Searching for a property title in England & Wales is as easy as going to a website, filling out some basic details and clicking “search”. It’s fast, efficient, and accessible to anyone. But have you wondered how a land registry property search is possible in the first place? Let’s take a closer look at how the system works, and why it allows for such a simple way to do a land registry property search.
It All Started With Torrens
Up till 1860s, the titling system in England & Wales required you to be in possession of all previous deeds, going back to the first one, if you wanted to prove you were the rightful owner of a property. Of course, this system was unreliable and often made ownership changes difficult, due to deeds being lost, damaged or falsified.
The New Titling System
The titling system established by Richard Torrens is still used in England & Wales today, as well as several other countries around the world. The reason it’s so efficient is that all land title records are kept in the central register, and once it’s been established that you’re the owner of a property you never have to prove it again.
This also means that there are no deeds or other documents for you to collect and keep, so transferring a property is very straightforward and simple. In addition, this system makes tampering with the ownership documents in order to commit fraud nearly impossible.
How Can Ownership Records Be Accessed?
All property ownership details are available to the public and accessible through online services like Property Registry. Typically, land registry property search websites offer more than one type of registry search. By entering the details of a property such as address or title number, you can use that information to find the name of the owner.
The radical changes brought about by the Torrens system made registering and changing ownership of titles incredibly convenient and efficient. As a consequence, a land registry property search is easily available to everyone today, while requiring very little effort and time.
This is something that can be appreciated by any home buyer, seller, conveyancer or real estate agent, as it allows more time for other important matters to be addressed.
[od_button url=”https://propertyregistryuk.paisdigital.com.au/” text=”Start searching Now”]