First Title Insurance in Australia: Broker Guide

First Title insurance in Australia protects property owners against specified title and ownership risks, including some defects discovered after purchase. For a buyer, the relevant policy depends on the property and the interest being insured. The policy wording and issued schedule define the cover.

A mortgage broker can explain that distinction and pass the property question to the buyer’s conveyancer. A known defect needs a specific underwriting decision before anyone treats it as insured.

What First Title Insurance is

First Title is the trading name of First American Title Insurance Company of Australia Pty Limited, the Australian insurer issuing its title policies. Its Australian website identifies the insurer separately from First Mortgage Services Australia, which provides mortgage fulfilment services.

An owner’s title policy addresses legal ownership and use of the property. Depending on the policy, risks can include title fraud, boundary problems, unapproved building work or errors in property searches. Each category has defined triggers and exclusions.

Keep the insurance purposes separate when a client asks about mortgage title insurance:

Insurance	Interest Protected	What the Cover Addresses
Owner title insurance	The insured property owner’s interest	Specified ownership and title risks
Lender title insurance	The lender’s mortgage interest	Specified risks affecting the mortgage or its enforceability
Lenders mortgage insurance	The lender	Loss arising from borrower default under the relevant cover
Building insurance	The insured building interest	Physical damage under the building policy

The separate lenders mortgage insurance guide explains the default-risk cover. A building insurance certificate provides evidence of building cover for the loan file.

Policy Types and Who the Cover Protects

First Title separates owner policies from lender policies, so identify the insured party before choosing the documents. The buyer’s ownership interest and the bank’s mortgage interest require different cover.

As at October 2026, First Title’s policy-documentation page lists new-purchaser and existing-owner residential and strata documents. It also lists residential vacant-land information and commercial owner and lender wordings.

Its property-buyer page includes rural-residential cover alongside houses, strata, vacant land and commercial property. For an apartment, use the strata documents rather than assuming the house policy applies. For rural land, provide the acreage and intended use.

First Title’s lender title-insurance page describes a Residential Loan Protection Policy and commercial lender policies. These protect the lender’s interest. A buyer needs their own proposed policy and schedule to establish their protection.

Record whether the transaction is a new purchase or an existing ownership enquiry. Include the property type, title details and intended use in the handoff, particularly where the property combines a residence with business activity.

Cover, Exclusions and Claims

First Title’s Home Owners GOLD purchaser wording, effective 14 March 2026, covers specified risks subject to its exclusions and schedule. The following examples apply to that wording, not every First Title policy.

Under clause 4.6, illegal-building cover concerns orders or proceedings requiring demolition, alteration, additions or repairs. Clause 6.6 sets a $160,000 sublimit for that risk, within the overall loss and policy-amount limits.

Poor workmanship, infestation and dilapidation are excluded under clause 5.7. Survey-risk cover under clause 4.5 doesn’t apply to land over 50 acres. Clauses 5.12 and 5.13 address adverse matters in pre-policy written reports and enforcement action the insured instigates.

Read these provisions together in the purchaser policy wording. A covered-risk heading alone doesn’t establish payment.

A Known Defect Needs an Underwriting Decision

The accompanying Home Owners GOLD Important Information describes some known risks First Title can potentially insure after disclosure. Examples include an acquired structure built without a permit or encroaching onto neighbouring land. Disclosure starts that assessment and doesn’t guarantee acceptance.

In a hypothetical purchase, a building report identifies an unapproved pergola. Give First Title the report through the conveyancer and obtain the written underwriting outcome. The ordinary illegal-building heading cannot settle the question because the issue is already documented.

For a claim, notify First Title promptly and provide the policy details and supporting documents. First Title must approve claim solutions and costs before the insured takes action to resolve the claim. Keep the legal correspondence with the file.

Quote and Purchase Path

Start with First Title’s residential quote form, which asks you to choose a house, strata property, vacant land or rural-residential property. It directs commercial enquiries to a separate route.

Prepare the property location and purchase price, which First Title identifies as premium factors. Have the buyer’s details, title search and seller-executed contract available for the cover request. The contract pages required differ by state or territory.

First Title labels the quote as an estimate that can change after underwriting. Treat the issued premium and policy schedule as the transaction-specific terms. A quote doesn’t establish that cover has started.

Its residential request-cover form first asks whether a quote has been received. The page explains that First Title will contact the applicant to facilitate the next steps.

The purchaser wording says First Title typically requires the conveyancing practitioner to order the policy. Agree who will arrange it before settlement and retain the issued schedule with the purchase records. The owner policy has a one-off premium, with continuing cover governed by its wording.

Broker Handoff to the Client and Conveyancer

Send the applicable documents with the specific property concern to the buyer’s conveyancer. They can assess the proposed cover against the purchase.

1. Identify the proposed insured owner and the property type. Include the title reference, intended use and settlement date.
2. Attach the policy wording and Important Information for that product. Include the quote and any proposed schedule or endorsement.
3. Send the report or notice that raises the concern. Ask for the insurer’s written decision on that disclosed issue.
4. Record who orders the policy and obtains the issued schedule. Keep this responsibility alongside the other home loan settlement handoffs.

First Title states that its advice is general and doesn’t take personal circumstances into account. Keep the broker’s overview within general information. Product-specific suitability questions need an appropriately authorised adviser, while title defects and the purchase contract need the client’s solicitor or conveyancer.

Before treating a known issue as covered, the handoff must contain the actual report and the insurer’s written response. That gives the client and conveyancer a concrete basis for deciding how to proceed with the purchase.