Most owners think about the title last, after the duplex is built. It works better the other way round. The dual occupancy guide covers approval; this page covers what the two homes become on paper once they are finished.
What is the difference between Torrens title and strata?
Torrens title means each home sits on its own lot of land, which its owner owns outright: the ground, the house and the airspace. There is no owners corporation and no shared fund. Strata title means each owner owns a lot defined by the building, and everything else (often the driveway, the roof and the garden areas) is common property owned by an owners corporation, which both owners belong to. Strata schemes in NSW are set up under the Strata Schemes Development Act 2015 and run under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015.
How do they compare for a duplex?
| Question | Torrens title | Strata |
|---|---|---|
| What do you own? | Your lot of land and everything on it | Your strata lot, plus a share of the common property |
| Shared decisions | None, apart from any easements and the shared wall | Made by the owners corporation; by-laws apply |
| Building insurance | Each owner insures their own home | The owners corporation insures the building |
| Shared costs | Only what easements or agreements set | Levies for common property and insurance |
| Minimum lot rules | Each lot must meet the subdivision standard | Set by the scheme, not a land-area minimum per lot in the same way |
When is the title decided?
At the start. The subdivision is usually applied for with the dual occupancy, or straight after it, and the approval sets what is possible. Within a low and mid-rise housing area, the state standards allow Torrens subdivision of a dual occupancy (in the R1, R2 and R3 zones) where each lot is at least 225 m² and 6 m wide. Outside those areas, the council's LEP and Development Control Plan set the minimums; the minimum land size page works through Wollongong's.
Once the homes are built, a subdivision certificate is issued and the plan is registered with NSW Land Registry Services, which creates the new titles.
How does the title change the design?
- Services: Torrens lots need their own water, sewer, electricity and stormwater connections, running within their own lot or through easements.
- The shared wall: on a side-by-side Torrens duplex the lot boundary runs down the party wall, which has to provide the fire separation the National Construction Code requires.
- Access: a front-and-back Torrens duplex usually needs an access handle or a right of carriageway for the rear lot, which takes width from the block.
- Common areas: strata can keep a shared driveway or garden as common property, which suits narrow lots, but someone has to manage it.
The layout and the title are one decision: see side-by-side or front-and-back for the layout half.
Which one suits you?
If you plan to sell one or both homes, Torrens is usually simpler for buyers to understand. If you are keeping both, or the lot cannot meet the Torrens minimums, strata or a single title can still work. Ask your solicitor and lender early, because the title affects valuation and finance.
On every duplex site I check the title outcome before the floor plan, because it decides where services, walls and driveways go. If you are starting out, talk to a Wollongong builder who plans the title split before the duplex design starts.
Sources
Checked on 25 October 2026.
- NSW Planning, Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy: summary of key provisions: dual occupancy permissibility, the non-discretionary standards and subdivision.
- NSW Government, Strata living: owners corporations, by-laws, levies and building insurance.
- NSW Land Registry Services, NSW LRS: registration of plans of subdivision and new titles.
General information from a builder, not planning or legal advice. Confirm the controls for your lot with your council, a certifier or a solicitor.