What is HM Land Registry Title Register?

Full Definition

The HM Land Registry title register is the official record, held by the government agency HM Land Registry, of the legal ownership of registered land and property in England and Wales, along with details of the price last paid, any mortgages or charges secured against it, and any rights, easements or restrictive covenants that benefit or burden the property. A full official copy of the register is split into three parts: the Property Register, describing the land and any rights that benefit it (such as a right of way over a neighbour's land); the Proprietorship Register, naming the current registered owner(s) and the class of title held (absolute being the strongest and most common); and the Charges Register, listing financial charges (mortgages), and other burdens such as leases, easements affecting the property, and restrictive covenants that bind it. Since registration became compulsory across England and Wales in stages, completed nationally by 1990, most property that has changed hands, been mortgaged, or been subject to certain other transactions since then will have a registered title, though a small minority of long-held, unchanged properties (particularly land that has stayed in the same family for generations) can still be unregistered, in which case ownership must instead be proven through a paper title deeds bundle. Anyone can buy an official copy of a property's title register and title plan from HM Land Registry for a small fee, which is a common first step for conveyancers, and increasingly for individuals researching a neighbour's boundary, a potential purchase, or a suspected discrepancy in who legally owns a piece of land.

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