What counts as unclaimed land or property?
Land or property in the UK can be considered unclaimed when it has been left without a living owner, or where legal ownership is unknown or disputed. This might include vacant plots, derelict buildings, or properties where the original owner has died without clear heirs. All land in the UK is technically owned by someone, but establishing who that owner is can sometimes prove difficult.
The reality is more nuanced than it first appears. Just because land looks abandoned does not mean it has no owner. Someone may still hold the title even if they have not visited or maintained the site for years. The key distinction is whether the land is registered with HM Land Registry.
While the vast majority of land in England and Wales is now registered due to increased efforts by HM Land Registry, some unregistered land does remain. The Land Registry has been operating since 1862, and compulsory registration was phased in starting from 1925. Land that has not changed hands since then may never have been formally registered. This does not automatically make it available for claiming, but it does open up certain legal routes that registered land does not.
When land genuinely has no owner, it becomes bona vacantia and reverts to the Crown. The Crown Estate or the Duchy of Cornwall or Lancaster may then take possession, depending on location. Anyone hoping to acquire such land would need to negotiate with the relevant Crown body rather than claiming it directly.
Tell us what might be out there and we will map out the exact UK services to search, in the right order, to track down unclaimed money.
Try our Unclaimed Money Tracer free, here on this site →How to find out if land is registered
Before taking any steps towards claiming land or property, you need to establish its registration status. HM Land Registry holds records for all registered land in England and Wales, and you can search their database online. Scotland and Northern Ireland operate separate land registration systems with different rules and procedures.
To carry out a search, you will need some basic information about the land or property. A postcode is usually sufficient, though an address or location description can also work. The Land Registry provides an online map search service that lets you identify specific plots and see whether they are registered.
There is a small fee for obtaining official copies of title documents. Check GOV.UK for current fees as these change periodically. HM Land Registry has been undertaking significant digitisation efforts in recent years, aiming for more comprehensive registration coverage, which means searches are becoming increasingly thorough.
If your search returns no results, the land may be unregistered. Further research will be necessary to understand who might have a claim to it. Local council records, historical documents, and neighbours can sometimes provide useful background information.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
The legal process for claiming unregistered land
Claiming unregistered land in England and Wales can involve a principle known as adverse possession. This allows someone who has occupied land openly and without the owner's permission to eventually apply for legal ownership. The process is complex, involves specific legal criteria, and often faces challenges.
The rules differ depending on whether the land is registered or unregistered. For unregistered land, you generally need to demonstrate at least 12 years of continuous possession before you can apply to register it in your name. For registered land, the process operates differently. You can apply after 10 years of possession, but the registered owner will be notified and given the opportunity to object.
Possession must be genuine and exclusive. Erecting a boundary and leaving the land untouched would not satisfy legal requirements. The law requires you to treat the land as your own by maintaining it, using it, and excluding others. Occasional visits or casual use will not meet the threshold.
If you believe you have a valid claim, you will need to apply to HM Land Registry using the appropriate forms. The application must include evidence of your possession and any supporting documentation. Given the technical nature of this process, many applicants choose to instruct a solicitor with experience in property law.
Adverse possession claims can be contested. If an owner emerges during the process, they may challenge your application. Even with unregistered land, someone could come forward with evidence of ownership at any stage.
Practical considerations and risks
Attempting to claim land or property involves considerable time, expense, and uncertainty. The process can take years, and there is no guarantee of success. Legal costs accumulate, particularly if disputes arise.
It is worth considering why land has been left empty. There may be practical reasons such as contamination, access problems, planning restrictions, or unresolved debts attached to the property. These issues do not disappear when ownership changes hands.
If you are interested in pursuing unclaimed land, start by gathering as much information as possible. Speak to neighbours where appropriate, check local authority records, and consider whether the land has any obvious complications. A solicitor can advise on the strength of your position before you commit time and money.
For those who want to find out who owns a piece of land, the Land Registry search is the logical first step. Even without any intention of claiming anything, the register serves as a useful public resource for understanding who holds title to land and property across England and Wales.
For detailed guidance on land registration and adverse possession, visit GOV.UK or contact HM Land Registry directly.
