Unregistered property | Winston Solicitors UK Skip to main content

Unregistered property

Many properties in England and Wales are registered at HM Land Registry, but some are not. Here at Winston Solicitors, we can deal with the conveyancing of both registered and unregistered properties, whether you are buying or selling.

How to sell an unregistered property?

  • You will need to let us know where the unregistered deeds are. If the property is in mortgage, they should be with the lender. If the property is not in mortgage, the deeds may be with another firm of solicitors/conveyancers.
  • If you do not know where the deeds are, you will need to find out who last held them. If they were held by a firm of solicitors/conveyancers, we can write to that firm to see whether they still hold the deeds.
  • If the deeds cannot be found, we can obtain copies of any documents from the archives to the former West Riding Deeds Registry. This process can be costly.
  • We will forward copies of the relevant deeds to your buyer’s solicitors/conveyancers with the draft contract and other papers.
  • Your buyer’s solicitors/conveyancers will check the title and will raise any relevant queries.

If you are buying an unregistered property

  • We will check the title documents supplied by your seller’s solicitors/conveyancers and will raise any relevant queries.
  • If any documents are missing, we will asking for missing information indemnity insurance.
  • We will register your title at HM Land Registry after completion.

Are there extra costs when dealing with unregistered properties?

The Land Registry fee for “first registrations” is twice as much as their fee for dealing with registered titles. The Land Registry normally takes longer to complete “first registration” applications than applications relating to titles that are already registered.

There is more legal work involved in selling or buying an unregistered property. We charge a supplement to reflect this.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) could be payable depending on the purchase price. See our Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) calculator for a guide to this.

With all property transactions it is important to have a will to reflect your wishes. 

Client feedback

Samantha was great. Very efficient. Always able to help. Very straightforward transaction. I would recommend.
Mr & M
Absolutely amazing. Was my first time buying a house and I had no idea what I was doing. Samantha was the best solicitor I swear she never leaves her desk, each email I sent was responded to within 5-10minutes. She made a very stressful process a lot easier and can't thank her enough. When she had days off work the rest of the team there took on her work just as well, super easy to contact them all and they explained everything super clearly for me to understand. Anytime I need a solicitor from now on I will be using Winstons.
Mr Harwood
I've used a number of conveyoncers over the years but Leasa was by far the best. Attentive when required and able to mediate issues to ensure a smooth purchase. I've found with previous property purchases conveyancing correspondence can sometimes go unasnwered, however Leasa was prompt and proactive with any queries made both by telephone and email. She made the whole process extremely easy so I'd be happy to recommend Winstons as a professional firm and look forward to doing future business with them.
Stephanie
Leasa came recommended by a friend and we are extremely pleased with the service she and Winston Solicitors provided. We found Leasa to be very quick and she provided regular updates throughout, making the process particularly smooth. We will definitely appoint Leasa again when we next move.
Tom
Excellent communication throughout the whole process.
David
I appointed Winston’s as conveyancers for both the sale of my existing home, and purchase of my next one. Sidraa and Tom were fantastic, working with pace and always responsive by email and/or when I called. It was far more seamless than I anticipated and I was incredibly impressed with their efficiency and communication. Thank you!
Joseph
Excellent professional service would highly recommend
Anonymous
Excellent service,highly professional and support me with purchasing the house.
Midhula
Contact Leasa