Conducting Land Registry title checks

Once you've conducted Thirdfort ID, AML & Proof of Ownership checks, you can also carry out Land Registry title checks to confirm you're dealing with the legal owners of the property in line with compliance guidelines.

Land Registry title documents - the Register (ownership and legal details) and the Title plan (boundary map) - provide the most reliable way to verify property ownership, allowing you to confirm the registered owners directly against the official HM Land Registry records. Documents are sourced via Thirdfort and are available for both freehold and leasehold properties in England and Wales.

Conducting Land Registry title checks via property workflow

The title checks operate on a usage-based model whereby there will be a charge of £7+VAT per document. You're charged per document when it's successfully retrieved (not when you place the order), and these are billed by Alto monthly in arrears.

Title documents can only be ordered between 06:00 and 23:00. If you try to order outside these hours, a message will advise you to try again during service hours.

1. Click Properties on the main navigation bar
2. Select the relevant property from Recent & Favourite Properties
   1. Alternatively, find the property using the Search Properties bar in the top right
3. All properties will have a Prepare Property banner at the top of the page. Click Buy below Title documents to open up the property workflow and land on the Post-appraisal tab
   
4. Land Registry title checks are available for properties located in England and Wales. 
   In the Title documents section, any documents you've already purchased will be listed. 
   To check what documents are available to order for the current property address, click Check 
   
5. The check will be performed and a list of available documents will be returned that are related to the property address. (There may be two or more title numbers associated with the address. In most cases you will only need access to the Register document, but you can also access other documents such as the Title plan if required)
   1. The Register is normally used to describe legal facts of the property and provide information about ownership. In most cases this is the only document you'll need. For more information, see the guidance on title registers from HM Land Registry
   2. The Title plan is normally used to show the location and boundaries of the property. For more information, see the guidance on title plans from HM Land Registry
   3. Any documents that can't be returned (for example, after a recent Land Registry update) are listed separately with a reason. You can try ordering these again later
6. Select the document(s) you want and click Place Order
   
7. The task status changes to Processing. Documents are retrieved from HM Land Registry via Thirdfort, which usually takes around 5 minutes. You can click Refresh to update the status, or navigate away and return later - you'll be notified via a Client activity notification, and an audit entry appears on the property Timeline when documents are ordered and again when they're ready. The status then updates to Awaiting review
   
8. Click Review next to a document to open the .pdf in a new tab
   

Reviewing your title documents

1. The review page displays the expected property owner names at the bottom of the screen. Check the document contents against these expected ownership details. 
   For guidance on how to read these documents, see this guide from HM Land Registry.
2. You can also share, download or print the document from here
3. Choose one of the following:
   1. Mark as complete - confirms the document is satisfactory
   2. Mark as failed - flags the document as unsatisfactory and records a failure reason. For example, where there's a name or people discrepancy, contact your vendor to resolve it before marking it as failed

Once all documents have been reviewed, back in the Title documents section of the property workflow, the task status updates to Complete or Failed accordingly, and you'll be able to view the time and date stamp for when the task was completed. You can reopen any document read-only at any time using the View link.

 Note

You can always click the ellipsis (three dots) and Order more documents to access and order other documents at a later point - for example, a Title plan after initially ordering only the Register. 

This is available once the current order is complete or marked as failed, and previously ordered documents stay visible in the task history. 

Once the title checks have been completed, you may also choose to configure whether conveyancer quotes from our approved panel are automatically sent to your contacts.

Title documents section - task statuses

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Troubleshooting

• "No documents found for this address"

The property address may be incomplete or incorrect. Click the Verify the address details link to check and update the address on the property record, then try again.

• "Your document search did not complete"

A temporary issue occurred when searching the Land Registry. Click Try again to retry.

• "Title documents can be ordered between 06:00 and 23:00"

The HM Land Registry service is only available during these hours. Please try again within the stated times.

• "Could not load title document pdf"

There was an issue retrieving the pdf. Try refreshing the page, or return to the property and click the Review/View link again.

FAQs

• How much does it cost?

Each document costs £7+VAT. You're charged per document when it's successfully retrieved, not when you place the order. For example, ordering both a Register and a Title plan for a single title would cost £14+VAT.

• Can I order documents for leasehold and freehold?

Yes. If a property has both freehold and leasehold title numbers registered, documents for both will be available to order.

• Where are the documents stored?

Documents are accessible from the Title documents option on the property record. You can view the .pdf at any time using the View link after review.

• Can I re-order documents I've already purchased?

Yes. Use Order more documents to place a new order, which includes a fresh search of available documents. Previously ordered documents remain visible in the task history.

• Who can see the title documents?

Title document activity is recorded on the property Timeline, including when documents were ordered, when they became available, and the outcome of the review.