Form TP1 UK: Transfer Part of a Registered Title

At a glance

• TP1 is for part, TR1 is for whole. HM Land Registry's own description of TP1 is to "transfer part of a registered title - for example where a house and garden are registered under one title and you want to sell part of the garden." Transferring the entire title uses Form TR1 instead.
• A plan is required. Rule 213 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 requires a signed plan clearly identifying the land dealt with, unless the extent is already clear on the existing title plan.
• TP1 doesn't travel alone. HM Land Registry's guidance says TP1 "should always be accompanied by a form AP1 or form FR1" - see our guide to completing Form AP1.
• A new title is created. Under Schedule 2 to the Land Registration Act 2002, transferring part creates a new section of the register for the land transferred and updates the register for the land retained.
• It doesn't bind at law until registered. Section 27 of the Land Registration Act 2002 means the transfer has no legal effect until the registration requirements are met.
• Rights and covenants usually need agreeing. Panel 12 of the TP1 is where easements (access, drainage, services) and restrictive covenants between the two resulting properties are recorded.
• Fees follow HM Land Registry's published scales, and can vary by transaction type and how the application is submitted - check GOV.UK for the current figures before applying.

What Form TP1 is for

Form TP1 is HM Land Registry's standard deed for transferring part, rather than the whole, of a registered title. HM Land Registry's own guidance describes its purpose plainly: use TP1 "to transfer part of a registered title - for example where a house and garden are registered under one title and you want to sell part of the garden."

If you already own land under a single title number and want to carve off a portion, whether that's a strip of garden, a paddock, or a building plot, and pass it to someone else while keeping the rest, TP1 is the document that records that split with HM Land Registry.

The whole-title equivalent is Form TR1, used where the entire registered title is changing hands. The distinction matters because splitting a title creates issues a whole-title sale does not have: the boundary of the new parcel has to be defined on a plan, and the two resulting properties, the part transferred and the part retained, often need rights over each other and may need restrictions on how each can be used. TP1 has a dedicated panel for exactly this.

When you need TP1 rather than TR1

• You are keeping some of the land. If any part of the current title stays with you, or passes to someone else separately, you need TP1 rather than TR1.
• The land is already registered. TP1 deals with part of an existing registered title. If the land has never been registered, a transfer of part of it can trigger first registration, in which case the application is made using Form FR1 rather than, or alongside, an AP1.
• You are transferring everything. If the whole of the registered title is moving to the new owner and nothing is being retained, TR1 is the correct form, not TP1.

Before starting, confirm the title number and current ownership on the official register, and check the extent of the existing title plan, so you know precisely what you are working with.

What happens to the title when you transfer part

Because a transfer of part splits one title into two, HM Land Registry has to do more than swap the name of the owner on the register. Under Schedule 2 to the Land Registration Act 2002, a transfer of part results in a new section of the register being created for the land transferred, showing the transferee as proprietor, together with an entry against the retained land showing that part of it has been removed.

Critically, none of this happens automatically on signing. Section 27(1) of the Land Registration Act 2002 provides that a disposition of a registered estate that is required to be completed by registration "does not operate at law until the relevant registration requirements are met" - and a transfer is one of the dispositions section 27(2)(a) requires to be completed by registration. In practical terms, signing the TP1 is not the point at which legal ownership of the split changes hands; registration at HM Land Registry is.

The plan: HM Land Registry's requirements

Rule 213 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 requires that a document dealing with part of the land in a registered title has attached to it a plan identifying the land clearly, and that the person making the transfer (the disponor) signs that plan, unless the land is already identified clearly by reference to the existing title plan.

HM Land Registry's detailed guidance on preparing plans (practice guide 40, supplement 2) sets out what a compliant plan looks like in practice. Its preferred scales are broadly 1:1250 to 1:500 for urban properties and 1:2500 for rural land such as fields and farms, drawn on a base of Ordnance Survey mapping or an approved estate layout, with:

• a north point and a bar scale
• the transferred land clearly shown by colouring, edging, hatching or stippling, without obscuring other detail
• enough surrounding detail (roads, buildings, boundary features) for the registrar to relate the plan to the Ordnance Survey map
• no reliance on a hand-drawn sketch, and no plan marked "for identification only" unless it can still be related accurately to the OS map

Plans that fail these guidelines are a leading cause of a requisition or an outright rejection, because HM Land Registry cannot register what it cannot clearly identify on the ground.

