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Are you a UK resident and are planning to shift to a new house or to purchase a property may it be land or a house?
If yes then this article tells you about the most important formality that you must not miss completing while the purchase, i.e., the registration of your property in the government agency.
Though most of the properties in the United Kingdom has already been registered with the official agency of property registration of the UK government, if in case, your property, may it be purchased or inherited, has been left unregistered yet then this article will tell about why and when should you register it and where and how can you do so.
Why Get Your Property Registered?
Owning a land or a house in the United Kingdom without registration, in legal terms, will simply mean that you have not made any sort of transaction concerning your property.
If you own a property that has been left unregistered this can also create complications if in the future you wish to sell or mortgage it. Having no legal; documents regarding the registration of your land or house will mean that you do not have proof of your ownership of the land or the house. (Land, here, will include the building or any sort of construction above it)
Moreover, if you do not get your property registered with the government’s official agency, your property will have no trace or identity on the Ordnance Survey Map of the United Kingdom.
Following are the points defining the significance of the registration of your property
- Getting your land or house registered with the government’s official property registry agency provides you with proof of ownership of the property.
- Owning a registered property will safeguard your future plans of selling or mortgaging the property.
- If you get your property registered with the official agency of the UK government, you will not have to preserve the documents of your property as it will then be the duty of the agency to conserve it lifelong. You can get them any time you wish to from the HM Land Registry Department.
- Having a registered property will help you to get benefits from various government schemes and plans such as the ‘Title Plan’ which will ensure the identity of your property on the Ordnance Survey Map.
- Once you get your property registered with HM Land Registry, your property will always be safe from squatters and illegal tenants.
When to Get Your Property Registered?
After knowing the importance of why should you get your property registered with the official agency of the UK government for property registry, now you need to know when should you register your property with the same?
If you are purchasing a new property, whether it be land or a house, you should get it registered at the time of purchase itself.
If you delay the registration it might happen that in near future you get to face complications. Also, getting registered only at the time of purchase of the property will safeguard you and your property from any kind of fraud.
If you are the owner of a property which has been left unregistered for a long time or if you have inherited an unregistered property even then you should get it registered. In such cases, you need to apply for registration of your property voluntarily.
Clearly, in any of the cases above, you should make sure to get your property registered as soon as possible.
Where to Get Your Property Registered?
The government of the United Kingdom has created an official agency for property (land and house) registration known as the ‘Her Majesty’s Land Registry. Which is a non-ministerial department that deals with Industrial Strategy, Energy, and business.
The HM Land Registry was created in the year 1862 to help the citizens of England and Wales with the registration of their properties.
If you want to get your property registered, you can contact the HM Land Registry department and can get help from it.
How to Get Your Property Registered?
Getting your property registered is very important but more important is to get it registered perfectly or else the registration will have no meaning at all.
If you are not a professional legal person then you may need to hire a conveyancer to help you with the process.
Now you need to get ready with various documentations required for the property registration process. The document requirement may vary with the kind of property you want to get registered.
Below is the general list of documents you may require while the process
- An Identity Proof.
- Documents of the old registration(in case of new purchase)
- An application form for property registration.
- ‘Transfer of Whole of Registered Title’ form( in case of new purchase)
- ‘Whole of Registered Title Assent Form’ (in case of an inherited property)
- ‘Disclosable Interests’ Form’.
Apart from the above-mentioned documents, you may need some more. Make sure to get a proper list of the documents required in the process from the HM Land Registry before proceeding.
Make sure you carry 2 copies of each documentation mentioned above.
You should not miss to find out about the previous registration information of the property (if any) and its old owners.
After these preparations, you simply need to contact the HM Land Registry Department.
Conclusion
Registration of a property-both land and house should be the foremost priority before its purchase. This can safeguard your property from frauds and scams. Do not forget to get the property registered the right way as any discrepancy in the documentation can lead to complications. The article has been written to help the residents of the UK to know how they can get their property registered and is just for reference. Do not forget to consult a professional may it be a solicitor or a conveyancer and do contact the Government’s official agency.