Press release: July 2018 Transaction Data

In July:

• HM Land Registry completed more than 1,794,850 applications to change or query the Land Register
• The South East topped the table of regional applications with 412,457

HM Land Registry completed 1,794,855 applications in July compared with 1,701,272 in June and 1,619,118 last July, of which:

• 408,138 were applications for register updates compared with 67,516 in June
• 860,123 were applications for an official copy of a register compared with 825,155 in June
• 231,386 were search and hold queries (official searches) compared with 226,333 in June
• 27,245 were postal applications from non-account holders compared with 24,801 in June

Applications by region and country

Region/country	May applications	June applications	July applications
South East	398,029	391,741	412,457
Greater London	332,546	324,861	342,764
North West	194,722	189,790	199,371
South West	169,351	166,626	175,922
West Midlands	147,196	146,855	153,247
Yorkshire and the Humber	131,727	128,441	138,612
East Midlands	121,511	121,551	129,991
North	78,596	79,945	84,004
Wales	78,038	77,307	81,079
East Anglia	71,749	74,017	77,226
Isles of Scilly	41	66	109
England and Wales (not assigned)	72	72	73
Total	1,723,578	1,701,272	1,794,855

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	May applications	Top 5 local authority areas	June applications	Top 5 local authority areas	July applications
Birmingham	26,902	Birmingham	25,724	Birmingham	27,538
City of Westminster	24,121	City of Westminster	23,468	City of Westminster	22,955
Leeds	19,782	Leeds	19,257	Leeds	21,258
Cornwall	18,301	Cornwall	17,591	Cornwall	18,581
Manchester	17,347	Manchester	16,765	Manchester	18,026

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	May applications	Top 5 customers	June applications	Top 5 customers	July applications
Enact	53,314	Enact	53,868	Enact	55,674
Infotrack Limited	28,453	Infotrack Limited	29,175	Infotrack Limited	30,027
Optima Legal Services	28,173	O’Neill Patient	26,523	O’Neill Patient	28,146
O’Neill Patient	26,645	Optima Legal Services	26,239	Optima Legal Services	26,763
TM Group (UK) Ltd	22,706	TM Group (UK) Ltd	21,465	TM Group (UK) Ltd	24,461

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 August Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Friday 21 September 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 our 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; and
   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 2018. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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 and LinkedIn and Facebook

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