HM Land Registry is the UK government body that maintains the official register of ownership for over 90% of land and property in England and Wales.
HM Land Registry (HMLR) maintains the definitive record of who owns land and property in England and Wales. Scotland has its own Registers of Scotland and Northern Ireland has the Land Registry of Northern Ireland. HMLR holds over 26 million registered titles covering more than 90% of land.
Each registered property has a title register with a unique title number. The register is divided into three parts: the property register (describing the land), the proprietorship register (showing the owner and any restrictions on sale), and the charges register (mortgages, charges, and other encumbrances).
On completion of a property purchase the buyer's solicitor must register the transfer at HMLR within two months. If registration is not completed in time, the legal title remains with the seller and the buyer has only an equitable interest — a potentially vulnerable position.
The HMLR register is publicly searchable online at landregistry.data.gov.uk. Anyone can pay a small fee (currently £3) to download a copy of any title register. Buyers, solicitors, and lenders routinely search the register before exchange to verify the seller's title.
First registration is required when a property that has never been registered is sold, mortgaged, or gifted. All new properties must be registered. The proportion of unregistered land is falling steadily as transactions trigger compulsory registration.
An unregistered property can still be bought and sold, but compulsory registration is triggered on sale. Your solicitor handles first registration as part of the conveyancing process.
Search online at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry and pay £3. You receive an official copy (OC1) of the register within seconds. Your solicitor will also obtain this during conveyancing.
Yes. HMLR has an alteration and indemnity scheme. If you suffer loss because of a mistake in the register, you can claim compensation from HMLR even if the mistake cannot be corrected.
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