In short
Property fraud is when fraudsters try to “steal” a property, most often by pretending to be the owner and selling or mortgaging it without the owner’s knowledge (HM Land Registry). In England and Wales you can sign up to Property Alert, HM Land Registry’s free email service, for up to 10 properties. To go further, you can put a restriction on your title so that a sale or mortgage is not registered unless a conveyancer or solicitor certifies that the application was made by you: free if you do not live at the property, £40 if you do. From April 2023 to March 2024, HM Land Registry stopped 97 registered title fraud attempts on properties worth £58 million in total.
Who is most at risk
GOV.UK lists the situations that raise the risk:
- your identity has been stolen;
- you rent out the property;
- you live overseas;
- the property is empty;
- it is not mortgaged;
- it is not registered with HM Land Registry.
A property bought or mortgaged since 1998 will be registered; check the register if you are unsure. You must tell HM Land Registry if register information is wrong, for example a change of contact address.
Property Alert: early warning, not a block
| Feature | What HM Land Registry says |
|---|---|
| Cost | No fee |
| Properties | Up to 10 |
| Whose property | Your own or, for example, a relative’s: you do not have to own it |
| Requirement | The property must already be registered |
| Alerts | By email, on significant activity such as an application to register a new mortgage |
| Content | The type of activity, the applicant, and the date and time it was received |
An alert does not stop a change to the register. You decide whether the activity looks fraudulent and act quickly; the email says whom to contact. Not every alert means fraud. HM Land Registry’s own example: an owner living overseas received an alert about a mortgage application on his rented-out property worth over £300,000, called the fraud line, and the registration was stopped.
How to sign up. Create a Property Alert account, confirm the verification email, then add each property by address or title number. Without an email address, call the Property Alert team on 0300 006 0478.
A restriction on your title
A restriction stops HM Land Registry registering a sale or mortgage unless a conveyancer or solicitor certifies that you made the application.
| Owner | Form | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Request for a restriction (company) | £0 |
| Private owner not living at the property | Request for a restriction for owners not living at the property | £0 |
| Private owner living at the property | Application for a restriction | £40 |
Your conveyancer may charge for providing the certificate when you later sell or mortgage. Forms go to HM Land Registry’s Citizen Centre, PO Box 7806, Bilston, WV1 9QR, and HM Land Registry tells you when the restriction is added.
Which to choose. Property Alert warns you; a restriction blocks. GOV.UK suggests either if you think you are at risk, for example as a landlord living abroad or the owner of an empty home.
If you think you are a victim
Contact HM Land Registry’s property fraud team: reportafraud@landregistry.gov.uk, 0300 006 7030, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm. GOV.UK also suggests Citizens Advice or an independent legal adviser, and reporting it to Report Fraud.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
These services are HM Land Registry’s and apply to England and Wales. Scotland (Registers of Scotland) and Northern Ireland (Land Registry NI) run separate registers: Payotte has not checked their fraud protections for this guide.
What it costs
| Measure | Fee |
|---|---|
| Property Alert | £0 |
| Restriction, owner not living at the property or company | £0 |
| Restriction, owner living at the property | £40 |
| Conveyancer’s certificate later | Set by the firm |
Which professional to consult
A conveyancer can apply for a restriction and later provides the certificate it requires. Landlords, see also renting in England; owners abroad, the non-UK resident surcharge.
Frequently asked questions
Is HM Land Registry Property Alert free?
Yes. There is no fee, for up to 10 properties.
Does Property Alert stop fraud?
No. It sends an email when someone applies to change the register; you must act on it.
Can I set an alert on my parents’ house?
Yes. HM Land Registry says you can monitor a relative’s property; you do not have to own it.
How much does a restriction cost?
£40 if you live at the property; free if you own it privately but do not live there, or if a company owns it.
Who is most at risk of property fraud?
Owners whose identity has been stolen, landlords, owners living overseas, and owners of empty, unmortgaged or unregistered properties.
General information drawn from the official sources cited and dated on this page. It is not legal, tax or financial advice: for your own situation, ask a licensed professional.
More guides on owning
- Adverse possession: claiming land you have occupied, and defending your title
- Cladding, EWS1 and the Building Safety Act: what leaseholders in England pay
- Council tax bands in England, Scotland and Wales
- Council tax on second homes and empty homes: the premiums by nation
- Divorce, separation and the family home: who keeps it, and the tax (UK)
- Domestic rates in Northern Ireland: how your bill works
- How to challenge your council tax band (and NI domestic rates valuation)
- Inheritance tax on a home: the £500,000 threshold
- Party wall agreements: notices, surveyors and awards (England and Wales)
- Property boundaries: title plans, boundary agreements and disputes
- Service charges and ground rent on a leasehold home
- Transfer of equity: adding or removing a name on a property title (England and Wales)
Sources
- Protect your land and property from fraud (GOV.UK) (consulted 21 October 2026)
- Property Alert (HM Land Registry, GOV.UK, updated 10 October 2025) (consulted 21 October 2026)