Information Contained in the Land Register

Since 1990 any sale or conveyance of land in England and Wales must be registered with the Land Registry.

The Land Registry of England and Wales

The Land Registry is a government department which is responsible for collecting and storing information about ownership of, or interests, in land and property. Whenever a conveyance or sale takes place the Land Registry must be notified as part of the conveyancing process. A transaction involving land may be rendered void if it the Land Registry is not notified within the stipulated time limits.

Information held by the Land Registry is guaranteed. Anyone who suffers a loss as a result of relying on information contained in the Register, which subsequently turns out to have been wrong or incomplete, may be entitled to compensation.

The Land Register for each item of registered land is divided into three sections:

• The Property Register
• The Proprietorship Register
• The Charges Register

See below for details of the information contained in each section.

The Title Number

Each piece of registered land is given a unique Title Number by the Land Registry. The number will appear on all documents relating to the land. The same piece of land may have two different numbers if a freehold and a leasehold interest is owned separately.

The Property Register

This section describes the land itself. It gives the full address of the property and also refers to the Title Plan that forms part of the Land Register for each piece of land (see below). If all of the land shown marked on the Title Plan is not included in the property, the Register will state what is included in this part of the Register. For example, in the case of a block of flats it may say “first floor flat only”.

The Property Register will state whether the land is freehold or leasehold and will also give the date on which it was first registered. If the land comes with any associated rights, such as a right of way, these may also be included in this part of the Register.

The Proprietorship Register

This section of the register gives details of who owns the land. The name and address of the owner or owners will be given together with the date on which they acquired ownership of the land.

Since April 2000 the Proprietorship Register has also given the details of the price said to have been paid at the last conveyance. However, this information is not guaranteed by the Land Registry.

If there are any restrictions on the owners’ right to sell or deal with the land, these will be included in this part of the register.

The Charges Register

This section contains details of any mortgages or charges which apply to the property. It may also contain details of other rights or interests that apply to the property or restrictions on the way in which the property may be used.

The Title Plan

The Title Plan is a detailed map of the area immediately surrounding the property in question. The Title Plan may include other properties and neighbouring roads. Crucially, the precise portion of land covered by this entry on the Register will be clearly marked on the Title Plan and referred to in the Property Register. These are the definitive boundaries of the land or property.

Obtaining Copies of Information Contained in the Land Register

Copies of the information contained on the Land Registry website can be obtained via their website for a small fee or by post using form OC1. Copies of any documents held by the Land Registry are usually available and may be applied for using form OC2.

Documents may also be viewed in person or electronically at a Land Registry office. It is recommended that visitors telephone before attending at the office to check on the availability and/or location of the documents they wish to see.

Form SIM is used for applications to search the Land Registry’s computerised map to find out if a particular piece of land is registered – the result will show whether the land is registered, the title number for it if it is and the type of registration held by the Land Registry.

It is generally not appropriate to make applications under the Freedom of Information Act for documents held by the Land Registry as they are usually available to interested parties pursuant to the Land Registration Rules 2003.