Thanks
On land for 12 years and have spent thousand maintaining it especially on the fencing but can’t seem to get the postcode for it and I know it is unregistered,please can someone point me in the right direction as when I try on land registry it only give me property postcode next door,
Many thanks
The Land Registry annoyingly lists the "current" owner as someone who died over a decade ago, so nobody seems to own it any more. Although I do own the freehold, my solicitor says I can't access it to make emergency repairs, leaving my house in a dangerous predicament. What are my options?
I would like to purchased some abandoned houses in Scotland.
I was following the QLTR website, but doesn’t provide with a lot of info!
Could you please guide me how can I buy some properties?!
Kind Regards
Alex
There is an abandoned property that i have my eyes on for 6 years now, its been abandoned more than 15 years and its unregistered, what steps do i need to take in order to buy or possess this property? Please i really need some help here. Thanks
Our property( detached bungalow) has a mixed freehold /leasehold title.
This is now causing issues when trying to sell. The leasehold part is noted at Land Registry but the owner of the lease is unknown The exact area of land is also unclear. The lease was granted in 1596 for 499 years. We have an indemnity policy but 2 conveyancers have advised potential buyers from proceeding. Enfranchisement is a way forward but its costly and lengthy with no guarantee of success.
We have the names of the original person who granted the lease and the two people it was granted to - so we really would like to know if is there a way to possibly trace the unknown inheritor - that we could then 'buy' the land from them ????
Regards,
Ivan
Thanks
We are looking to buy a property but on the land registry, the driveway is not currently owned by the property owners. It is not owned by anyone. The couple say that they could have claimed the land as they had owned it for more than 12 years however earlier than 12 years ago they put a gate and fence around the land so they are under the assumption that they have to wait another 12 years from when the fence and gate was built.
Is this the case and can we claim it from when they have owned the house or would we need to wait another 12 years?
We should petition the Government and our local MPs to reduce the
period of Adverse Possession to two years instead of twelve...
I have a property by me but looks like either a really small church or bungalow.
I asked a member of family about it and they said they trued to get planning permissions years and years ago and it got denied and no ones either bothered with it since I wondering if I can see If I can put a claim on it cause it was a really old man at the time so
is this car ?? in front of the house ?? is Totally smashed in to bits and the garden is like a jungle and a lot of rubbish everywhere I don’t know what to do should I start moving in and start cleaning up the property and the garden???
What should I do
What would I need to do?
Thank you
If this is possible, coul anyone guide me as to what process, I should follow and approximate time it could take to achieve the goal I've set myself
I paid the 3 pounds to HM Land Registry to understand if it's registered or not the property, and came up someone owns it, bought it in 2002.. I belive no one its gonna take care anymore of this house.. I was wondering now what to do.. I wish to claim it, so starting with erige barricates and put my number on a sign both sides of the house to like accoupaid the house.. Is it possible?? What should I do more or first to go in it?
Thanks
Thank you
We have recently had a lovely holiday in wales, we were staying quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Upon our travels we found a long abandoned house, overgrown gardens, boarded up, interior empty with plaster off the walls and floor to the dirt. It looks like it hasn’t been visited in many years except by hikers.
I’m interested to know the best process towards investigating ownership, purchasing or claiming the property for renovation.
Many thanks.
My husband and I bought an old three-storey town house in a small town in Wales, 12 years ago. The land directly behind is neglected, covered in weeds etc. The council do not maintain it (although they prune the shrubs directly across the road on a similar piece of land). Our garden is down a lane to the side of the house and behind next door! So the land directly behind must have been our garden originally. We have had a solicitor check the deeds and she said it was written in as ours from the time the house was built and later but then just left out of the deeds. Land registry said it is not registered, probably old church land. The council wrote to us to confirm it is not theirs (I wrote to them asking to buy it). We are worried that nosey neighbours will kick up a fuss if we fence it off and start maintaining it but it is an eye-sore, so maybe not. Do you think having taken all these steps so far we can fence it off?
Now that I plan to move, the solicitor I have engaged, confirms that the deeds do not include my rights to the garden. I have asked him to apply for copies of the deeds of two of the other owners of flats in the building. Although I am aware that I can gain this information independently, I want him to establish if their sections of the gardens are included. t
Some people in the building do not have any garden and I am sure that if they discovered I did not have a right to my part of the garden they would simply begin to use it and this would undermine my sale and inevitably the price of my property.
