Electronic Searches in Land Registry

Practitioners are warned to be very careful if carrying out Land Registry searches electronically over the internet.

It is not sufficient to think that you are in the clear by simply clicking on the information dealing with the folio only. Bespeaking a copy of the folio from the Land Registry electronically will not show dealings pending, and it is important that you click on that section marked under that heading in order to ascertain the dealings pending.

Enquiries should also be made from law searchers as to whether they are doing a full search or not.

Practitioners should also note that, when searching and bespeaking up-to-date folios, at the moment the Land Registry will, in many instances, only show the registration of the last registered owner, and consequently the history of the folio will not be available unless you ask for the folio from its inception.

Although you can get a copy of the file plan over the internet, the Conveyancing Committee recommends that a purchaser at all times is entitled to a Land Registry certified copy folio and file plan. It is not sufficient to bespeak a copy of the folio and then add on an old or previously obtained original file plan, because the file plan could have been subject to a change since originally printed.