Press release: December 2017 Transaction Data

The transaction data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,266,641 applications in December compared with 1,774,223 in November and 1,271,984 last December, of which:

• 319,721 were applications to update existing titles compared with 411,092 in November
• 551,427 were applications to obtain an official copy of a register compared with 834,546 in November
• 197,327 were official searches compared with 238,129 in November
• 26,377 were postal applications from non-account holders, compared with 30,948 in November

Applications by region and country

Region and country	October applications	November applications	December applications
South East	407,148	408,756	287,649
Greater London	329,865	339,086	250,636
North West	195,045	200,475	139,168
South West	168,802	173,351	124,681
West Midlands	145,121	152,816	107,079
Yorkshire and the Humber	135,347	135,373	98,017
East Midlands	120,689	125,846	90,239
Wales	80,938	82,646	58,854
North	82,710	81,197	56,648
East Anglia	74,202	74,499	53,549
Isles of Scilly	106	92	79
England and Wales (not assigned)	95	86	42
Total	1,740,068	1,774,223	1,266,641

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	October applications	Top 5 local authority areas	November applications	Top 5 local authority areas	December applications
Birmingham	26,232	Birmingham	27,715	Birmingham	19,714
City of Westminster	24,087	City of Westminster	23,565	City of Westminster	17,977
Leeds	19,895	Leeds	20,137	Leeds	14,262
Manchester	17,810	Cornwall	18,823	Manchester	13,384
Cornwall	17,794	Manchester	18,542	Cornwall	13,332

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	October applications	Top 5 customers	November applications	Top 5 customers	December applications
Enact	48,058	Enact	49,360	Enact	36,313
O’Neill Patient	24,610	Optima Legal Services	25,532	Optima Legal Services	19,826
Optima Legal Services	23,721	O’Neill Patient	24,260	O’Neill Patient	19,764
Eversheds LLP	20,980	TM Group (UK) Ltd	19,701	HBOS PLC	16,649
Barclays Bank PLC	19,123	HBOS PLC	19,315	TM Group (UK) Ltd	16,444

Access the full dataset on data.gov.uk.

Notes to editors

1. Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The January Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Wednesday 21 February 2018 at HM Land Registry Monthly Property Transaction Data.
2. The monthly Transaction Data showing how many applications for new titles, leases, splitting titles, updating existing titles, official copies of the register and searches were completed, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.
3. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.
4. Transaction Data excludes: pending applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications and discharge applications (to remove a charge, for example, a mortgage, from the register).
5. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in the Transaction Data.
6. Most searches carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search will give the buyer priority for an application to HM Land Registry to register the purchase of the property. This can give an indication of market activity.
7. Reasonable skill and care is used in the provision of the data. We strive to ensure that the data is as accurate as possible but cannot guarantee that it is free from error. We cannot guarantee our data is fit for your intended purpose or use.
8. Transaction Data is available free of charge for use and re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL). The licence allows public bodies to make their data available for re-use.
9. If you use or publish the Transaction Data, you must add the following attribution statement: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2018. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
10. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
11. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
12. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.
13. For further information about HM Land Registry visit gov.uk/land-registry
14. Follow us on:

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