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

We recently used Winston Solicitors for conveyancing on both the sale of our previous home and the purchase of our new one. Michelle Ayres was exceptional throughout. She was accessible, proactive, and it genuinely felt like she was on our side and working in our best interests.There were a few challenges in the chain, but Michelle was always willing to take the time to explain the situation, outline our options, and keep everything moving. As our process stretched over 6 months, there were times when Michelle was out of the office, but Olivia Cooke and Samantha Robertson-Strong seamlessly picked things up and ensured nothing ever slipped.It was an outstanding experience that made a difficult and often stressful process far more manageable. We would highly recommend Winston Solicitors and especially Michelle to anyone, and we will certainly look to use their services again in future (although we plan to enjoy our new home and give ourselves a well earned break for now!).

Glenn

Amr and Joe are responsive and helpful, very professional.

Tracy M, West Yorkshire

Samantha was excellent at helping us secure our house. She was extremely responsive, organised and thorough in her work.I would recommend her and Winston solicitors to anyone.

Mr Peterson a

Sidraa and Tom were incredibly thorough and kept me up to date in a timely manner. Would recommend!

Alexandra

Amr and Joe recently acted for me on the sale and purchase of properties. They were both very professional, responsive and promptly dealt with any enquiries. My experience with Winstons was really positive having used other firms for previous transactions. I would definitely recommend to family and friends!

Ruth

I purchased my first house through Winston Solicitors. The experience I had from start to finish was amazing. I will definitely recommend Winston Solicitors to my family and friends and will be using them again in the future.

Aruna

Samantha Robertson-Strong has dealt with the conveyancing for the sale of my property and purchase of a new home. Throughout the process of selling Samantha dealt with queries from the buyers promptly and professionally. This included one particular hiccup, that threatened to delay and complicate matters, by simply advising on a point of law that the buyer’s solicitor was seemingly not aware of.The purchase of our new home was dealt with in a similar manner, no stone left unturned, fast paced and with regular up dates on which stage we had reached. We felt well informed and in good hands throughout the process.Fast to respond, no flannel and an in-depth knowledge of property law Samantha is exceptional and I would recommend her services to anyone about to buy or sell a property.

Elizabeth

We worked with Leasa at Winston Solicitors for our house move and she was absolutely amazing from start to finish. She really went the extra mile for us! Her communication was impeccable, she was friendly, knowledgeable, and assertive when needed. When the chain became difficult and the completion date was at risk, Leasa went above and beyond to make sure everyone got over the finish line. You always hear horror stories about slow or unhelpful solicitors, but Leasa was a complete breath of fresh air. The whole process felt smooth and well-handled thanks to her. Couldn’t recommend her highly enough!

Christopher