How to Find Out Who Owns a Property in the UK

Property ownership in England and Wales is recorded by HM Land Registry. With over 26 million registered titles, most properties can be found through a simple search.

Why You Might Need to Know Who Owns a Property

You want to buy land or a property that's not on the market

A neighbour's property is causing issues and you need to contact the owner

You're researching a boundary dispute

You're a solicitor or conveyancer acting on a transaction

You want to check if a property has any charges or restrictions

Method 1: Search by Address

The simplest way to find a property owner is to search by address. Enter the property's address or postcode and browse the results. Once you find the right title, purchase the title register to see the owner's name and address.

Method 2: Search by Owner Name

If you want to find all properties owned by a specific person or company, use the ownership search. This searches across all registered proprietor names.

Method 3: Search by Company Number

For properties owned by companies, you can search using the Companies House registration number. This is useful when a company trades under a different name to its registered name.

What Information Will You Get?

The title register will show:

The full name(s) of the registered proprietor(s)

Their correspondence address (as provided to the Land Registry)

The class of title

The price paid (if the property was sold after April 2000)

Any restrictions, charges, or covenants

Unregistered Land

Not all land in England and Wales is registered. Land Registry registration became compulsory for property sales in stages:

1990: Compulsory across England and Wales for sales

1998: Extended to gifts, assents, and first legal mortgages

If a property hasn't changed hands since before compulsory registration applied in that area, it may not appear in the register. In these cases, you may need to check with the Land Registry directly or search historical records.

Privacy Considerations

Property ownership information is public record in England and Wales. Anyone can purchase a title register to find out who owns a property. This is different from some other countries where property records are not publicly accessible.