Press release: January 2018 Transaction Data

laptop to illustrate online data

In January:

  • HM Land Registry completed more than 1,782,080 applications to change or query the Land Register
  • the South East topped the table of regional applications with 403,526

The transaction data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,782,088 applications in January compared with 1,266,641 in December and 1,563,358 last January, of which:

  • 462,352 were applications to update existing titles compared with 319,721 in December

  • 825,613 were applications to obtain an official copy of a register compared with 551,427 in December

  • 211,393 were official searches compared with 197,327 in December

  • 26,002 were postal applications from non-account holders, compared with 26,377 in December

Applications by region and country

Region and country November applications December applications January applications
South East 408,756 287,649 403,526
Greater London 339,086 250,636 339,286
North West 200,475 139,168 222,150
South West 173,351 124,681 173,058
West Midlands 152,816 107,079 150,292
Yorkshire and the Humber 135,373 98,017 139,207
East Midlands 125,846 90,239 122,812
Wales 82,646 58,854 80,315
North 81,197 56,648 77,912
East Anglia 74,499 53,549 73,345
Isles of Scilly 92 79 110
England and Wales (not assigned) 86 42 75
Total 1,774,223 1,266,641 1,782,088

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas November applications Top 5 local authority areas December applications Top 5 local authority areas January applications
Birmingham 27,715 Birmingham 19,714 Birmingham 27,561
City of Westminster 23,565 City of Westminster 17,977 City of Westminster 25,488
Leeds 20,137 Leeds 14,262 Leeds 20,256
Cornwall 18,823 Manchester 13,384 Manchester 19,350
Manchester 18,542 Cornwall 13,332 Cornwall 18,367

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers November applications Top 5 customers December applications Top 5 customers January applications
Enact 49,360 Enact 36,313 Enact 50,327
Optima Legal Services 25,532 Optima Legal Services 19,826 Nationwide Building Society 31,589
O’Neill Patient 24,260 O’Neill Patient 19,764 Optima Legal Services 27,284
TM Group (UK) Ltd 19,701 HBOS PLC 16,649 O’Neill Patient 26,073
HBOS PLC 19,315 TM Group (UK) Ltd 16,444 My Home Move Limited 19,103

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 February Transaction Data will be published at 11 am on Wednesday 21 March 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 searches were received, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.

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

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

  5. 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.

  6. Most searches carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search 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.

  7. Reasonable skill and care are 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

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

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

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

  14. Follow us on: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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Published 21 February 2018