Transfer of equity: adding or removing a name on a property title (England and Wales)

When a transfer of equity happens

Common cases where the registered owner is changed at HM Land Registry:

Adding someone is also the moment to choose how you hold the home. GOV.UK explains that changing from sole ownership to joint ownership “is called transferring ownership”; switching between joint tenants and tenants in common later has no fee. See joint tenants or tenants in common.

The steps at HM Land Registry

1. Check the register. Download the title register to see who owns the home and which mortgages are registered.
2. Get the lender on board. HM Land Registry notes that if the transaction involves a mortgage, “most lenders will insist that a conveyancer is used”. For a Help to Buy home, Homes England asks for written permission from the repayment mortgage lender and says the names on the equity loan must match those on the mortgage.
3. Prepare the deed. Form TR1 for a transfer of the whole title, or TP1 for part of it.
4. Fill in form AP1 (application to change the register) and ID1 (certificate of identity for a private individual) where identities need verifying.
5. Pay the fee and send the application to HM Land Registry.

Anyone can apply without a conveyancer, but HM Land Registry warns that “the consequences of getting it wrong can be costly” and that a conveyancer’s professional insurance covers errors.

HM Land Registry fees

Which scale applies depends on whether money changes hands.

Scale 2 fees (HM Land Registry, current guidance):

Worked example from HM Land Registry. A home worth £200,000 has £100,000 of mortgage left. The owner gives himself and his partner equal shares. The fee is assessed on half of (£200,000 − £100,000), so £50,000, under Scale 2.

Scale 1 fees for a buy-out run from £45 (up to £80,000, by post) to £1,105 (over £1 million, by post), with lower portal fees.

Stamp Duty Land Tax on a transfer of equity

HMRC’s guidance on transferring ownership says SDLT is due when you receive all or part of a property “and you give anything of monetary value in exchange”. Taking on a share of the mortgage counts.

HMRC’s example, recalculated at today’s rates. Two people own a £550,000 house equally, with a £200,000 mortgage. One becomes sole owner, paying £175,000 cash for half the equity and taking on the other’s £100,000 half of the mortgage. The chargeable consideration is £275,000. HMRC’s page works this out with the October 2022 thresholds (£1,250). At the rates in force since 1 April 2025 (0% to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% above), the bill is £0 + £2,500 + £1,250 = £3,750. GOV.UK adds that you usually pay 5% on top of these rates if you own another residential property: see higher rates on additional properties.

These are English and Northern Ireland rules. In Wales, Land Transaction Tax applies instead, and in Scotland LBTT, with land registered by Registers of Scotland rather than HM Land Registry.

Capital Gains Tax

HMRC’s helpsheet HS281 says a transfer between spouses or civil partners living together gives “neither a gain nor a loss”. Between unmarried partners or relatives, a gift is treated at market value and can create a taxable gain unless the home was the giver’s main residence: see Capital Gains Tax on a home. For separating couples, see divorce, separation and the family home.

Which professional to consult

A conveyancer drafts the TR1, deals with the lender, files the SDLT return and registers the change. A mortgage adviser helps if the remaining owner must borrow alone to buy out the other. A valuer gives the market value used for fees and tax.