Press release

May 2018 Transaction Data

This data provides information about the number and types of applications that HM Land Registry completed in May 2018.

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In May:

  • HM Land Registry completed more than 1,723,570 applications to change or query the Land Register
  • the South East topped the table of regional applications with 398,029

HM Land Registry completed 1,723,578 applications in May compared with 1,625,098 in April and 1,620,802 last May, of which:

  • 373,423 were applications for register updates compared with 346,788 in April
  • 848,600 were applications for an official copy of a register compared with 804,157 in April
  • 209,803 were search and hold queries (official searches) compared with 196,560 in April
  • 26,695 were postal applications from non-account holders compared with 28,161 in April

Applications by region and country

Region/country March applications April applications May applications
South East 384,760 373,677 398,029
Greater London 337,656 314,534 332,546
North West 193,405 184,504 194,722
South West 159,147 159,528 169,351
West Midlands 142,764 140,096 147,196
Yorkshire and the Humber 128,654 121,756 131,727
East Midlands 119,374 115,347 121,511
Wales 76,650 75,111 78,038
North 75,246 73,765 78,596
East Anglia 70,448 66,644 71,749
Isles of Scilly 79 69 41
England and Wales (not assigned) 61 67 72
Total 1,688,244 1,625,098 1,723,578

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas March applications Top 5 local authority areas April applications Top 5 local authority areas May applications
Birmingham 26,895 Birmingham 25,990 Birmingham 26,902
City of Westminster 24,562 City of Westminster 22,505 City of Westminster 24,121
Leeds 19,505 Leeds 18,630 Leeds 19,782
Manchester 17,708 Manchester 16,698 Cornwall 18,301
Cornwall 17,174 Cornwall 16,343 Manchester 17,347

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers March applications Top 5 customers April applications Top 5 customers May applications
Enact 50,160 Enact 48,943 Enact 53,314
Optima Legal Services 28,113 Optima Legal Services 26,741 Infotrack Limited 28,453
O’Neill Patient 26,056 O’Neill Patient 25,473 Optima Legal Services 28,173
Infotrack Limited 22,948 Infotrack Limited 24,411 O’Neill Patient 26,645
TM Group (UK) Ltd 19,320 TM Group (UK) Ltd 18,058 TM Group (UK) Ltd 22,706

Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk

Notes to editors

  1. Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The June Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Friday 20 July 2018 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.

  2. The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and search and hold queries (official searches) were received, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.

  3. We are challenging ourselves to reassess our language to make our terms understandable to both our commercial and our citizen customers. This is in line with our commitment set out in the Business Strategy 2017-2022 under the ‘simplicity’ element of our ambition.

  4. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.

  5. Transaction Data excludes: pending applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications and discharge applications (to remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register).

  6. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in Transaction Data.

  7. Most search and hold queries (official searches) carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search and hold query will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.

  8. Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.

  9. Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.

  10. If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2018. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

  11. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.

  12. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.

  13. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.

  14. For more information about HM Land Registry, visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.

  15. Follow us on: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contact

Press Office

Trafalgar House
1 Bedford Park
Croydon
CR0 2AQ

Email HMLRPressOffice@landregistry.gov.uk

Phone (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm) 0300 006 3365

Mobile (5:30pm to 8:30am weekdays, all weekend and public holidays) 07864 689 344

Updates to this page

Published 21 June 2018