Knowledge Centre
Plain-English guides to property documents in England and Wales — what they show, how to read them, and which one you need. Every guide is dated, reviewed and free of legal jargon.
Boundaries and plans
Can a Title Plan Be Used in a Boundary Dispute?
A title plan is a sensible starting point in a boundary disagreement, but it is rarely decisive on its own. This guide explains what a plan can contribute, what evidence matters more, and when to get professional help.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Does a Title Plan Show Exact Boundaries?
Usually not. Title plans show general boundaries under the general boundaries rule. This guide explains what that means, when exact boundaries exist, and what to do if you have a boundary question.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Special situations
Do I Need Title Documents When Selling a Property?
Sellers' conveyancers normally obtain up-to-date title copies during a sale. When having your own copy of the register and plan helps, and what leasehold sellers should know.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
How to Get a Copy of a Property Lease
How to obtain a copy of the lease for a leasehold property in England and Wales — why the leasehold title register is the sensible first step, and how availability is checked before you pay.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
How to Order Documents for Land Without an Address
Fields, paddocks, garages and strips of land often have no postal address. What to provide so the land can be identified, why it can take longer, and how ordering works.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
What Are Filed Documents?
Filed documents are deeds, transfers, conveyances and leases referred to in a title register that HM Land Registry may hold on file. How to spot the references and when copies can be ordered.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
What Happens If a Property Is Not Registered?
Some land in England and Wales has never been registered with HM Land Registry. What that means, how ownership is proved instead, and what happens if you try to order documents for unregistered land.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Why Does a Property Have More Than One Title Number?
Why one address can have several registered titles — freehold and leasehold pairs, separate garage or garden titles, and merged or divided land — and what it means when ordering documents.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Ownership and tenure
Freehold and Leasehold Titles Explained
What freehold and leasehold mean in England and Wales, how each appears in the title register, and which title to order when you want to check ownership, a lease or the building itself.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
How Can I Find Out Who Owns a Property?
How to find out who owns a property or piece of land in England and Wales using the title register, with the practical caveats — unregistered land, registration delays and company owners.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
What Are Restrictive Covenants?
Restrictive covenants are promises that limit how land can be used, and they are recorded in the charges register where applicable. What they are, common examples, and how to find them for a property.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Reading the documents
How to Find a Property Title Number
Where to look for a property's title number — on the register, the title plan, mortgage paperwork and old correspondence — and why you rarely need it before ordering documents.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
How to Read a Title Plan
A step-by-step walkthrough of a HM Land Registry title plan — the title number, scale, red edging, coloured markings and what they mean, plus the things a title plan cannot tell you.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
How to Read a Title Register
A step-by-step walkthrough of the title register — the property, proprietorship and charges sections, entry numbers and dates, and the common entries explained in plain English.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Property, Proprietorship and Charges Registers Explained
A deeper look at the three parts of a title register — what each records, classes of title, price-paid entries, and the difference between restrictions and restrictive covenants.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
The basics
Title Deeds vs Title Register — What Is the Difference?
How the modern title register differs from old paper title deeds, when the deeds still matter, and what to do if the deeds to your property have been lost.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
Title Register vs Title Plan: What Is the Difference?
The title register and title plan are two halves of one record. This guide compares what each document shows, when you need one or the other, and why ordering both usually makes sense.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
What Are Title Deeds?
What title deeds are, why most registered property no longer relies on paper deeds, and what to order instead when someone asks you for "the deeds".
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
What Is a Title Plan?
A plain-English guide to the title plan — the HM Land Registry map showing the general extent of a registered property. What the markings mean, what the plan can and cannot tell you, and how to get a copy.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
What Is a Title Register?
A plain-English guide to the title register — the ownership record for registered property in England and Wales. What it shows, what it doesn't, and how to get a copy.
Last reviewed 19 July 2026
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