Do you have to inform the Land Registry when someone dies, and how do you change the deeds?

In England and Wales, HM Land Registry death updates are usually about keeping the register accurate, not triggering inheritance itself. Scotland uses Registers of Scotland, and Northern Ireland uses Land & Property Services, so the forms and fees are different.

Do you have to inform the Land Registry when someone dies?

In England and Wales, there is no general legal duty to inform HM Land Registry when someone dies, although updating the register is often sensible and HM Land Registry advises it as fraud prevention. GOV.UK’s own pages are inconsistent: one says, “If the person who has died is a joint owner and at least one other joint owner is still living, you do not need to involve HM Land Registry, but you can register the property voluntarily if you wish,” while another says, “When a joint owner of a property dies, fill in form DJP to remove their name from the register.” The statute resolves that contradiction because the Land Registration Act 2002 excepts “a transfer on the death or bankruptcy of an individual proprietor” from the compulsory registration rule. In Scotland, where a survivorship destination applies, Registers of Scotland says, “You do not need to take this action.” In Northern Ireland, noting death of a joint tenant is optional: “An application to note the death of a registered owner who was a joint tenant may be made by way of a Solicitor's Certificate (Rule 47).”

What happens at the Land Registry when a tenant in common dies?

In England and Wales, when a tenant in common dies, HM Land Registry keeps the surviving legal owner on the title, while the deceased person’s beneficial share passes through the estate rather than by Land Registry survivorship. The key point is that tenants in common own separate beneficial shares, but the registered legal estate is not split into shares: “A legal estate is not capable of subsisting or of being created in an undivided share in land or of being held by an infant.” HM Land Registry puts it plainly: “In respect of the legal estate, it does not matter whether the owners were holding as beneficial joint tenants or tenants in common; a legal estate is indivisible,” and “The executor or administrator of the deceased owner cannot convey a share in the legal estate.” A Form A restriction normally stays because “If there is an existing Form A restriction, however, it will remain in the register.” In Scotland, “If the wording relating to the survivor is absent, then further conveyancing by the executor of the deceased is required.” In Northern Ireland, “The undivided share of a deceased tenant in common forms part of his estate.”

Is there a template for transferring property after a death?

In England and Wales, the usual HM Land Registry templates are form DJP to remove a deceased joint owner and form AS1 to assent a whole registered title to a beneficiary. HM Land Registry says of AS1, “Personal representatives should use this form to assent a property to the beneficiary,” while DJP is for the case where there is still a surviving owner: “Use this form when you need to remove a deceased owner’s name from the register and there is still a surviving owner.” For a sole owner’s death, HM Land Registry’s practice note says the personal representative will often either “Assent (form AS1) the property to the person(s) who inherits it (beneficiaries) or Transfer (form TR1) the property to someone else.” Scotland does not use DJP or AS1: statute allows an executor to transfer heritage by endorsing a docket on confirmation. Northern Ireland uses its own form because “Rule 42 provides that an assent by the Personal Representative of a deceased registered owner must be in LR Form 17.”

Can you change the ownership after a death online?

In England and Wales, a private applicant cannot currently change ownership after a death through a public HM Land Registry online form; a citizen DJP application is completed and posted, while conveyancers with portal access can lodge some death applications online. HM Land Registry’s DJP page says, “Download and complete the Deceased joint proprietor (DJP) form then send it to us at our standard address.” The brief online “Start now” route for DJP appeared in August 2026 and was then removed, so the practical position is paper for a private applicant. Business users are different: HM Land Registry says e-DJP is “How Business e-services customers can register the death of a joint proprietor through the portal,” and the Digital Registration Service is restricted because “You must be a Business e-services customer with a portal account to access the Digital Registration Service.” In Scotland, “You can tell us if there is a survivorship clause using our Public Title Inaccuracy Enquiries service,” but a deed route is not the same as a public online title-transfer portal. In Northern Ireland, electronic lodgement exists only for authorised dealings.

Do you need a solicitor to transfer ownership after a death?

In England and Wales, you do not legally need a solicitor to transfer or update registered property after a death, but many people use one where probate, trusts, restrictions or tax are involved. HM Land Registry’s general position is, “Anyone can carry out their own conveyancing without legal representation, but there are a few important issues to be aware of before deciding to do it yourself,” and GOV.UK’s death-records page says, “You can apply to update the records yourself or get a solicitor or conveyancer to do it for you.” That makes a solicitor optional for a straightforward DJP or AS1, not mandatory. Scotland is similar in principle but more solicitor-led in practice: Registers of Scotland says, “The Keeper can accept applications for deeds from individuals, but these are subject to additional legal and fraud prevention checks,” while also saying, “We recommend that you safeguard your valuable rights by using the services of a solicitor.” In Northern Ireland, the statute recognises the personal representatives as the people entitled to deal with the deceased owner’s registered land, and LPS says a joint-tenant death may be noted by Solicitor’s Certificate, which is a permitted route rather than a universal solicitor requirement.

