Finding your house deeds is a question that comes up when selling, remortgaging, or investigating property boundaries and rights. The answer depends on whether your property is registered with HM Land Registry, which is the case for the vast majority of UK properties.

Registered Properties: HM Land Registry

Over 90 percent of properties in England and Wales are now registered at HM Land Registry. For a registered property, the title register maintained by the Land Registry is the definitive legal record of ownership and the primary source of title information. The physical deeds are not the legal title document for a registered property; the Land Registry register is.

Official copies of the title register, title plan, and any documents filed with the register can be obtained directly from the Land Registry at a small charge. You do not need anyone's permission to obtain the official copies for your own property. The Land Registry's online portal allows you to search by address and download official copies within minutes. The fee is currently a few pounds per document.

The title register shows who owns the property, any mortgages or charges registered against it, any restrictions or conditions on the title, and the property's registered boundaries by reference to the title plan.

Where Are the Physical Deeds?

For a registered property, physical deeds no longer have legal significance as the title document, but they may contain useful historical information such as covenants, rights of way, and the history of the property's ownership. For mortgaged properties, physical deeds were historically held by the mortgage lender as security. Since the widespread adoption of electronic registration, many lenders no longer hold physical deeds for registered properties.

If you have paid off your mortgage on a registered property, the deeds may have been returned to you. If you are not sure whether you have them or where they are, check with your previous mortgage lender or the solicitor who handled the original purchase or most recent remortgage. Your solicitor may have retained the deeds or filed them. Some solicitors keep deeds indefinitely; others return them to clients. Old deeds can sometimes be found in unexpected places such as a bank safe deposit box, a solicitor's storage facility, or among the paperwork of a deceased family member's estate.

Unregistered Properties

For the minority of properties that remain unregistered, the physical title deeds are essential documents as they constitute the legal title itself. The deeds for an unregistered property are typically held by the mortgage lender if there is a mortgage, by the owner, or by the solicitor who handled the last transaction. If the deeds have been lost, the options are more limited and a solicitor experienced in unregistered land conveyancing will be needed to advise on how title can be established.

Summary

For the vast majority of properties in England and Wales, the title information is held electronically at HM Land Registry and official copies of the register and title plan can be obtained online at minimal cost. Physical deeds are not needed for registered properties. Physical deeds are held by mortgage lenders, solicitors, or the property owner, and their location should be traceable through these parties. For unregistered properties, locating the physical deeds is essential and a solicitor should be involved if they cannot be found.