Changing Your Address at the Land Registry

How to change your address on the Land Registry Title Register

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Article Summary

It is important to keep your address updated at the Land Registry, as they may need to contact you in relation to a change that needs to be made to your Title Register, and this change may have been requested by someone you don't know, intending to commit a fraud. This article explains how to proceed, and provides links to the forms that you need.

There are 2 matters discussed in this article:

1. Notifying the Land Registry of Your Change of Address
2. Changing the Name of Your House

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1. Notifying the Land Registry of Your Change of Address

The Land Registry are held in such high esteem by the general populous that they often assume Land Registry services extend far beyond the limits that they do in actuality. One such assumption is that when they move out of the property, for example, if they decide to rent it or if they move Abroad for awhile, that the Land Registry know how to contact them. This is a seriously flawed assumption as it plays into the hands of unscrupulous people who may fraudulently try to obtain mortgage finance for the property or even sell it. This scenario has happened many times. If you take time to think about it you will realise that the Land Registry could not possibly know of your move.

It is a straight forward exercise to let the Land Registry know of any change of contact address. When you do so you should take advantage of a now established Land Registry protocol, and that is to allow each owner of the property to register up to 3 different contact addresses, including an address Abroad, and an Email address.

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The Procedure to Inform the land Registry

To change your contact address you should download Land Registry Form COG1, from the Government website, complete it, and send it to the Citizen Centre, PO Box 74, Gloucester GL14 9BB.

If the application to change address if to be made by a company then you will also need to compete Land Registry Form ID2. The form is then completed by one of the company's representatives.

It is usually a good idea, before proceeding, to check what addresses are already registered, and to see that the addresses are correct in every respect, e.g. that the postcode and house number are correct. This can be carried out by looking at an up to date copy of the Title Register.

It is also prudent to obtain a further copy of the Title Register, about 8 weeks later, just to be sure that the change of address has been registered, and that the new address or addresses are accurate.

Documents to be filed with the Land Registry

• Form COG1
• Form ID2

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2. Changing the Name of Your House

The process for doing this will differ, depending on whether your house has a number as well as a name.

Where your house has a number and a name you do not require consent to change your house name, and can do so whenever you wish. If you wish your house name to be included in your address at the Land Registry you will need to notify the Land Registry using Form COG1, as explained above.

Where your house does not have a number you must write to the Royal Mail Address Maintenance Unit at Sunderland SR3 3XW or email them. So long as the new name does not cause a conflict with a nearby address they will usually allow this. You should then check with your local authority to see if they have any requirements, and obtain their consent. If they do consent they will send you a certificate and will also advise the Land Registry of your address change.

Documents to be filed with the Land Registry

• Form COG1