From 1990, the entire of the United Kingdom is an area of compulsory registration. This means that any dispositions of land that qualify for registration must be registered at the Land Registry on a central register.  

The majority of property in the UK has now been registered, but there is a small percentage of unregistered land that still exists.  As of September 2019, 87% of land in England and Wales is registered.

The rules are that any disposition that triggers registration should be registered within 2 months, otherwise the transaction will be void. 

There are special considerations that a conveyancing solicitor will need to investigate if you are purchasing unregistered land. This is because there is no existing register to consult and the solicitor will need to review the historic deeds of the title, to ensure there is a ‘good root of title’ before you buy the property. 

After the purchase has completed, the property will then officially be registered forevermore.

If you would like any further information or advice in relation to buying or selling a property, please contact us on 01384 410 410 or send an email to residentialconveyancing@georgegreen.co.uk. You can also get a free quote by using our conveyancing quote tool on our website.