Registering land or property with HM Land Registry
Register for the first time
Land or property must be registered for the first time if it’s unregistered when you take ownership of it or mortgage it.
Even if you do not have to register, registering voluntarily:
- gives you proof of ownership
- helps protect your land from fraud
- makes it easier to change, sell or give your property away in the future
You can register property yourself or get a solicitor or conveyancer to do it for you.
Register land or property for the first time
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Search the register to make sure your property is not already registered.
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Apply for a search from the Land Charges Department to search against all previous owners since 1925. They will send you the results.
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Fill in an application for first registration.
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Prepare a scale plan showing where the land is outlined, if it’s not shown in the deeds.
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Find the forms you need depending on your circumstances and fill out 2 copies of the list of documents form.
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Find out the correct registration fee - this depends on the value of your property.
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Send your documents, forms and fee to HM Land Registry.
If you bought the property
Include the same forms as for registering for the first time and a ‘transfer of whole of registered title’ form.
If you inherited the property
Include the same forms as for registering for the first time and include either:
- a completed ‘whole of registered title assent’ form - the executor needs to fill this out if the property was in the name of a sole registered owner and it’s been left to you in a will
- a completed ‘transfer of whole of registered title’ form - the surviving owner needs to fill this out if they jointly owned the property and you are inheriting a share
Contact HM Land Registry if you’re unsure which form you need.
Other documents you may need
You may also need to send:
- a ‘proof of identity’ form if you are not a legal professional, such as a conveyancer
- a ‘disclosable interests’ form if there are unregistered interests in the property not mentioned in the deeds (such as a short-term lease or a right of occupation) - read detailed guidance on unregistered rights from HM Land Registry
- a Land Transaction Return certificate if you’ve paid Stamp Duty (for a property in England and Northern Ireland) or Land Transaction Tax (for properties sold in Wales or after 1 April 2018)
- a certified copy of the lease, if you’re applying to register leasehold land or property