My solicitor says I need to have had sole use of the garden for twenty years and that it is probably in my interests to remain in my property until this time has elapsed, at which point I can apply to the land registry to add the garden to my deeds. This would mean remaining in my property for a further 2.5 years whereas I want to sell now. The articles I have read suggest that for 'unregistered land', twelve year possession is the relevant time period.
Can anyone give my advice about this please as I am at my wits end?
Thank you!
The is an abandoned property in a neighbouring street, the neighbours haven't seen the owner for at least 6 years, I have used the Land Registry to contact the registered owner, as have my local council. Either of us have been successfully and our letters are always returned as "Not know at this address".
The front garden is now used as a "car park" for the street.
Is the anyway I can claim this property, should I involve a solicitor?
Many thanks
Baz
Have checked LR and the registered owners appear to be an investment company but have not made contact to check on the land. Google Earth shows the activity and boundaries developing over the years.
Do we have a good case to claim this land?
I would like to claim this land , we have cleared some off the land planted some vegetables also we have built a chicken run with hut , are neighbour who also as access to the land,off 30 years! who as done nothing until now, is saying he is going to buy the land, there is plenty of the land to split between us, have I got a claim to some off the land which the previous owners have used befor me?
According to LR it belonged to a company thats now dissolved, Is it possible to take over it and use it for my own uses once fenced off?
i want to cut the bushes down but dont want somebody coming along down the line and asking for it back plus compensation for cutting the trees and stuff down
thanks
Thanks.
I have discovered a weak point in the separation in my cellar and could easily knock through internally. Surely then I would have the right to 'secure' the abandoned property right?
We have bought a flat from a housing association. When we moved in there was a patch of land within the grounds of land owned by the housing association. They landscaped the whole groinds around the house, however this patch of land in a corner was left as it was, covered in rubble and rubbish. We cleared all the rubbish away and put a garden in that we are exclusively using and maintaining. We are using this patch now since 2009 and it's partly fenced off. I wonder what the legal situation is?
Thank you
I am interested in purchasing or to take over ownership how do I about doing this?
Regards,
Rony
I’ve been on a piece of land (I use for my animals) for about 8 years now. The Man who owns the land has just sprung on me that he has sold the property and land and I’m to get off... I was wondering if I had any rights to the land as I’ve been there for a number of years.. my name is on the water which I pay for....
Thanks
I'm just wondering how I go about enquiring about it as it just going to ruin.
We've found an empty derelict house that isn't coming up on the land registry & when we try it says...
"It says this when you look, Price Paid/Value Stated Data:
n/a
Sorry, we do not have a record of any titles for this property. This does not necessarily mean that the property is unregistered"
There is a tree growing out of the roof & its overgrown. We've found the owners name as it says there is 1 active business from there. But struggling to trace the owner.
How would you go about claiming it?As it's just going to waste.
There's also an old car sat outside that we've tried to trace but no joy.
I have moved into a new property. Beyond my garden fence there is land that has weeds beyond 5 meters and tall trees. There is no fence on the land apart ofcourse from my fencing and school end fence and other side other property fence just like mine. No other official ‘fence’. I don’t know plot number to check it, my own postcode? School postcode? They are different so unsure.
We have searched the land registry no owner. Have been told there was a general store on it years ago, the owners died and store pulled down eventually. No relatives could be found. We are buying the property next door and want to build a cottage on unclaimed land and the rest of the unclaimed land and land next to it convert into a working walled kitchen garden.
Is this possible.
I found a house today and nobody lives there , what i have to do to get the legal right to live there ?!?!?
We have a strip of land to the side of our house, 50'years ago Laing homes sent the transfer document to the council but they never completed the transfer, subsequently Laing homes are no longer trading and the transfer document has never been completed, can we legally fence this land off in a view to claiming the land in 10 years
I have found the house that noone lived there for years. Land registry didn't have any title deeds for that estate so I send SIM request.
Outcome: No registered estate
Next I have checked again on land registry website and this time I was able to purchas title deeds which say that title possessory is: proprietor "person name" executrix of "name" deceased.
What does all that mean and can I still try to acquire the property??
Is yes what are the first steps I could do??
Thanks
There is a triangle of land near our property that we have parked on for over 30 years. My husband, 20 years ago, laid road material on the land for easier parking. We live in a very small rural area with only a few houses and some of our newer neighbours park on the land. If a search reveals that this is not owned by anyone would we be able to claim it?
