When a property transaction completes, the activity that follows often goes unnoticed by the people involved.
Buyers think about moving, sellers think about their next chapter, and lenders quietly await confirmation that their security is in place. Yet in the weeks and months after completion, the work of land registry solicitors continues, processing applications, gathering documents, responding to queries, and ensuring that ownership is formally and accurately recorded at HM Land Registry. At Johnson Astills, our property solicitors handle this work for clients across Leicester, Loughborough, and the surrounding area.
Please call us free now on 0800 059 0600 or complete a Free Online Enquiry and a member of the team will get back to you soon.
“I am perfectly satisfied with the way the case was handled. My solicitor was very efficient, easy to communicate with and was very clear on what the outcome would or could be and who worked well.”
What HM Land Registry Does
HM Land Registry has been protecting property ownership records in England and Wales for over 160 years. It currently maintains official records for more than 27 million property titles, secures nearly £9 trillion in property assets, and processes over 17,000 requests to update the register every day. The register sets out who owns a property, what mortgage or charge is secured against it, and what rights or restrictions attach to it, such as rights of way, restrictive covenants, or rights of access.
For buyers and lenders, the register provides state-backed confirmation of ownership and security. For sellers, it is the starting point for proving title. Understanding what the register contains and what it should contain is something our solicitors check carefully at every stage of a transaction.
Unregistered Land
Despite compulsory registration having applied across England and Wales since 1 December 1990, a meaningful proportion of land remains unregistered. This tends to be older property, rural land, and estates that have passed between family members for generations without triggering a registrable event. Unregistered land is proved through original title deeds rather than a Land Registry title number, and those deeds can be missing, damaged, or difficult to interpret.
We can help clients establish the position with unregistered land and advise on the options available, whether that means preparing for a first registration or addressing gaps in the title evidence before a sale or mortgage proceeds.
• Triggering Events For Compulsory First Registration
The Land Registration Act 2002 makes first registration compulsory when certain events occur. These triggering events are:
- A transfer of the freehold by sale, gift or court order
- The grant of a lease of more than seven years
- The creation of a legal mortgage over unregistered land
- An assent or transfer following the death of the owner
Where any of these apply, the application to register must be submitted to HM Land Registry within two months of the triggering event. Missing that deadline carries a serious consequence. The transfer or mortgage can become void at law, which means the buyer may lose legal title and the lender may lose the security of their charge.
We can manage the entire first registration process on behalf of clients, from assessing whether a triggering event has occurred to lodging the completed application within the statutory deadline.
• Voluntary Registration
Not every registration is triggered by a legal obligation. HM Land Registry actively encourages property owners with unregistered land to apply voluntarily and offers a reduced fee as an incentive to do so. Once registered, the title carries the state-backed guarantee that comes with any Land Registry entry, which simplifies all future dealings with the property.
Voluntary registration is worth considering if you have inherited property and are not immediately selling it, if you hold ageing or deteriorating title deeds, or if you plan to develop land and want a clean, modern title in place before work begins. Our Land registry solicitors can advise on whether voluntary registration makes sense for your circumstances and take the application forward on your behalf.
• Classes Of Title
When land is registered for the first time, HM Land Registry assigns it a class of title. Absolute title is the strongest class and the one that buyers, lenders and solicitors prefer to see. It confirms that the Land Registry is satisfied with the evidence of ownership and that the title is free from undisclosed defects.
Where the Land Registry cannot be fully satisfied, it may grant possessory title, based on possession without full documentary evidence, or qualified title, where a specific defect has been identified. For leasehold properties where the freehold title cannot be verified, it may grant good leasehold title rather than absolute. Each of these lesser classes carries risk and may require indemnity insurance or further investigation. We can advise on what a lower class of title means for a transaction and whether upgrading the title is a realistic option.
• The Registration Process And Requisitions
Submitting an application to HM Land Registry is a technical process that requires accuracy. Since October 2024, the Land Registry no longer accepts first registration applications based entirely on certified copies of title deeds. Original documentation must accompany the application, and any discrepancy between the application and the supporting documents will trigger a requisition.
Requisitions are formal queries raised by the Land Registry when it requires further information or documents before it can process an application. Around 22% of all conveyancing applications currently attract at least one requisition, and each one typically involves two separate issues, adding approximately 15 working days to the process. The most common causes are name inconsistencies between the application and the underlying deeds, errors in the way transfer deeds have been executed and witnessed, delays in obtaining formal discharge documents from lenders, and difficulties with third-party restrictions.
Our Land Registry solicitors work methodically to get applications right before submission. We check documents carefully, address known issues early, and communicate clearly with lenders and other parties to avoid unnecessary delay.
• Title Corrections And Updating The Register
Land registration does not stop at first registration. The register requires updating whenever ownership changes, a mortgage is discharged, a name changes following marriage or divorce, or a boundary needs to be corrected. Outdated or inaccurate entries can create problems when a property is sold or remortgaged, sometimes surfacing at the worst possible moment in a transaction.
Our Land Registry solicitors can assist with applications to correct or update the register, deal with boundary queries, remove spent restrictions, and obtain official copy entries and title plans on behalf of clients.
Talk To Our Land Registry Solicitors
At Johnson Astills, our solicitors handle land registration as part of a wider conveyancing service that covers the full life of a property transaction. From first registration of long-held family land to post-completion registration of a straightforward residential purchase, we give every matter the same careful attention.
If you have a question about land registration, or if you would like to discuss a property transaction, get in touch with our Leicester or Loughborough office. We are here to help.
Please call us free now on 0800 059 0600 or complete a Free Online Enquiry and a member of the team will get back to you soon.
‘Having had experience of your organisation, my confidence in you grew. I would have no hesitation in asking you for any necessary representation in the future. Relatives and friends have already been told of my satisfaction. Thank you and well done’
