So exactly what is an unregistered property?    In short it a portion of land which may have been owned for generations which has never been registered with HM Land Registry.   

Back in the 70's land all over the UK was electronically registered with HM Land Registry so that they can keep an eye on who owns what. Not in a kind of "Big Brother" kind of way, but to protect us as property & landowners and also to protect financial organisations who have a charge on our properties.

These days all new builds go through the first registration process so that mortgage lending can be accurately secured.

If that's the case, why are there still unregistered properties in the UK?    That's an easy one to answer, it could be that if a property has been owned for a long time, never sold or had any kind of finance secured on it then it's just slipped through the net.    

We find that, if we come across such a property, it's usually discovered when an elderly relative dies and the house is put up for sale.  During the conveyancing process the property flags up as un-registered.  This can delay the sale process considerably as some mortgage lenders don't like to be involved in the first registration process, which can pre vent your buyers from proceeding with a sale.

How can I find out if a property is un-registered?   It's a very simple process for us to pop onto the HM Land Registry portal and search the address.  It's immediately obvious if the property has never been registered as no Title number would have been allocated.  

What's the process for registering a property for the first time?  This is actually a very complex and time consuming process.  Firstly, we need to gather as much physical evidence as proof of ownership as possible and this can go back decade to when the property was built.   Those, old deeds and bundles of correspondence written in old script or produced on a old typewriter you found in the loft, well those are exactly what we need.  A picture has to be built with documented evidence of the property changing hands through the years to the present day.  This can include old deeds, memorandum of sales, wills, probate docs and lots of other items.

Once all the docs have been collated a few forms need to be completed along with evidence of the identity of the applicant and everything is then sent off to HM Land Registry.   It can take over a year to get the process underway , and unfortunately, the property can't be sold or have any form of capital raising on it until this has been done.

You can take steps to avoid lengthly delays when you may need to sell a property in the future by checking whether it's registered well in advance.   If you have an elderly relative who has lived at the same address for many years, or a family home which has pass through from generation to generation, then we can help by performing a simple quick search online to see exactly what the current situation is.

Give us a call if you need help, our advice is always free.