Regards
Is it legal for the council to sell this bit of land without giving my friend first refusal?
I am from Leicester I found a property for a long time that has been empty
How do I own it ?
And dose that property becomes mine or council property ?
Is the next step to complete an ADV1 form? Not sure on which fee to pay and include though? What next from there, maintain and tidy up the front garden of my target property? Would I get into trouble if I arranged for a locksmith or somehow gained entry and changed the door and locks?
Already done some research when the last sale was (about 16 years ago), and so will obtain a report from Land Registry on current owners - how do I go about claiming Adverse Possession? Do I;
1. Stick an A4 paper to the windows and door with 'Private Property' with my contact details on?
2. Tidy up the front garden?
3. Lock the front gate with a cable chain and padlock?
Friends of ours live beside and empty house in the west end of Glasgow. They believe it has been lying empty for over 5 years since the previous owner passes away. We have identified the owner from the land register and have been advised that the next stage is to obtain a copy of death certificate but we are unsure how to do this as we have already carried out an online search. Can you advise on how we proceed? Thanks
Work is needed to the roof etc, but as nobody has been to the empty flat for several years could I claim that property so I can carry out necessary maintenance?
As sarcastic as this question may sound I really would like answers please.
Thanks
Many thanks
Speaking to neighbors it seems their was an autocation between the previous owners of our house and that of Number 8, over bins being stored there and about two years ago people came home to find a locked gate errected blocking off accsess.
My partner and I would like to buy the land or at the very least have accsess to it. What should our next steps benow we've checked HMLR records?
Thank you
I am interested in a plot and have made a title search and the owner was registered as the keeper in 2000 but it has lain abandoned ever since she is registered at the abandoned address.. Any advice on where I go from there in tracking her down? As she is definitely not at the lands address?
Thank you
My only concern is that their house is a council house, which they are looking to buy in the future and they have assure me that the council have already been and inspected what they have done with the garden and signed off on where their fence sits.
Do I go ahead and claim it all or just my 3ft? The only problem is that I want to block off the full 6ft to prevent their "lovely" neighbor's from using it as a mean to access my garden and neighbor's to get on to our street, do their business & dump their waste.
Opposite my house there is a public green that the council looks after. In 2007 the people to the side of the green applied for planning premission to put a fence around it and make it into thier own garden. Plannining premission was denied. This year they have started mowing the grass and we think they plan to try to claim the green. Can they do this after they have been refused once?
We also have a strip of land at the back of our house.
there is a 6 houses that border agianst it.
but it is in the middle with no access for anyone.
I would like to contact someone to apply for it amd maintain it and just move my fence
how do I go about this??
kind regarda
Regards
Steve
i recently purchased a house and have just found out there is a piece of unregistered land that the previous owners grandad had use of.
The land is now unused
How do I go about claiming it for myself.
The previous owner of my house have left some bits on there.
I've checked the land registry and it is not registered.
How do I make a claim on it ?
I'd like to get started on it straight away so it's ready for the summer for my little boy. It needs a full clear
Thanks in advance
Thank you
Thanks
I've fenced it looked after it an taken possession so to speaks.
I don't know who owns it,
What steps do I need to take to properly own it,?? Many thanks
How do i claim it for my own
I bought the title deed from the land registry in order to find out who owns a house that seem to be abandoned in my neighbourhood. I found out the owners name but I can't seem to find any contact details. Can the land registry also help to track where are the owners or if not what is the best way?
thank you,
Regards
The property is registered to a lady in a few towns away and a quick 192 search shows of an elderly age 65+ bracket
I would like to obtain this property rebuild it for a future home for me and my kids,
i know of the adverse possession law, meaning i can fence it off put up signs keep garden trimmed etc (if im not mistaken) but don't really want to wait 10 years to claim the title or risk starting work on it wasting thousands to get moved on or something else, what would be my next course of action in your advice
Ask Unclaimed Finances a question
Ask our editorial team a question and we will reply with our advice. Tell us as much about your situation as you can: the more detail you give, the more useful our answer can be.
You do not need to use your real name. Please do not include your full address, phone number, email address, or the names of other people. We may edit or remove identifying details for privacy and legal reasons.
Comments are moderated before publication.