Unregistered property

Many properties in England and Wales are registered at HM Land Registry, but some are not. Here at Winston Solicitors, we can deal with the conveyancing of both registered and unregistered properties, whether you are buying or selling.

Selling an unregistered property
Buying an unregistered property
Extra costs with unregistered property

How to sell an unregistered property?

You will need to let us know where the unregistered deeds are. If the property is in mortgage, they should be with the lender. If the property is not in mortgage, the deeds may be with another firm of solicitors/conveyancers.
If you do not know where the deeds are, you will need to find out who last held them. If they were held by a firm of solicitors/conveyancers, we can write to that firm to see whether they still hold the deeds.
If the deeds cannot be found, we can obtain copies of any documents from the archives to the former West Riding Deeds Registry. This process can be costly.
We will forward copies of the relevant deeds to your buyer’s solicitors/conveyancers with the draft contract and other papers.
Your buyer’s solicitors/conveyancers will check the title and will raise any relevant queries.

If you are buying an unregistered property

We will check the title documents supplied by your seller’s solicitors/conveyancers and will raise any relevant queries.
If any documents are missing, we will asking for missing information indemnity insurance.
We will register your title at HM Land Registry after completion.

Are there extra costs when dealing with unregistered properties?

The Land Registry fee for “first registrations” is twice as much as their fee for dealing with registered titles. The Land Registry normally takes longer to complete “first registration” applications than applications relating to titles that are already registered.

There is more legal work involved in selling or buying an unregistered property. We charge a supplement to reflect this.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) could be payable depending on the purchase price. See our Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) calculator for a guide to this.

With all property transactions it is important to have a will to reflect your wishes.

Client feedback

This is the third time I’ve used Winston solicitors and Sidraa and team has been fantastic every time, even during complicated sales. Efficient, great communication, highly proactive - would highly recommend

Damien

Very efficient in the whole process and good value for money

Steven a

Samantha and team were amazing. Samantha especially was so quick with her responses and very competent & efficient when responding to other parties solicitors. No stone was left unturned with her, so I felt very confident and informed moving forward with the house purchase. She made a stressful experience as stress free as possible. You hear horror stories of solicitor experiences, but I can assure you that is not the case with Samantha! Honestly can’t appreciate and thank her enough, and will always use her moving forward.

Miss G

After finding Winston through an online review, I felt compelled to continue the chain after my extremely positive experience. This is my fourth time using solicitors for either a purchase or sale and Winston were head and shoulders above the rest. It was a relatively straightforward transaction but notwithstanding, the ability to be able to pick up the phone and have it answered within a few rings by the person I needed to speak to was a godsend. I was a little apprehensive about using a Leeds based conveyancer for a London based sale, but Amanda Lester who handled most of my case was excellent. I would highly recommend Winston to anyone and will certainly be using them again in the future. My thanks to Olivia, Amanda and the team.

James

Excellent service: efficient and kept informed at all times. Very helpful staff, especially Amanda. Many thanks.

Craig

Reasonable price for sale of property in Romford. Communication was informative. Complication due to unidentified freeholder took time to resolve but once solved things moved quickly. Overall v satisfied and would recommend.

Timothy

Samantha from Winston Solicitors has been fab! Nothing was too much trouble and she was very quick to respond to any queries I had. She made the whole process of buying my first home enjoyable, smooth and straightforward! I would definitely recommend her services!

Anonymous

I would recommend Winston’s to any first time buyers out there that need support on the conveyancing process. Samantha and the team were attentive, communicated clearly, regularly and their checks were thorough. The whole process was smooth and I was updated regularly. A huge thank you to Samantha for guiding me throughout the whole process!

Hao