Easements, rights and covenants between the two properties

Splitting a title usually means the two resulting properties need something from each other that they did not need while under common ownership: a right of way over what is now someone else's drive, a right to run a drain or services under the retained land, or a covenant restricting what can be built on the land sold off.

This is dealt with in Panel 12 (additional provisions) of the TP1. HM Land Registry's own notes to the form point users to its practice guide on easements for help completing this panel, or to a conveyancer. Once these rights and covenants are registered, they are capable of binding successors in title on both sides of the split, which is why it is worth thinking carefully about what each property genuinely needs, rather than treating this panel as a formality.

Mortgages and other charges

If a mortgage or other charge affects the land being transferred, the lender's consent, and usually a discharge of the charge over the part being sold, will normally be needed before the transfer can be registered. HM Land Registry's guidance on TP1 points to form DS3 (discharge of part) and its practice guide on discharges of charges for this situation. Speak to the lender early, since this step can take time to arrange.

Fees for registering a TP1

HM Land Registry charges a registration fee for applications to change the register, set out in its published fee scales. Broadly, Scale 1 applies to transactions involving monetary consideration, such as a sale, while Scale 2 applies to transactions without monetary consideration, such as a gift, assessed against the value of the land. Fees also differ depending on whether the application is lodged electronically or by post.

These figures are reviewed from time to time, so check the current Scale 1 and Scale 2 tables on GOV.UK before submitting your application, and budget for the fee alongside any conveyancer's costs.

Stamp Duty Land Tax on a transfer of part

Stamp Duty Land Tax can apply to a transfer of part in the same way as it can to any other land transaction in England, depending on the consideration given and the circumstances of the parties involved. Even a gift or a transfer at an undervalue can carry tax consequences in some situations. The current rules, thresholds and reliefs are set out on GOV.UK; check them, or take tax advice, before assuming that no return needs to be made or that no tax is due.

How to complete and submit Form TP1

1. Confirm you are using the right form. TP1 is for transferring part of a registered title. If you are transferring the whole title, use TR1 instead; if the land has never been registered, you may be looking at first registration. Check the title number and ownership on the official register before starting.
2. Prepare a compliant plan. HM Land Registry will not register a transfer of part without a plan that clearly identifies the new parcel, signed as required by rule 213 of the Land Registration Rules 2003. Follow HM Land Registry's plan-preparation guidance on scale, orientation and edging to avoid a requisition.
3. Agree the rights, reservations and covenants between the parties. Use Panel 12 to record any easements and restrictive covenants the two resulting properties need from each other. These become binding on successors once registered, so think through what each side genuinely needs.
4. Complete the form accurately and execute it as a deed. Fill in the panels covering the parties, consideration, the property being transferred, any declaration of trust where there is more than one buyer, and Panel 12. The transfer must be signed as a deed, with signatures properly witnessed.
5. Submit the application with the correct accompanying form, fee and evidence. Lodge the TP1 together with Form AP1 (or FR1 if first registration applies), the plan, any lender's consent or DS3, evidence of identity where required, and the correct fee. Applications are commonly made through a solicitor or conveyancer, particularly where a mortgage, shared access, or a new building plot is involved.

What can cause delay or a requisition

HM Land Registry usually raises a requisition, a request for correction or further information, rather than rejecting an application outright. In practice, common causes include:

• a plan that is unclear, unscaled, hand-drawn, or inconsistent with the boundaries already shown on the register
• a plan that has not been signed as rule 213 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 requires
• missing or incorrect execution, for example a deed signed without a proper witness
• a mismatch between the TP1 and the accompanying AP1 or FR1, or between the TP1 and any DS3 discharging a mortgage over the land

Responding to a requisition promptly matters: an application that is not corrected within the time HM Land Registry allows can, in some circumstances, be cancelled. Check HM Land Registry's current processing times on GOV.UK when planning timescales, since these vary with workload and application type and are updated regularly.

This guide provides general information about Form TP1 and transfers of part of a registered title in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific transaction, land, or title. The law described was accurate as at August 2026 and is subject to change - always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the current position, and take advice on the plan, easements and covenants that are right for your situation.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: August 2027 or on legislative change.