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Land Registry has published new guidance on searching for property belonging to an individual or company in its Index of Proprietors’ Names (IOPN). Practice Guide 74 – Searches of the Index of Proprietors’ Names explains how to make a search of the index and includes tips on searching against individuals, corporate organisations, local authorities and government departments.

 A person can apply to search the IOPN in respect of:

· their own name

· the name of a corporate body such as a registered company

· the name of some other person in whose property they can satisfy the registrar that they have a general interest. For example: 

. the Official Receiver or a trustee in bankruptcy can search against the name of the bankrupt

. a personal representative may search against the name of the deceased on production of probate or letters of administration.

· the name of a private individual if they have a court order authorising an IOPN search

· the name of a private individual if they have the written authority of the person being searched.

The result of the search will show all Land Registry titles where the person whose name is searched is either the owner or joint owner of land or the lender under a registered mortgage. If the name searched is a common one, for example ‘John Smith’ or ‘John Smith Limited’, the search will reveal properties owned by other individuals or organisations with the same name. Searching ‘High Street bank plc’ will reveal all titles with a registered mortgage from this lender.

From Monday 26 September 2011, private individuals must lodge evidence of their identity if they wish to search the IOPN in respect of their own name or the name of a third party where the named individual has given permission for the search, using the new IOPN ID form. No ID form is necessary when searching against the name of a company or other organisation.

Notes to editors

1. Practice Guide 74 – Searches of the Index of Proprietors’ Names and the IOPN ID form can be downloaded from http://www1.landregistry.gov.uk/publications There is a fee of £12 for each name searched.

2. With the largest transactional database of its kind detailing over 22 million titles, Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property.

3. As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been an open document since 1990.

4. For further information about Land Registry visit www1.landregistry.gov.uk

Contacts

Marion Shelley 0300 0067543, 07790 690297

marion.shelley@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk

Ronal Patel 0300 0067490

ronal.patel@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk