Land Registry & Conveyancing UK: How It Works (2026)

Overview

HM Land Registry is the government body responsible for keeping an official record of land and property ownership across England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate registers under different systems. The register holds what is known as the title to a property, which includes the names of the current legal owners, a plan showing the boundaries, details of any mortgage or other financial charge, and any rights, covenants or restrictions that run with the land.

When you buy a registered property, you are really acquiring the right to be entered on this register as the new proprietor. That registration is what gives you legal ownership in the eyes of the state and protects you against competing claims.

Most land in England and Wales is now registered, but some older properties, particularly those that have stayed in the same family for decades, remain unregistered and are dealt with through historical title deeds instead. A sale will usually trigger first registration in those cases.

Key steps

1. Pre-contract title investigation. Your conveyancer downloads the official copy of the register and title plan from the Land Registry at the start of the transaction. This shows who legally owns the property, any mortgages to be redeemed, and any covenants, easements or restrictions that might affect how you use the land or whether you can even complete the sale.
2. Raising enquiries based on the title. Once the title entries have been reviewed, your conveyancer will usually raise questions with the seller's side about anything unclear or potentially problematic. This might include old restrictive covenants, rights of way, missing planning consents, or boundary issues that the register hints at but does not fully explain.
3. Pre-completion priority search. Shortly before completion, your conveyancer lodges an Official Search with Priority (commonly called an OS1) at the Land Registry. This gives a priority period during which no one else can register dealings against the title, protecting your purchase from last-minute charges, bankruptcy entries or competing transfers.
4. Completion and the transfer deed. On completion day, the signed transfer deed (usually a Form TR1 for a whole property) is dated and the money changes hands. At this point legal title has not yet formally passed on the register, but the priority period from your earlier search keeps your position protected while the paperwork is finalised.
5. Post-completion registration. Your conveyancer then submits the application to register you as the new owner, along with the transfer deed, any new mortgage documents, and payment of Land Registry fees and Stamp Duty Land Tax where applicable. Once processed, the register is updated and you receive a copy confirming you as the registered proprietor.

Common questions