How much does it cost to change ownership at the Land Registry after a death?

DJP, the HM Land Registry form for removing a deceased joint proprietor in England and Wales, is free: the 2024 Fee Order exempts “an application for the alteration of the register to reflect the death of a proprietor,” and Practice Guide 6 says, “There is no fee.” That is different from an assent to a beneficiary: an assent of a registered estate is charged under Scale 2, and GOV.UK’s worked example says, “The fee is assessed on the full property value, £200,000, and is payable under Scale 2.” Paid conveyancing sites can blur this distinction; one says a DJP is sent “with the applicable fee,” but that wording is wrong for the DJP itself. In Scotland, a survivorship-destination rectification is free because Registers of Scotland says, “There is no cost to use this service,” while registering a disposition or notice of title is fee-based. In Northern Ireland, the 2014 fee schedule lists an “application to register a transmission on the death of a registered full owner who is not a joint tenant,” with paper and electronic fees set by the Land Registry fee order.

Who pays the Land Registry fees?

After a death, the person lodging the registration application normally pays the Land Registry fee, but in England and Wales that means £0 for DJP and a Scale 2 fee for an assent such as AS1. There is no special death rule that reallocates the fee between buyer and seller, because there may be no buyer or seller at all. The England and Wales fee rule is simply timing-based: “Where the amount of the fee payable for an application is immediately quantifiable, the fee must be paid on delivery of the application.” In Scotland, registration is likewise conditional on the fee being paid with the application; the statute requires that “such fee as is payable for registration is paid.” In Northern Ireland, the same practical rule applies because “Fees shall be payable at the time when an application, dealing or other matter in relation to which a fee is to be taken, is presented to the Registry.” On an estate administration, the applicant may be a surviving owner, personal representative, beneficiary or their solicitor, but the registry does not impose a normal house-sale buyer/seller split.

Is there a transfer on death deed in the UK?

