Protect your land and property from fraud

July is Scams Awareness Month, and the Land Registry wants to remind everyone of some key fraud advice.

To help avoid becoming a victim of property fraud, please:

• read our property fraud advice below;
• sign up to the Land Registry’s free Property Alert service: www.gov.uk/property-alert; and
• watch  the Land Registry’s short property fraud video.

You can take steps to protect your property from being fraudulently sold or mortgaged.

You’re more at risk if:

• your identity’s been stolen
• you rent out your property
• you live overseas
• the property’s empty e.g. owner in hospital or a nursing home, working away, property being renovated, between tenants, holiday home
• the property isn’t mortgaged

You must tell HM Land Registry if information in the register is incorrect or needs updating, for example if you change your contact address. You can now register up to three addresses per property, one of which can be an email address.

You can track changes to the register or put a restriction on your title if you think you’re at risk.

Track changes to the register

You can sign up to get property alerts if someone applies to change the register of your property, for example if someone tries to use your property for a mortgage.

This won’t automatically block any changes to the register but will alert you when something changes so that you can take action.

You can get alerts for up to 10 properties - there’s no fee.

Put a restriction on your title

You can stop HM Land Registry registering a sale or mortgage on your property unless a conveyancer or solicitor certifies the application was made by you.

For business owners and private owners if you don’t live at the property there is no Land Registry fee to register the Restriction. If you do live at the property you can still apply for a fee of £40 payable to the Land Registry if you do it yourself through the post or £20 (plus our legal fees) if we do it for you electronically. Forms are available online from the Land Registry or contact us if you want us to do this for you.

For a number of years we have asked all our buyer clients if they wanted this Restriction to be registered, so you may find if we acted in a purchase for you in the last few years that it has already been registered for you on your property.

If you’re a victim of property fraud

Contact HM Land Registry property fraud line if you think you’re the victim of property fraud.

HM Land Registry property fraud line
reportafraud@landregistry.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 006 7030
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm

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If you require advice from our Commercial Property team, please contact your local office, or complete our online enquiry form.