• Anticipate external processes for disputes or corrections. If there is disagreement about the adjusted boundaries or the accuracy of the Record Book entry, the Act does not prescribe an internal correction procedure. Seek advice about alternative statutory or judicial routes for resolving contested boundary descriptions.

These steps derive directly from the Act’s two operative procedures (ss 1 and 3), the interpretive link to the Land Administration Act 1997 (s 3A), and the placement and signature requirements stated in the text. They are practical measures to ensure the statutory record is created and to document administrative compliance with the Act’s requirements.