Life Admin: Land Registry Alerts

Our Life Admin series is a gentle prompt to help tackle those jobs you need to do, but never seem to find the time to complete.

This month we look at Land Registry Alerts…

The recent hit ITV drama ‘Our House’ opens with a family of strangers moving into the main character’s house, much to her confusion. Although the elaborate plot of a missing husband and all of her belongings disappearing into thin air is a bit far-fetched; the question ‘how could you have bought a house that isn’t for sale?’ isn’t as unbelievable as you would think.

Property fraud is on the rise according to the Office for National Statistics and it is thought that properties that are rented out, empty and are mortgage-free are especially susceptible.

HM Land Registry has a Property Alert Service that enables those who feel their property may be at risk from fraud to sign up to email alerts and be notified when certain activity occurs on the monitored property.

We would also advise you that if the deeds to your property are unregistered, that you look to apply to register your deeds to ensure that you can be compensated if you are a victim of fraud and suffer financial loss.

Another important thing is to ensure that your address for correspondence is up to date at the Land Registry. You can register up to three addresses and can include an email address so they can keep in touch with you.

Finally, you can apply for a restriction on the register of title of your property which will state that no activity, such as a transfer of charge, can be registered on the title without a certificate signed by a conveyancer who is acting for you, who will confirm that they are satisfied with your identity

The Properly Alert service is free and something you can easily set up yourself online. For more complex things, like the first registration of your deeds, or registering a restriction, we can help. Just get in touch with our Residential Conveyancing team via email at conveyancing@burnetts.co.uk or by phone on 01228 552222.