Knowing how to find out who owns a property might enable you to buy the home of your dreams. It might be that the old derelict house a few streets away, the one sitting on a huge plot of land, empty despite the development of neighboring properties, is the home for you. Or it could be a picturesque cottage in the next village: empty for several months, but no sign of a “For Sale” sign in the garden.
The most obvious way to find out who owns a vacant property is to ask the neighbors. Very often local knowledge and nosey neighbors are the best way to find out such information, but if you hit a brick wall, there are other avenues of approach you might try in order to discover who the legal owner of a property is.
In the UK, the source of all information relating to the ownership of property is the Land Registry. This government agency can provide information relating to land and property in England and Wales. It can also tell you who the mortgage lender on a property is. By making an application for further information on a specific property, the Land Registry will provide you with a drawing of the land attached to the property illustrating boundaries and where the property actually is, plus a registered title of the property.
The registered title of a property is a source of very useful information and is divided into three parts. The first part contains a description of the property and a sale price of the property if it has been sold since 1 April 2000, plus the name of the mortgage lender if applicable. Other information in part one includes whether or not there are any private rights of way across the property and any restrictions or conditions on the use of the property.
Part two of the property register includes the ownership information relating to the property. This should give you a name and contact address, plus it will tell you if there have been any legal restrictions placed on the property, for example if there is a legal reason why the owner can’t obtain a mortgage or sell the property.
Part three will tell you if there are any secured debts or mortgages tied to the property, plus it will give details of any leases, legal covenants or rights of way relating to the property.
A copy of the registered title or title plan can be obtained online from the Land Registry website. In order to apply for the information, you will have to register online, fill out Form OC1, and pay a small fee.
In the US, the method is slightly different. In this instance, you need to visit the tax assessment website of the town where the property is located, enter the address, and click search. You will be provided with a list of information relating to the property, including the details of the current owner. An alternative method of discovering who owns a property is to check out the Registry of Deeds website for the state and county where the property is located. If you do a search for the property based on its address, you will be able to view the most recent deed held on file.
Sources :
Recent Comments