Home > Support > FAQ > Lexis WinDeed FAQs

Lexis WinDeed FAQs

These FAQs have been compiled from common questions asked by Lexis WinDeed customers.

How do I get going?

It’s easy!

For individuals:

After completing your Lexis WinDeed registration, you will receive an email asking to verify your email address and to set a password.

After your email address is verified, you can login, purchase a Search Voucher and start searching!

Getting started is easy!

For companies:

  1. Check that you have the right browser version:
    • Internet Explorer IE7 or higher
    • Firefox
    • Chrome
  2. Register to create your Lexis WinDeed account and start searching with Lexis WinDeed.
  3. After your registration has been validated, you will be contacted by the Lexis WinDeed Admin team and can start searching on search.windeed.co.za.
  4. We recommend that you register a free WinDeed training course available at all our branches country wide.  The Lexis WinDeed Tips Guide may also assist in an overview of the searches and helpful hints for searching.
How do I get charged for my searches?

You only pay for the searches you make! Click here to view our search pricing.

Voucher customers pre-pay their searches.  For established corporate customers, 0ur search charges are levied monthly and you can expect to receive an invoice by email (and additionally by post, if requested). We recommend that customers take advantage of our easy-to-use debit order facility ( administered on the 15th of each calendar month).

How do I get a detailed list of searches done?

Lexis WinDeed allows customers to get a list of specific searches done by day or month which can be exported to a spreadsheet.

To view searches done,  go to www.windeedsearch.co.za.  Click on the Manage Account button and then select the Transactional History tab.  Use the drop down menus to access searches by user or company and select either a day or month as appropriate and select ‘Retrieve’.

Please note that there may be a waiting period of a few minutes to receive the information when there are a large number of searches to process.

I can't login because I forgot my password. How do I re-set my password?

This is the most common question from customers to our Lexis WinDeed Support Team.   Follow these easy steps to re-set your password and get searching!

Can I find out information on a trust?

Using Lexis WinDeed you can do a Deeds Office search and find out what properties are owned by a trust.  You can also do a Spider Search on a trust.

Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to reliably find out who the trustees and beneficiaries are through Lexis WinDeed or any other on-line search facility.  That’s privileged information held by the Master of the Court in the region where the trust is registered.

If my company was deregistered at CIPC, what search should I do to submit to CIPC for reinstating?

CIPC requires proof of property ownership by a company as part of the process to reinstate a company.  Lexis WinDeed can help as we offer a Deeds Office Person/Company search in all 11 registrars in South Africa.

How to perform a Deeds Office Person/Company search
  1. Select ‘Deeds Office Person (Natural/Juristic)’ under the ‘Person’ offering on the search Menu.
  2. Click on “Search All” for the list of Deeds Office registrars.
  3. Click on “Company/Trust” for Owner Type.
  4. Enter the company name or registration number in the fields provided (NB: we highly recommend using the company registration number as the Deeds Office may capture the company name different to the registered company name.  If you have any question about this, please contact the Lexis WinDeed Support team before making your search on 0861 946 333).
  5. Click “Search” in the lower right hand corner of the search screen.
What is the new CIPC formatting for company registration numbers?

There is a data format change that the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC, formerly CIPRO)  has adopted in line with the Companies Act No 71 of 2008.  This change affects search results and the input required to make a CIPC search with WinDeed.

The registration number of the company has changed from YYYY/NNNNNN//TT to LYYYY/NNNNNN/TT with L being one of the following:

B – Close Corporation
M – Company (Registered according to old Company Act)
K – Company (Registered according to new 2008 Company Act)
C – Co-Operative

Some people I know are using WinDeed Classic and WinDeed GD - why?

When Lexis WinDeed was launched in the 1990’s, searches were made via desktop applications.  WinDeed Classic and WinDeed GD were developed and used by thousands of customers to make searches.  Lexis WinDeed made a decision to provide a web-based solution as this allowed us to utilise the latest development technology.

search.windeed.co.za is the preferred and recommended search facility as all new searches, features and enhancements are released on search.windeed.co.za only.  Some customers still choose to remain on the desktop applications for legacy reasons and there is limited support available.

Why are there multiple entries for the same person on a CIPC Director search?

CIPC often capture the data differently for a person associated with more than one company.  Lexis WinDeed is unique in that we provide other possible matches when making a search so you can make additional searches to obtain a complete CIPC profile.

Why does Lexis WinDeed charge for a "Not Found"?

The Department of Land Affairs and Land Reform (also known as the Deeds Office) charges for every query to their database.  This includes searches with the result of “No Results” since, for many searches, “No Results” is a meaningful result.  If you have any questions about the input for a search to get a correct result, please contact the Lexis WinDeed Support Team at 0861 946 333.

 

What if I have exceeded my credit limit and can't search?

All new Lexis WinDeed registrations are assigned a credit limit until a postive payment history is established.  If you make a search and receive a message that your credit limit is exceeded, please contact the Lexis WinDeed Support team on 0861 946 333 or send an email to windeed.support@lexisnexis.co.za.  Once payment has been made on your Lexis WinDeed account, the credit limit will be adjusted so you can search again immediately.

If there is a credit limit on your account, there will be a coloured dot next to your user name in the upper right hand corner of search.windeed.co.za (when logged in).  If you hover over the dot, you will see the percentage of credit limit that has been reached:

 

Credit limit indicator

 

Green indicator: 60-70% credit used

Yellow indicator: 70-80% credit used

Orange indicator: 80-90% credit used

Red indicator: > 90% credit used

Where does the Automated Valuation figure come from and why is this sometimes not available for a property?

The Estimated Value is a statistically generated estimate of the value of the property based on information obtained from the Surveyor General, the Deeds Office, banks, estate agents and other sources.  It should be seen as a guide to the value of the property only and should be used in conjunction with other factors – such as the extent of improvement or deterioration since the last sale – to determine the fair value of the property.An Automated Valuation report includes a Safety score and Accuracy Score.  The Safety Score is the statistical probability that that the property would sell for more than 90% of the estimated value.  In simple terms, it is the probability that the estimated value is correct.

The Accuracy Score is the statistical probability that the property would sell for within 20% of the estimated value.  In simple terms, it is the probability that the estimated value is correct.

When our supplier for Automated Valuations do not have a high confidence level in a valuation amount,  it will not be returned.  When this happens, customers have the option to request a “short report” which provides the most recent comparable sales in the area of the property.