For Turkish buyers · After completion

After buying in England:
how to check the title register.

Completion gives you the keys; the official record of who owns the property is kept by HM Land Registry. This guide explains how to see that the registration is done, how the Registry can reach you while you live abroad, and how to watch the record for fraud.

Last checked: 15 October 2026 · About 6 minutes to read
An old metal door key against a black background
A single key on a black background. Photo: Matt Artz, Unsplash (Unsplash License).
Short answer

See the register first,
then set up addresses and alerts.

GOV.UK says your solicitor or conveyancer may apply to register as part of the purchase. Once the application is processed, your name appears on the title register as owner, and you can download a copy from GOV.UK for £7.

The register can hold up to three contact addresses, one of them postal; they can include your address in Türkiye and an email address. Updating them is free.

GOV.UK treats owners who let their home, live overseas or leave the property empty as more at risk of property fraud. The free Property Alert service and a free restriction help you watch for that risk and reduce it.

What happens after completion?

On completion the balance is paid and you get the keys. Your solicitor then has two official jobs left: filing the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return with HMRC and registering your ownership with HM Land Registry.

The return must be sent and the tax paid within 14 days of the effective date of the transaction, which is usually completion. GOV.UK says solicitors usually do this on completion day. The SDLT5 certificate HMRC issues proves the return was sent; HMRC asks you to save a copy.

From completion to the title registerOn completion the balance is paid and you get the keys. The SDLT return is due within 14 days. Your solicitor applies to register; your rights are protected from the moment the application is received. Once processed, your name shows on the title register. Then you set up contact addresses, Property Alert and, if needed, a restriction.01CompletionThe balance is paid; youget the keys.02Stamp dutyReturn and paymentwithin 14 days; often oncompletion day.03RegistrationYour rights areprotected once theapplication is received.04Title registerYour name shows asowner; a copy costs £7.05MonitoringContact addresses,Property Alert, arestriction.From completion to the title registerOn completion the balance is paid and you get the keys. The SDLT return is due within 14 days. Your solicitor applies to register; your rights are protected from the moment the application is received. Once processed, your name shows on the title register. Then you set up contact addresses, Property Alert and, if needed, a restriction.CompletionThe balance is paid; you get the keys.Stamp dutyReturn and payment within 14 days;often on completion day.RegistrationYour rights are protected once theapplication is received.Title registerYour name shows as owner; a copy costs£7.MonitoringContact addresses, Property Alert, arestriction.
This is the usual order. Ask your solicitor in writing who will apply to register, when, and how you will be told it is done.

By law, a transfer of a registered property does not take effect at law until the registration requirements are met. HM Land Registry says your ownership rights are secured from the moment the application is received; waiting for it to be processed does not change that.

Before completion your solicitor makes an official search of the register, which gives a priority period of 30 working days for the application to arrive. Our purchase cost calculator shows the registration fee alongside stamp duty.

What the title register shows

The register in England and Wales is public. GOV.UK says it shows the names of the owners and a plan of the general boundaries, and you cannot opt out of that information being available.

An online copy of the title register or the title plan costs £7 each on GOV.UK. It cannot be used as proof of ownership. Where proof is needed, you order an official copy, which is sent by post and costs £11 per document.

When you have the copy, check that:

  • Your name is spelled correctly as owner, and every joint buyer appears.
  • The contact addresses on the register are current and reach you.
  • The address and title number match your solicitor’s completion statement.

If you live abroad: contact addresses

HM Land Registry sends notices about the register to the contact addresses on it. It can hold up to three; one must be postal, but it does not need to be in the UK. The others can be an email address or a second postal address.

Updating them is free, using form COG1. If the home is let or empty and the only address on the register is the property itself, notices go to the property, not to you. If you plan to let it, our NRLS guide covers the tax and letting duties of a landlord abroad.

Who GOV.UK treats as more at risk

In property fraud, someone pretends to be the owner to sell or mortgage the home. GOV.UK says you are more at risk if:

  • Your identity has been stolen
  • You rent out your property
  • You live overseas
  • The property is empty
  • The property is not mortgaged
  • The property is not registered

Three of these describe an owner who lives in Türkiye and lets their London home or leaves it empty.

Property Alert: a free warning, not a block

HM Land Registry’s Property Alert emails you when there is significant activity on a property you monitor, such as a new mortgage being registered against it. You can monitor up to 10 properties for free. You do not have to own them; you can watch a relative’s home too.

An alert does not stop a change on its own; it gives you the chance to act. If an alert looks wrong, HM Land Registry’s fraud team is on 0300 006 7030 or reportafraud@landregistry.gov.uk.

A restriction: an extra check on sales and mortgages

With a restriction on the register, HM Land Registry will not register a sale or a mortgage of your property unless a conveyancer or solicitor certifies that the application really came from you.

Individual owners who do not live at the property use form RQ, and companies use RQ(Co); both are free. Owners who live at the property use RX1, which costs £40. When you later sell, your solicitor may charge for providing the certificate.

An RQ restriction is not normally entered if the only contact address on the register is the property itself, so update your contact addresses first.

If you buy through a company

A company set up in Türkiye or elsewhere must register with Companies House on the Register of Overseas Entities before buying property in the UK. HM Land Registry will not register an overseas entity as owner without the ID it receives (OE ID). The register came into force on 1 August 2022.

After completion

A checklist for
the first weeks.

A reminder only; registration and corrections are filed by the solicitor who handles your purchase.

Ask your solicitor in writing for the completion statement, a copy of the SDLT5 certificate and the date the registration application was sent.
Once it is processed, get a copy of the title register; check your name, the title number and the contact addresses.
Add your address in Türkiye and your email address with form COG1; up to three addresses, free.
Sign up to Property Alert. If you let the home or leave it empty, consider an RQ restriction.
Keep the sale contract, the lease, the copy of the register and the SDLT5 certificate in one file; they help when you later let or sell.
Frequently asked questions

Short questions,
short answers.

How long does registration take?

HM Land Registry publishes its current processing times on GOV.UK, and they vary by type of application. What matters is that your rights are secured from the moment the application is received; waiting for it to be processed does not change that.

Does Property Alert protect my home from fraud?

Not on its own: it tells you about a change, it does not stop it. A restriction does that, by requiring a conveyancer to certify that a sale or mortgage application came from you.

Is the copy I download an official document?

No. GOV.UK says the £7 online copy cannot be used as proof of ownership. Where proof is needed you order an official copy, sent by post at £11 per document.

I bought through my company; how do I add a restriction?

Companies use form RQ(Co), with no fee. If the company was set up abroad it must also be on the Register of Overseas Entities at Companies House; HM Land Registry will not register it as owner without that.

Can anyone see what is on the register?

Yes. GOV.UK says the owners’ names and the boundary plan are public, and there is no option to opt out. That is why current contact addresses and watching for activity matter.

Where we stop

We are not lawyers;
this page is not advice.

This guide summarises rules published by GOV.UK and HM Land Registry as general information. Registration and corrections are handled by the solicitor or conveyancer acting on your purchase; ask them about your own position.

OGKinvest introduces buyers to developers and advises on the property at the buying stage; we do not carry out registrations or legal work. When a developer pays us for an introduction, we tell you.

Sources

What this guide
is based on.

Last checked: 15 October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Fees and forms can change; check the current GOV.UK page and your solicitor before acting.

Read next
The full buying process → Snagging at new-build handover → Letting from Türkiye and NRLS → Capital gains tax when you sell →
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