🧾 How to Obtain Your Title Deeds and Property Searches (UK Guide for Home Sellers)

1️⃣ Getting Your Title Deeds

In most cases, your title deeds are held digitally by HM Land Registry, not as old paper copies anymore.

How to check if your property is registered:

  1. Go to the official site: www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

  2. Enter your postcode or address.

  3. If your property is registered (almost all are), you can:

    • Download a Title Register (£3) — shows the owner’s name, title number, any charges, restrictions, or rights over the land.

    • Download a Title Plan (£3) — shows the property boundaries.

🟩 Tip: Together, these two documents are usually all that’s needed to prove ownership and supply “title information” to an agent or solicitor.

If your property isn’t registered (very rare for homes bought after 1990):

  • You’ll need to find the paper deeds from when you purchased the property — they might be with your solicitor, mortgage lender, or bank.

  • You can register unregistered land with the Land Registry using Form FR1 (your solicitor can help with this).

2️⃣ Ordering Property Searches

Buyers’ solicitors typically do these later, but sellers can now pre-order them to speed up sales and comply with upfront disclosure rules.

You can get most searches through:

  • Your local council’s Local Land Charges department, or

  • An online search provider (e.g. Searches UK, STL Group, or InfoTrack).

The main searches are:

Type of Search What It Checks Where to Get It
Local Authority Search Planning permissions, building control, highways, and enforcement notices Local Council or authorised search agent
Water & Drainage Search Water supply and sewer connections Your water company (e.g. Wessex Water, Thames Water)
Environmental Search Flood risk, contamination, landfill sites, subsidence Specialist search companies
Coal / Mining Search Checks ground stability in mining areas The Coal Authority
Chancel Repair Search Historic church repair liabilities Online providers (via conveyancer)

🟨 Tip: Searches usually cost between £100–£250 each, depending on your area and provider.

If you order them early:

  • They’re valid for around 3–6 months.

  • You can pass them to your buyer’s solicitor to save time and reduce delays later.

3️⃣ Other Helpful Documents Sellers Can Gather

  • EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) – must be valid within 10 years.

  • Planning permissions and Building Regulation certificates – if you’ve made alterations or extensions.

  • Leasehold details – service charge statements, ground rent info, management company contact.

4️⃣ Why Doing This Early Helps

✅ Builds buyer confidence — fewer surprises later
✅ Reduces fall-through risk
✅ Shows professionalism and transparency
✅ Helps your estate agent market the property faster