Want to acquire freehold, but freeholder not registered

Alanmelon

I'm looking to purchase the freehold on my terraced home, of which I am currently the owner of a long (800 yr) lease. The apparent freeholder has been collecting a peppercorn ground rent of £1 per year, so I know of their whereabouts.

In an effort to confirm their status as freeholder I have contacted the land registry who are unable to determine this as the freeholder is unregistered. So my question is, where will evidence of their status be found? Presumably, in order to become the registered freeholder, should enfranchisement take place, the land registry are going to require this evidence?

Richard_Webster

The freeholder will instruct a solicitor who should produce his unregistered title to your solicitor who will check it in the same way that the title to a property that has not changed since compulsory registration would be checked. No big deal.

Obviously if it turns out that the "freeholder" can't prove title then you don't have to buy it.