Property fraud is on the rise – but you can take steps towards protecting yourself, and your home, today.

Increasingly sophisticated criminals are finding ways to steal homes, particularly those that are unregistered, with owners having no knowledge or indication that it has happened, until it’s too late.

Paper-based ‘deeds’, usually dating back to when your property was first built, are often unclear, subject to damage, accidental loss and theft. If you bought your house prior to 1990, it’s likely that these are your only proof of ownership – if that’s the case, it’s time to think about getting your house registered with the Land Registry.

What does Registering with Land Registry Mean?

The process of registration enables information about your property to be entered onto the Land Registry’s digital database; the paper deeds then become redundant and there is therefore no chance of accidental loss or destruction.

An attractive target for fraudsters and scam artists,
a property can be sold and mortgaged whilst you are
still living in it – without you having any knowledge
that this has taken place.

If you do become an innocent victim of property fraud and your property is not registered, you will unfortunately not be eligible for any compensation.

What can you do to protect yourself?

There are certain steps you can take to protect your home from property fraud:

• Ask us to register your land or property with Land Registry on your behalf
• Never send your bank details to anyone via email, either phone through or hand deliver

Once your property is registered:

• Sign up to the Land Registry Property Alert service. Alerts are sent to you via email when official searches and applications are received against the property you want monitored
• Ask for a restriction to be put on the title deeds of your property and instruct us to
  stop Land Registry from registering a sale or mortgage on your property unless we certify the application
• Keep all of your contact details up to date

How we can help

We are specialists in property law and are able to register your property with the Land Registry on your behalf.

This involves:

• Checking through your deeds
• Clearing up any problems that may arise (such as unclear boundaries)
• Submitting details to the Land Registry
• Dealing with any additional queries the Land Registry may have regarding your property.

Our fixed fee for this service is £399+VAT, plus a Land Registry fee which is based on the value of your property.

Contact a member of our Residential Conveyancing team for more information or to request one of the below information leaflets:

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