Guidance

HM Land Registry portal: official search of part with priority

How Business e-services customers can apply for an official search of part with priority through the portal.

Applies to England and Wales

Start an official search of part

.

Select 鈥榠nformation services鈥� then 鈥榦fficial search of part with priority鈥�.

  1. Please check that you are lodging a search to protect a registrable disposition that affects only part of the land in a registered title or pending first registration, for example, a transfer of part, lease or charge of part. If you are lodging a search that protects the whole of the land, please use our Official Search of Whole with Priority Service.
  2. Select 鈥楴ew Search鈥� (where you have completed a search in the last 6 months but need to submit a fresh search for the same property/extent, see Resubmit an official search of part with priority).
  3. Enter the 鈥楾itle number鈥� you want to search against.
  4. Enter the name of the registered proprietors or the applicant in the case of a first registration. With private individuals, only the surname of one proprietor needs to be entered, but with a company or organisation the name must be entered in full.
  5. Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue.

Enter search details

  1. Enter the 鈥楽earch from date鈥� and the 鈥楢pplicants full name鈥�.
  2. Select the 鈥楶riority type鈥� from the drop down menu.
  3. Enter 鈥榊our reference鈥� in the 鈥楥ustomer information鈥� section. The reference will be included in your search result. The contact telephone number is pre-populated with the number recorded in your user account. It can be overwritten if you want to change it.
  4. Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue.
A screenshot of the HM Land Registry business e services portal. Numbers highlight: 1: Search from date. 2: Priority type. 3: Your reference. 4: Next button.

Identify the property

To identify which part of the title is to be affected by the search, you can:

  • attach a plan
  • identify a plot of land on an approved estate plan held at HM Land Registry
  • refer to a reference on the title plan

Attach a plan

  1. Property details are shown.
  2. If you鈥檙e attaching a plan to your application, it must meet the same criteria as a paper plan. Select the question mark icon to check the requirements. If a suitable plan isn鈥檛 supplied, the application will be rejected unless the property can be identified from an approved estate plan or by description on an existing title plan.
  3. Enter a reference from the plan (for example 鈥榚dged red鈥�). Enter the full description of the land to be searched (for example 鈥楶lot 1鈥�). Any affecting floor level within the search extent must be clearly identified (for example 鈥�1st floor flat edged red on title plan XXX鈥�).
  4. Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue.鈥�

Identify a plot of land on an approved estate plan held at HM Land Registry

  1. Enter details of the Plot number and the date the Estate Plan was approved.
  2. Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue.

Refer to a reference on the title plan

  1. Provide details of the colour reference on the title plan and the title number
  2. 聽Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue

Uploading a plan

The file must not exceed 40MB in size and be in GIF, JPEG, PDF or TIFF format. Ideally, it will be the same plan used when you submit the registration protected by the search.

  1. The plan lodged with your application should meet Land Registry requirements.
  2. Complete the mandatory tick box to confirm that the plan meets with Land Registry requirements
  3. Click on the link to the OS2 webinar if you require guidance on the Mapsearch facility or plans preparation
  4. Select 鈥楥hoose File鈥� to browse to where your plan is stored.
  5. Select 鈥楢dd鈥� to attach the plan.

Attachment confirmation and how to remove an attachment

A message confirms that the file has been successfully attached.

  1. Select the file name to view the file.
  2. To remove the file, select 鈥楻emove鈥�. If you remove a file and add another, check that the description of the plan is still correct, for example check that the land on the new plan is edged red as previously stated.
  3. If not, select 鈥楶revious鈥� to go back and change the description.
  4. Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue.
A screenshot of the HM Land Registry business e services portal. Numbers highlight: 1: File name. 2: Remove. 3: Previous button. 4: Next button.

Fee

  1. A summary of your application is shown, including the fee payable.
  2. If you want to amend any of the details, select 鈥楶revious鈥� to go back and change them. You cannot change the details after selecting 鈥楽ubmit鈥�.
  3. The fee will be taken by Variable Direct Debit when you select 鈥楽ubmit鈥�.
fees

Resubmit an official search of part with priority

  1. Select 鈥楻esubmit a search鈥� (you may view the limitations of this service by selecting the 鈥榣imitations鈥� link).
  2. Enter the 鈥楾itle number鈥� you want to search against.
  3. Enter the original official search number you wish to resubmit.
  4. Select 鈥楴ext鈥� to continue.
A screenshot of the HM Land Registry business e services portal. There are numbers to highlight areas of the page. 1: Resubmit a search. 2: Title number. 3: Official Search No. 4: Next button

Fee and summary

  1. A summary of your application is shown, including the fee payable.
  2. You must confirm that there are no changes to the search data.
  3. If you want to amend any of the details, select 鈥楶revious鈥� to go back and start a 鈥楴ew Search鈥�.
  4. The fee will be taken by Variable Direct Debit when you select 鈥楽ubmit鈥�.
A screenshot of the HM Land Registry business e services portal. Numbers highlight: 1: Fee - If you proceed with this application a fee of 拢3 will be charged. 2: I confirm that there are no changes to the above. 3: Previous button. 4: Next button

Confirmation

A message confirms that your application has been entered on the day list. A summary of your application shows:

  • the reference number it has been given
  • the name of the office that will deal with it
A screenshot of the HM Land Registry business e services portal. Confirmation screen.

Search results

The result of your search will be sent:

  • electronically where possible
  • by post if the result cannot be sent electronically

See the 鈥楶DF Downloads鈥� area to view the result of the search or for the date of despatch by post. You can access PDFs free of charge for 30 days (inclusive) from the day the application was submitted. Read more about how to get PDF downloads.

To start a new application or select another service, select 鈥楴ew Search鈥� on the right hand side of the screen.

Logout

When you have completed your tasks, exit the system securely by selecting 鈥楲ogout鈥� at the top of the screen.

Updates to this page

Published 7 August 2012
Last updated 1 August 2024 show all updates
  1. We have updated information about starting an official search of part, attaching a plan to an application with a link to our webinar guidance, identifying a plot of land on an approved estate plan held at HM Land Registry, referring to a reference on the title plan and uploading a plan.

  2. Section 鈥淚dentify the property鈥� amended to remove conflict with correct practice in practice guide 12: official searches.

  3. Added guidance for resubmitting an official search of part with priority.

  4. The file size to attach a plan has increased from 10MB to 20MB.

  5. We've increased the file attachment size for OS2 applications up to 10MB (from 1MB) submitted via portal and Business Gateway.

  6. First published.

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