How to protect your property from fraud

• The title is not registered at the land registry
• The property is rented out
• The property address is the only contact address for the owner
• The property is mortgage-free
• Your property is of high value

Do any of the above apply to properties you own?

As the Land Registry point out no system can be 100 per cent fraud-proof but there are steps you can take to protect your property from fraud.

How to protect yourself to reduce the risk of fraud:

• Make sure your property is registered. We can apply for first registration for you. Once registered the title is stored electronically by the Land Registry and there are no concerns over losing title deeds.
• Make sure your contact details are up-to-date. You can have up to three addresses which can include an email address and an address abroad.
• Sign up for the Land Registry’s free Property Alert service. With this the Land Registry will send an email alert when there is certain activity on a monitored property. You can judge whether the activity is suspicious and seek further advice if you are concerned
• If you feel your property might be at risk of fraud, you can have a restriction entered. This is intended to stop certain applications unless notice is served on us (as your nominated solicitor). We can then confirm if the application was made by you or not.