How to check the HM Land Registry title register
The title register is the most important legal document on a property, and it's cheap: £7 direct from HM Land Registry via gov.uk. Get it. But it only tells you what the owner has agreed to legally. It says nothing about flooding, the ground beneath, mining, the building, or who controls the freeholder. That gap is what HomeBuyerCheck fills, from £4.99.
Run a free check on your property first, then add the £7 title register from gov.uk if you want the raw legal document to read with your solicitor.
What's in a title register
- Property register, description, plan reference, tenure (freehold/leasehold), and any rights of way or easements.
- Proprietorship register, current registered owners, price paid (if registered after April 2000), and any restrictions on selling.
- Charges register, mortgages, restrictive covenants, third-party rights, deeds of variation.
Where to order it
HM Land Registry sells the title register direct via gov.uk for £7. The title plan (boundary diagram) is a separate £7 order. Both are PDFs, delivered immediately.
Order from gov.uk, Search property information from HM Land Registry
For the official PDF, gov.uk at £7 is the cheapest, most reliable route, so we point you there. HomeBuyerCheck does not resell or read the official register.
What to look for as a buyer
- Tenure, freehold or leasehold. If leasehold, what is the lease term remaining and the ground rent clause? Sub-80 years triggers marriage value; some lenders won't lend below 75 years.
- Registered owner, does it match the seller you're dealing with? Any unexpected company entity or overseas owner?
- Restrictions, Form A or other restrictions that require consent before transfer? Common with shared-ownership or properties held in trust.
- Charges, existing mortgages or third-party rights. These must be discharged or accepted before completion.
- Restrictive covenants, some titles ban running a business from home, parking caravans on the front garden, or extending without consent.
- Easements / rights of way, neighbours' rights to cross your land, shared drives, shared sewers.
What the title register won't tell you
The title is the legal record. It is silent on everything around and beneath the property, the things that actually change a buying decision:
- Flood risk for the address.
- Ground stability, coal mining and subsidence risk (British Geological Survey), and the radon band.
- Building Safety Register status for high-rise residential blocks.
- Planning, listed-building, conservation-area and Article 4 overlays on and around the property.
- Property Chamber tribunal history, service-charge and leasehold disputes at the building.
- The financial health of a corporate or overseas freeholder (insolvency, charges, disqualified directors).
That is exactly what a HomeBuyerCheck report pulls together for one specific address.
Your report options
Run a free check on any UK address first, then pick the report that fits. No subscription, instant, permanent online link.
Tenure, ownership and sale-history synthesis, plus the risks the title can't show: coal mining, ground stability, radon, flood, listing / conservation / Article 4, corporate-owner checks, and an AI buyer's verdict.
Everything in Premium, plus AI solicitor, surveyor and mortgage briefs, a negotiation report with a defensible offer range, and the leasehold-extension calculator.
Check your property now
Free instant check on any UK address. Only upgrade if something flags.
Sensible workflow
Run our free address check first. If anything flags, run the report that fits, from £4.99. For the title register itself, order the PDF for £7 direct from gov.uk and review it with your solicitor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the title register cost?
The official HM Land Registry title register costs £7 direct from gov.uk and is delivered as a PDF straight away. The title plan (boundary diagram) is a separate £7 order. HomeBuyerCheck doesn't resell the raw register at the cheaper tiers; for the official copy on its own, gov.uk is the cheapest route.
What does the title register show?
Who legally owns the property, whether it's freehold or leasehold, the price last paid (if registered after April 2000), any mortgages or charges, restrictive covenants, and rights of way or easements. It is the legal record of what the owner has agreed to.
What does the title register NOT show?
It is silent on flood risk, ground stability and mining beneath the property, radon, building-safety register status, planning, listed-building, conservation or Article 4 overlays nearby, the neighbourhood, and the financial health of a corporate or overseas freeholder. Those are the risks a HomeBuyerCheck report surfaces, from £4.99.
Can I get the title register read for me in plain English?
Not by us. HomeBuyerCheck does not buy or read the official register. Order it for £7 from gov.uk and your conveyancer will explain any covenants, easements and charges as part of the purchase. Our £4.99 Premium report gives a tenure, ownership and sale-history summary from public HM Land Registry data, plus the risks the register cannot show.
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