Land Registry Search: Free vs Paid — What You Can Actually Get for Free
Land Registry Search: Free vs Paid
The Land Registry offers some free services, but they are limited. Here is exactly what is free, what costs money, and why official paid copies are usually what you actually need.
What Is Free on the Land Registry
**Free register view (HMLR website)**: HM Land Registry's own service at gov.uk lets you view a summary of a title register for free. However, this is an informal view — it shows the current owner and basic details, but it is not an official copy and is not accepted by solicitors, mortgage lenders, or courts.
**Title register summary**: The free view does not include all the information in the full register. Restrictive covenants, full charge details, and referred-to documents are often not visible.
**Index Map Search**: Checking whether a piece of land is registered (an index map search) can be done free of charge via the Land Registry portal.
What Costs Money
**Official copy of the title register**: £3.00 from HMLR directly (or more from third-party services that include delivery fees). An official copy carries legal authority under Section 67 of the Land Registration Act 2002 and is the document accepted by solicitors and lenders.
**Official copy of the title plan**: £3.00 from HMLR. Same legal status as the register copy.
**Online services with instant delivery**: Services like ours charge more than the base HMLR fee but provide the documents instantly, without requiring you to create a government account or navigate the HMLR portal.
Why the Free View Is Often Not Enough
How Much Do Official Copies Cost?
From HM Land Registry directly: £3.00 per document (register or plan), payable through their online portal.
From third-party services (like Online Land Registry): higher price but with advantages — instant PDF delivery, no account setup, and the ability to search by address or owner name rather than having to know the title number first.
The Bottom Line
If you just want a rough idea of who owns a property for your own reference, the free register view at gov.uk is sufficient. If you need the document for any legal, financial, or formal purpose — remortgaging, buying, resolving a dispute, probate — you need an official copy.