Land Registry Historical Copies

Land Registry Historical Copies

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First Registration

Obtaining historical copies of the Land Registry Title Register can be carried out online going backwards from today to the date of First Registration. This is the date upon which the property first became registered. Before this date the Land Registry would not be aware of the existence of the property and therefore there would not be a Title Register or Title Plan for the property prior to this date.

Once a property is registered a Title Register and Title Plan are made by the Land Registry and these become the official ownership documents.

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Subsisting Entries

The Title Register is a record of subsisting Land Registry information only. This means that prior ownerships and prior mortgages are not shown in the current Title Register. Whenever the property is sold or mortgaged a new Register is prepared by the Land Registry and the prior details are removed.

So what do you do if you require historical copies of the Title Register?

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Prior Copies of the Title Register

Luckily, the Land Registry decided to scan older copies of the Title Register from April 1993 onwards. This means that all copies of the Title Register for prior ownerships can be obtained provided the property had been registered at the date required, i.e. so long as First Registration had occurred.

Accordingly, Prior Copies of the Title Register can be obtained either back to April 1993, or to the date of First Registration if that occurred after 1993.

We provide a Prior Copies search (Historical Copies) from our website, which you can obtain by selecting the link.

What if you require property information prior to the date of first registration?

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Associated Documents

Although the Land Registry are unaware of properties that have not been registered, once First Registration has taken place they then become aware of it. When a solicitor applies for First Registration he has to demonstrate a "good root of title" for the new purchaser of the property. This involves tracing back the history of ownership to an ownership deed at least 15 years earlier, showing an unbroken chain of ownership, and showing that ownership during that period had not been fettered in any way, e.g. that none of the purchasers became bankrupt and thereby lost title to their property.

In practice, the vendor's solicitors will send the purchaser's solicitors all of the Deeds and Documents in their possession. The purchaser's solicitor, will in turn send the relevant documents to the Land Registry on his application for First Registration.

In addition to creating a Title Register and Title Plan from the Deeds provided the Land Registry will scan any document it considers useful or of benefit to the newly created Title, and will make a note in the Title Register that is has done so.

Copies of these Deeds can be obtained by applying to us for a Associated Documents search. Deeds such as Conveyances, Transfers and Assignments will also show ownership information. Other Deeds will also show ownership information, and provide other historic information. Please select the link to obtain copies.

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Summary

Prior Copies search to obtain historical copies of the Title Register back as far as 1993 or First Registration if later.

Associated Documents search to obtain historical deeds prior to 1993 or the date of First Registration if later.