How do I find out who owns a property?

Search for the address on GOV.UK’s “Search for land and property information” and buy the title register for £7. It is HM Land Registry’s record of the property and names the registered owner, whether a person or a company. More than 90% of the land in England and Wales is registered.

Can I find out who owns a property for free?

Partly. HM Land Registry’s property summary is free and tells you whether the property is freehold or leasehold, and GOV.UK’s house price search shows what it last sold for. If a company owns it, the company can be found free: the Land Registry publishes every property owned by a company, and Companies House is free. A private owner’s name is only on the title register, which costs £7.

Is a Land Registry search free?

Searching is free once you sign in, and so is the property summary. The documents cost £7 each to download: the title register, which names the owner, and the title plan, which shows the boundaries. Official copies sent by post cost £11.

Can I find out who owns a house by the address?

Yes. Search GOV.UK’s land and property information service by the address or postcode, choose the property, and buy its title register for £7. For a flat there may be two titles, the building’s freehold and the flat’s own lease, and they usually have different owners.

Is it legal to look up who owns a property?

Yes. The Land Registry register is public: anyone can buy the title register for any registered property in England and Wales, without saying why and without the owner being told.

Why can’t I find the property on the Land Registry?

It may not be registered. Land only has to be registered when it is sold, mortgaged or given away, so some that hasn’t changed hands for decades is not. It may also be listed under a different address, such as a building name or the main house a flat was split from: try the postcode and look through the list.

Is the owner the same as the landlord?

Usually, but not always. A flat is normally let by whoever owns its lease rather than the building’s freeholder, an agent may manage it for the owner, and a company can rent a home from its owner and let it on. If you rent it, the landlord is whoever your tenancy agreement names.

Guide

How to find out who owns a property

HM Land Registry’s title register names the owner of most houses, flats and land in England and Wales. Anyone can buy it for £7 on GOV.UK, by address, without the owner being told. Free, you can see whether a property is freehold or leasehold and what it sold for, and find a company owner’s details. A private owner’s name is only on the £7 register.

England and Wales · Checked October 2026

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What’s free and what costs £7

Property summary · Free: Whether it is freehold or leasehold. You need to sign in to GOV.UK’s land and property search.
Title register · £7: The registered owner’s name and address for notices, the price paid where recorded, any mortgage lender, and rights and restrictions on the property.
Title plan · £7: The boundaries of the land in the title, drawn on a map. Useful for land and gardens, rarely needed for a house.
House price history · Free: What the property sold for and when, from GOV.UK’s house price search. Not who bought it.
Properties owned by companies · Free: HM Land Registry publishes every title owned by a UK or overseas company, with the company’s name. It needs an account and is a large download, made for businesses. Our ownership check looks the home up in the overseas companies list for you.
Companies House · Free: For a company owner: whether it is active, its directors and its filing history.

How to check who owns a property, step by step

1. Search GOV.UK for the address: Use “Search for land and property information” and sign in. Search by postcode, then pick the property from the list. If it isn’t there, try the building’s name or the main house’s address: flats are sometimes registered under it.
2. Read the free property summary: It tells you whether the property is freehold or leasehold. For a flat, expect a leasehold title for the flat and a separate freehold for the building.
3. Buy the title register for £7: This is where the owner is named. The proprietorship part, section B, gives the owner’s name and an address for notices. It also shows the price paid, where recorded, and the charges part, section C, names any mortgage lender.
4. If a company owns it, look it up: Companies House is free and shows whether the company is still trading, who its directors are and whether its accounts are up to date. A dissolved company, or one being wound up, still named as owner is worth asking about.

Start at Search for land and property information on GOV.UK. Other websites sell the same register for more than £7: the official one is on GOV.UK.

Flats, land and properties that aren’t registered

A flat. The building’s freehold belongs to one owner, often a company or the flat owners together, and each flat’s long lease to its own owner. To find who owns a flat, you want the leasehold title, not the freehold.
A piece of land. Land without an address is found on the same GOV.UK search by map. The title plan, £7, shows the boundaries.
Not registered at all. Land only has to be registered when it is sold, mortgaged or given away, so property that hasn’t changed hands for decades may not be. Then there’s no title register, and the owner is shown only by their own deeds. Neighbours and the council are the usual places to ask.

About to rent it? Check the owner and the landlord match

The person letting a home should be its owner or clearly linked to them. Our ownership check reads HM Land Registry data for the address. A company owner is named and checked on Companies House, and one that is dissolved or insolvent is flagged, as is one incorporated outside the UK, from the Land Registry’s monthly list of overseas owners. A private owner is described as one but not named: for the name, buy the title register.

It’s in Complete RenterCheck, which also compares the landlord named in your tenancy agreement with the owner on record, or on its own for £2.99. How to find the landlord of a property covers the free legal right a tenant has to be told.

Get Complete RenterCheck — £9.99 Just the ownership check — £2.99 Or check the property free first

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Who owns a property: common questions

How do I find out who owns a property?: Search for the address on GOV.UK’s “Search for land and property information” and buy the title register for £7. It is HM Land Registry’s record of the property and names the registered owner, whether a person or a company. More than 90% of the land in England and Wales is registered.
Can I find out who owns a property for free?: Partly. HM Land Registry’s property summary is free and tells you whether the property is freehold or leasehold, and GOV.UK’s house price search shows what it last sold for. If a company owns it, the company can be found free: the Land Registry publishes every property owned by a company, and Companies House is free. A private owner’s name is only on the title register, which costs £7.
Is a Land Registry search free?: Searching is free once you sign in, and so is the property summary. The documents cost £7 each to download: the title register, which names the owner, and the title plan, which shows the boundaries. Official copies sent by post cost £11.
Can I find out who owns a house by the address?: Yes. Search GOV.UK’s land and property information service by the address or postcode, choose the property, and buy its title register for £7. For a flat there may be two titles, the building’s freehold and the flat’s own lease, and they usually have different owners.
Is it legal to look up who owns a property?: Yes. The Land Registry register is public: anyone can buy the title register for any registered property in England and Wales, without saying why and without the owner being told.
Why can’t I find the property on the Land Registry?: It may not be registered. Land only has to be registered when it is sold, mortgaged or given away, so some that hasn’t changed hands for decades is not. It may also be listed under a different address, such as a building name or the main house a flat was split from: try the postcode and look through the list.
Is the owner the same as the landlord?: Usually, but not always. A flat is normally let by whoever owns its lease rather than the building’s freeholder, an agent may manage it for the owner, and a company can rent a home from its owner and let it on. If you rent it, the landlord is whoever your tenancy agreement names.

Sources, on GOV.UK: search for land and property information, search house prices and registering land or property; HM Land Registry’s land and property data; and Companies House. This guide covers common private tenancies in England and is general information, not legal advice. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to lodgers, social housing and some specialist accommodation.

Check the landlord

Check who owns the home before you pay anything.

How to check a landlord