There is no US-style transfer on death deed in the UK; England and Wales use survivorship, personal representatives and assent or transfer forms instead. A practitioner summary states, “A ‘transfer on death deed’ does not exist in England and Wales,” and the statutory phrase “a transfer on the death or bankruptcy of an individual proprietor” is not a lifetime deed naming a beneficiary but an exception within the registration rules. If joint legal owners hold property, HM Land Registry says, “Where a legal estate is held by joint owners, on the death of one owner the legal estate vests in the survivor(s).” If a sole owner dies, the Administration of Estates Act says the real estate “shall on his death, and notwithstanding any testamentary disposition thereof, devolve from time to time on the personal representative of the deceased.” Scotland has survivorship destinations instead of TOD deeds: “Some title sheets have wording which means that, on the death of a co-proprietor, their share transfers automatically to the person who is still alive.” Northern Ireland similarly uses joint-tenancy survivorship or personal representatives, not a transfer-on-death deed.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• GOV.UK, updating the register when a property owner dies — “If the person who has died is a joint owner and at least one other joint owner is still living, you do not need to involve HM Land Registry, but you can register the property voluntarily if you wish.” Source
• GOV.UK, update property records when someone dies — “When a joint owner of a property dies, fill in form DJP to remove their name from the register.” Source
• Land Registration Act 2002 s.27 — “(a)a transfer on the death or bankruptcy of an individual proprietor,” Source
• Registers of Scotland, co-own property with someone who died — “You do not need to take this action.” Source
• Land & Property Services Northern Ireland, transmission on death — “An application to note the death of a registered owner who was a joint tenant may be made by way of a Solicitor's Certificate (Rule 47).” Source
• Law of Property Act 1925 s.1 — “A legal estate is not capable of subsisting or of being created in an undivided share in land or of being held by an infant.” Source
• HM Land Registry Practice Guide 6 — “In respect of the legal estate, it does not matter whether the owners were holding as beneficial joint tenants or tenants in common; a legal estate is indivisible (ss.1(6) and 36(2), Law of Property Act 1925).” Source
• HM Land Registry Practice Guide 6 — “The executor or administrator of the deceased owner cannot convey a share in the legal estate.” Source
• HM Land Registry Practice Guide 24 — “If there is an existing Form A restriction, however, it will remain in the register.” Source
• Registers of Scotland, co-own property with someone who died — “If the wording relating to the survivor is absent, then further conveyancing by the executor of the deceased is required.” Source
• Land & Property Services Northern Ireland, transmission on death — “The undivided share of a deceased tenant in common forms part of his estate and should be dealt with in the manner outlined in the previous paragraphs.” Source
• HM Land Registry form AS1 — “Personal representatives should use this form to assent a property to the beneficiary.” Source
• HM Land Registry form DJP — “Use this form when you need to remove a deceased owner’s name from the register and there is still a surviving owner.” Source
• HM Land Registry blog, property owner dies — “If the property is registered and the person who died was the sole owner, then the personal representative will often either Assent (form AS1) the property to the person(s) who inherits it (beneficiaries) or Transfer (form TR1) the property to someone else.” Source
• Succession (Scotland) Act 1964 s.15 — “the executor may effect such transfer by endorsing on the confirmation (or where a certificate of confirmation relating to the property has been issued in pursuance of any act of sederunt, on the certificate) a docket in favour of that person in the form set out in Schedule 1 to this Act, or in a form as nearly as may be to the like effect, and any such docket may be specified as a midcouple or link in title in any deduction of title; but this section shall not be construed as prejudicing the competence of any other mode of transfer.” Source
• Land & Property Services Northern Ireland, transmission on death — “Rule 42 provides that an assent by the Personal Representative of a deceased registered owner must be in LR Form 17.” Source
• HM Land Registry form DJP — “Download and complete the Deceased joint proprietor (DJP) form then send it to us at our standard address.” Source
• HM Land Registry portal guidance, e-DJP — “How Business e-services customers can register the death of a joint proprietor through the portal.” Source
• HM Land Registry Digital Registration Service — “You must be a Business e-services customer with a portal account to access the Digital Registration Service.” Source
• Registers of Scotland, co-own property with someone who died — “You can tell us if there is a survivorship clause using our Public Title Inaccuracy Enquiries service.” Source
• HM Land Registry, making an application without legal representation — “Anyone can carry out their own conveyancing without legal representation, but there are a few important issues to be aware of before deciding to do it yourself.” Source
• GOV.UK, update property records when someone dies — “You can apply to update the records yourself or get a solicitor or conveyancer to do it for you.” Source
• Registers of Scotland, register a deed without a solicitor — “The Keeper can accept applications for deeds from individuals, but these are subject to additional legal and fraud prevention checks.” Source
• Registers of Scotland, co-own property with someone who died — “We recommend that you safeguard your valuable rights by using the services of a solicitor.” Source
• Land Registration Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 Schedule 4 — “Without prejudice to the rights of the owner of any registered burden, on the death of a registered full owner of any land, not being a joint tenant whose interest ceased at death, the personal representatives of the deceased owner shall alone be recognised by the Registrar as having any right to deal with the estate of the deceased owner in the land, and any dispositions by them shall have the same effect as if they were the registered owners.” Source
• HM Land Registry Practice Guide 6 — “There is no fee.” Source
• Land Registration Fee Order 2024 Schedule 4 — “(6) an application for the alteration of the register to reflect the death of a proprietor;” Source
• HM Land Registry registration services fees — “The fee is assessed on the full property value, £200,000, and is payable under Scale 2.” Source
• SAM Conveyancing, deceased joint proprietor — “The completed DJP form is issued to the HM Land Registry Citizen Centre, PO Box 74, Gloucester, GL14 9BB with the applicable fee.” Source
• Registers of Scotland, co-own property with someone who died — “There is no cost to use this service.” Source
• Land Registration Fee Order 2024 article 13 — “Where the amount of the fee payable for an application is immediately quantifiable, the fee must be paid on delivery of the application.” Source
• Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012 s.22 — “(i)such fee as is payable for registration is paid, or” Source
• Land Registry (Fees) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014 — “Fees shall be payable at the time when an application, dealing or other matter in relation to which a fee is to be taken, is presented to the Registry.” Source
• PDA Law, property transfer on death — “A ‘transfer on death deed’ does not exist in England and Wales.” Source
• HM Land Registry Practice Guide 6 — “Where a legal estate is held by joint owners, on the death of one owner the legal estate vests in the survivor(s).” Source
• Administration of Estates Act 1925 s.1 — “Real estate to which a deceased person was entitled for an interest not ceasing on his death shall on his death, and notwithstanding any testamentary disposition thereof, devolve from time to time on the personal representative of the deceased, in like manner as before the commencement of this Act chattels real devolved on the personal representative from time to time of a deceased person.” Source
• Registers of Scotland, co-own property with someone who died — “Some title sheets have wording which means that, on the death of a co-proprietor, their share transfers automatically to the person who is still alive (the survivor).” Source