People ask: "Who owns that piece of land?" We explain how to find out.

There might be a scrap of land near your house you might just want to use – for growing a few veg or for parking. Or a neighbour may have started to use a piece of land, and you wonder: is that legal? Here, we take a look at the ownership of land. And remember: In England and Wales, all land is owned by someone, even if the legal owner can’t be identified.

How do I find out who owns a piece of land?

Although a simple question, it’s not always easy to answer. The best place to start your enquiry is HM Land Registry. 85% of land in England and Wales is registered here and for a small fee (£7 as of April 2026) you can access information about a property or a piece of land. And for free, you can get summary information on:

the address of the land or property
the property description
tenure type
the price it was last sold for.

If the land or property IS registered and you pay £7 (per document), you can download the following records:

Title Register

The title register will show:

the legal owner of the land
the title number of the property
details of any mortgage
the price it was sold for (if it was sold after 2000)
any rights of way
other legal matters that affect the property or land.

You do not need the owner’s consent for a title register and the owner will not know if you have obtained the title register.

Title Plan

When land is registered, a title plan is usually created. A title plan is a visual representation of a property’s boundaries. It shows the property’s location in relation to other features, like buildings, roads, fences or any other physical feature.

What if the land is unregistered?

If the land is unregistered, then it becomes more difficult.

Registration only became compulsory in 1990 albeit the Land Registry collected voluntary registrations from 1862. Records therefore, might be absent or incomplete.

If the records aren’t forthcoming, here are alternative methods. If you really need an answer, it may involve some detective work.

Local investigation

Ask neighbouring landowners or long-standing residents if they know who the owner is.

Check neighbouring registered properties on the Land Registry

They may refer to a deed or document which affected the piece of land you are interested in.

The National Archives

The national archive has a collection of records that dates back centuries, and it might be a good place to start. But it is not an official place of deposit so it is not complete or consistent in its coverage. Records of land ownership may come from court proceedings or information gathered as part of national surveys. Also, whilst there might be a record at the National Archives, the actual documents might be stored elsewhere, in a local archive.

Local archive

Our local archive websites can be found here:

North Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

Local planning authorities

See if any planning applications have been submitted for the land. Again, here are local links:

North Yorkshire

Bradford

Electoral role

Check the electoral role, for mentions of the address:

North Yorkshire

Bradford