Researching Ownership and Legal Title
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Introduction
The rights and ownership of property may be described by:
- legal title
- liens, mortgages, encumbrances, and other restrictions on the use and transfer of property
Such information may be recorded in a national land registry.
Things to Look Out For
- History and the Local Community
- More information about a property's ownership, management, and history may be found by speaking with neighbours and people in the community.
- Delegated processes
- Legal owners may have delegated day-to-day management and handling of inquiries to managing agents or property managers.
- Decision-making authority
- Land registers may provide information about legal title and ownership, but the decision-making authority may rest with someone else who is not named on the title register. Such situations may arise due to tax and estate planning and family ownership of property.
- Other Interested Parties
- Information can be sought from other parties that are interested or involved with the property which include the local government and planning, regeneration, and property departments, local community groups, property developers, architects, and surveyors.
Searches
You may carry out a land registry search by following these steps. For large corporate property acquisitions, solicitors are often engaged by the purchasers or financiers to carry out title searches and full legal due diligence on the ownership, rights, and restrictions relating to land and property.