Information on Official Copies – Land Registry Documents
It is now compulsory for any property which has not previously been registered with the Land Registry to be so registered on completion of a “disposition”, for example a sale, grant of a lease, mortgage or remortgage, gift, assent etc. Registration involves the Land Registry entering certain details about the property onto an electronic register which is then publicly accessible. The property is allocated its own unique identifier, called a “Title Number”.
In order to view the Land Registry records for a property it is necessary to obtain a copy of the register entries for the title number which has been allocated to the property. You do not need to know the title number provided you know the property address. This copy of the register is called an Official Copy of the Register. It can be ordered either thorough the Land Registry’s Portal if you have an account, through the post or via an online third party provider.
What is an Official Copy of the Register?
The register maintained by the Land Registry is the definitive proof of who owns registered land and what interests it is subject to. Being in possession of the title deeds does not prove ownership of registered land. An Official Copy of the Register, produced by Land Registry, is admissible in evidence of the contents of the register to same extent as the register itself, so a buyer is able to rely on it.
It is important to note that the Land Registry offer a service to the general public whereby a print out of the register, called a register view, can be downloaded. This is not an official copy and the Land Registry are not liable for any mistakes. This is therefore not suitable for use in a conveyancing transaction.
Format of an Official Copy
The Official Copy of the Register is made up of several parts. There is a header which states the date and time the Official Copy was produced and the date on which the register was last updated as well as the Title Number and the Land Registry office dealing with the title. There are then three further sections, the Property Register, the Proprietorship Register and the Charges Register. Finally, there will be a Title Plan.
Briefly, the Property Register gives the address of the property, the Proprietorship Register states who owns the property and, after 2003, the price paid by the current owner and the Charges Register contains details of any charges (such as mortgages) registered against the property. If there are no charges then there may not be a Charges Register.
Conclusiveness of the Official Copy
More on the Property Register
More on the Proprietorship Register
More on the Charges Register
More on the Title Plan
