• Definition and Importance: Title deeds are critical documents that prove ownership of a property or land in the UK. They are essential for establishing legal ownership and understanding the property's history.
• Location and Access: Title deeds are held digitally by His Majesty’s Land Registry. They can also be found in conveyancers’ records or archives of the solicitors who handled the property's sale.
• Requesting Copies: You can request copies of your title deeds through the GOV.UK website for a nominal fee. Avoid third-party sites that charge higher fees.
• Deeds for Unregistered Properties: If your property is unregistered, you will need the original deeds to register it with the Land Registry. This process involves submitting an application form and relevant documentation.
• Inherited and Purchased Properties: For inherited properties, check the deceased’s paperwork or contact their solicitor. For purchased properties, complete the necessary registration forms with the Land Registry.
• Selling Property: You don’t need physical deeds to sell a property if it is registered with the Land Registry. However, unregistered properties will require physical deeds to prove ownership.
• Storage and Loss: Keep digital copies at the Land Registry and physical copies in a safe place. If you lose your deeds, the Land Registry can provide replacements, but ensure you have alerts set up to monitor any changes to your title.
Deeds are critical home and land ownership documents in the UK. You need them to prove you own a property.
But how do you get the deeds to your house in the UK?
The process is a lot more simple than you may think, thanks to help from the GOV.UK website.
In this article, we discuss what title deeds are, where you can find them, how to request a copy of your deeds, and when you may need them.
Title deeds are documents the Land Registry keeps (part of the government) as a record of who owns what. Officials register land or property in a register whenever a change in ownership occurs.
Title deeds also show the chain of ownership of land or property – the successive owners. This attribute means they can include additional items including mortgages, leases, wills, and contracts for sale.
You can find title deeds at His Majesty’s Land Registry in digital format. (The government agency now keeps all title deeds electronically).
You can also find title documents in conveyancers’ records. Conveyancing solicitors sometimes keep them in their archives on behalf of customers as backup records.
Original copies of title deeds aren’t always obtainable if the seller didn’t hand them over when registering their property. But, fortunately, the Land Registry keeps scanned copies on file, proving a history of sales, leases and purchases.
Usually, you don’t need title deeds to confirm property ownership because the government keeps these records on your behalf at the Land Registry.
However, keeping hold of title deeds is still valuable if you have them. Documents contain a record of the property and aspects of your ownership, including boundary information and previous owners.
Sometimes properties aren’t on the Land Registry’s website. If you notice this, apply for registration and submit the original deeds. The non-ministerial government department can then scan these into its system and create a permanent entry.
If you want to request a copy of your house deed in the UK, you can do it on GOV.UK. Here, you can find:
• The title plan and register
• The property’s address
• Whether it is freehold or leasehold
• If there are any restrictive covenants (telling you what you can and can’t do on the land)
• If there are easements – rights over the land like a shared access road or driveway
Avoid using third-party sites charging higher fees. If anyone tries to charge you more than this, you are paying them a commission.
For first-time registration, you will need the current owners’ names, contact details, and proof of ownership. Then, you use this information to submit an application form to the Land Charges department at your local council offices.
Once you do this, the Land Charges Department will search for previous owners as far back as 1925. Then, they will return their findings to you, telling you if your claim on the property is solid.
If you can proceed with the registration, you will then need to fill out another form with information including:
• Mortgages against the property
• Planning issues
• More information about the owners
Then, you can register the property in your name if there are no impediments.
You can get a deed for an inherited property by searching through the deceased’s paperwork, as long as you have permission. If that fails, contact the solicitor who managed the most recent home sale. Usually, they have copies of valuable documents for their clients squirrelled away in private archives.
You can also get the deed for an inherited property at the Land Registry. Usually, they can provide you with an official copy from their register. If the property is unregistered, you can register it with the government department to prove ownership and make future transactions more secure.
You can get the deed for a purchased property, you must complete:
• The Land Registry's first-time registration form
• The Transfer of Whole of Registered Title Form
These documents can be complicated, so we recommend using our team at TBI Law to help you. Our professionals can ensure you fill out all fields accurately.
Do I need my property deeds to sell my house?
Officially, you do not need property deeds to sell a home as part of the conveyancing process, as long as the Land Registry has them in its archives. However, you will need a physical deed if your property remains unregistered.
Most properties from the late 20th century onwards are registered with the Land Registry. However, those built before the middle of the previous century can be more hit-and-miss.
If you don’t have a Land Registry record to prove ownership, you will need the physical deed. These documents demonstrate you own the property and can help confirm no mortgages or liens against it.
You should keep your digital property deeds at the Land Registry. You should also maintain physical copies:
• In a safe in your home
• In a safety deposit box
• At your solicitor or conveyancer’s office
If you registered your title deed with the Land Registry, losing your property deeds is easy to resolve. You can find the information you need online.
If your property is unregistered, this will require the title to be reconstituted if you are unable to locate the deeds. This is something our conveyancing department can assist with.
However, if you believe your property documents are in the hands of someone else, be careful.
Ensure you have alerts set up with the Land Registry to tell you the moment anyone makes any changes to your title.
As you might expect, you can prove ownership of your UK property by obtaining an official copy of your title deed.
You can get copies of items including the Title Register, Title Plan and Filed Deeds from the Land Registry.
If you need help with deed-related issues regarding your property, contact TBI conveyancing solicitors. We can help you obtain relevant documents and keep them safe. We have offices in Hartlepool, Barnard Castle, Wynyard and Stockton.
