The Land Registry was established in 1862 and maintains a reliable record of land ownership.
In 2018, approximately 85% of the land mass in England and Wales was registered; however, this means that 15% of land mass remained unregistered.
If you sell unregistered land, then this transaction will trigger an application to the Land Registry. However, it is also possible to make a voluntary application, and there are benefits to doing this as follows:
- A 25% discount on the registration fee
- Offers you a state guaranteed title
- Provides the best form of legal protection available for land or property
- Can save time, and potentially reduce costs, on a subsequent sale
- Reduces the amount of paperwork which needs to be retained by you
- Allows a proper order of the estate for your family, and your future.
If title to your land or property is unregistered, then we would recommend a voluntary registration application for the above reasons. We can also advise as you as to fraud prevention measures which can be adopted to protect your property such as keeping your address for service up to date and using the Property Alert system.