Press release: April 2018 Transaction Data

The transaction data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,625,098 applications in April compared with 1,688,244 in March and 1,386,147 last April, of which:

• 346,788 were applications for register updates compared with 359,219 in March
• 804,157 were applications to get an official copy of a register compared with 824,859 in March
• 196,560 were search and hold queries (official searches) compared with 211,464 in March
• 28,161 were postal applications from non-account holders, compared with 26,228 in March

Applications by region and country

Region/country	February applications	March applications	April applications
South East	376,385	384,760	373,677
Greater London	313,340	337,656	314,534
North West	185,253	193,405	184,504
South West	158,433	159,147	159,528
West Midlands	143,338	142,764	140,096
Yorkshire and the Humber	122,513	128,654	121,756
East Midlands	115,725	119,374	115,347
Wales	74,301	76,650	75,111
North	71,772	75,246	73,765
East Anglia	71,764	70,448	66,644
Isles of Scilly	75	79	69
England and Wales (not assigned)	70	61	67
Total	1,632,969	1,688,244	1,625,098

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	February applications	Top 5 local authority areas	March applications	Top 5 local authority areas	April applications
Birmingham	26,256	Birmingham	26,895	Birmingham	25,990
City of Westminster	21,991	City of Westminster	24,562	City of Westminster	22,505
Leeds	18,730	Leeds	19,505	Leeds	18,630
Manchester	16,972	Manchester	17,708	Manchester	16,698
Cornwall	16,606	Cornwall	17,174	Cornwall	16,343

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	February applications	Top 5 customers	March applications	Top 5 customers	April applications
Enact	50,488	Enact	50,160	Enact	48,943
Optima Legal Services	27,904	Optima Legal Services	28,113	Optima Legal Services	26,741
O’Neill Patient	23,851	O’Neill Patient	26,056	O’Neill Patient	25,473
Devonshires	20,684	Infotrack Limited	22,948	Infotrack Limited	24,411
TM Group (UK) Ltd	19,558	TM Group (UK) Ltd	19,320	TM Group (UK) Ltd	18,058

Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The May Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Thursday 21 June 2018 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.

2. The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and search and hold queries (official searches) were received, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.

3. We are challenging ourselves to reassess our language to make our terms understandable to both our commercial and citizen customers. This is in line with our commitment set out in the Business Strategy 2017-2022 under the ‘simplicity’ element of our ambition.

4. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.

5. Transaction Data excludes: pending applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications, discharge applications (to remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register).

6. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in the transaction data.

7. Most search and hold queries (official searches) carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search and hold query will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.

8. Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.

9. Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.

10. If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2017. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

11. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.

12. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.

13. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.

14. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry

15. Follow us on Twitter @HMLandRegistry our blog and LinkedIn and Facebook