Skip to main content
Legal news

New initiative in fight against property fraud

Jonathan Winston Jonathan Winston
1 min read

The Land Registry is hoping that absent property owners will take advantage of a new scheme to guard against property fraud which would see the owner registering a restriction so that the property would only be sold after a solicitor certified the homeowner’s true identity.

From this month the Registry’s Form LL restriction will be no charge for absent property owners although owner-occupiers will still have to pay the £50 fee. It means that a solicitor or conveyancer has to determine that the person selling the property is the true owner. It is free for absent property owners because these properties, where the owner may be in a care home, are identified as being most at risk of fraud.

The Land Registry compensates genuine owners who have been the victims of a fraudulent transfer and said that in 2010, 23 out of a total of 71 claims for fraud and forgery involved properties where there was an absent owner.

Malcolm Dawson, the chief registrar, said that the Registry worked closely with other organisations, including the Law Society, to do all it can to prevent fraud or take decisive action when it does occur. He added that since September 2009 there had been over 100 cases in which the Registry had acted to prevent fraud.

 

Client feedback

Every part of the process was well explained and dealt with in a swift/timely manner.
Mark
Heidi was very helpful with my compensation application and was able to answer any questions I had in a timely matter
Anonymous
Very efficient and always available to answer any questions
Alastair
Winston Solicitors handled our recent house purchase and sale and provided an excellent service throughout. Sidraa Razaq, supported by Tom McIlroy, exhibited an outstanding professionalism, expertise, and responsiveness from te moment we first made contact, all of which made what was at times a less than straightforward transaction much easier to navigate. I'd have no hesitation in recommending them to others.
Kieran
Excellent service, very efficient and able to answer questions when needed.
Ben
Fast, excellent and highly professional conveyancing solicitors. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Anonymous
Winstons are brilliant, very responsive to messages, professional and patient. Fantastic customer service- face to face and email/telephone. Would 100% recommend!
Lucy
I recently contracted Winston Solicitors to support me in obtaining a grant of probate following the death of a parent. I worked closely with Emily and found her to be supportive, have great communication and be able to navigate the IHT and probate processes very efficiently.
John
Contact Jonathan