Press release: May 2018 Transaction Data

In May:

• HM Land Registry completed more than 1,723,570 applications to change or query the Land Register
• the South East topped the table of regional applications with 398,029

HM Land Registry completed 1,723,578 applications in May compared with 1,625,098 in April and 1,620,802 last May, of which:

• 373,423 were applications for register updates compared with 346,788 in April
• 848,600 were applications for an official copy of a register compared with 804,157 in April
• 209,803 were search and hold queries (official searches) compared with 196,560 in April
• 26,695 were postal applications from non-account holders compared with 28,161 in April

Applications by region and country

Region/country	March applications	April applications	May applications
South East	384,760	373,677	398,029
Greater London	337,656	314,534	332,546
North West	193,405	184,504	194,722
South West	159,147	159,528	169,351
West Midlands	142,764	140,096	147,196
Yorkshire and the Humber	128,654	121,756	131,727
East Midlands	119,374	115,347	121,511
Wales	76,650	75,111	78,038
North	75,246	73,765	78,596
East Anglia	70,448	66,644	71,749
Isles of Scilly	79	69	41
England and Wales (not assigned)	61	67	72
Total	1,688,244	1,625,098	1,723,578

Top 5 local authority areas

Top 5 local authority areas	March applications	Top 5 local authority areas	April applications	Top 5 local authority areas	May applications
Birmingham	26,895	Birmingham	25,990	Birmingham	26,902
City of Westminster	24,562	City of Westminster	22,505	City of Westminster	24,121
Leeds	19,505	Leeds	18,630	Leeds	19,782
Manchester	17,708	Manchester	16,698	Cornwall	18,301
Cornwall	17,174	Cornwall	16,343	Manchester	17,347

Top 5 customers

Top 5 customers	March applications	Top 5 customers	April applications	Top 5 customers	May applications
Enact	50,160	Enact	48,943	Enact	53,314
Optima Legal Services	28,113	Optima Legal Services	26,741	Infotrack Limited	28,453
O’Neill Patient	26,056	O’Neill Patient	25,473	Optima Legal Services	28,173
Infotrack Limited	22,948	Infotrack Limited	24,411	O’Neill Patient	26,645
TM Group (UK) Ltd	19,320	TM Group (UK) Ltd	18,058	TM Group (UK) Ltd	22,706

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 June Transaction Data will be published at 11am on Friday 20 July 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 search and hold queries (official searches) were received, reflects the volume of applications lodged by customers using an HM Land Registry account number on their application form.
3. We are challenging ourselves to reassess our language to make our terms understandable to both our commercial and our citizen customers. This is in line with our commitment set out in the Business Strategy 2017-2022 under the ‘simplicity’ element of our ambition.
4. Completed applications in England and Wales shown by region and by local authority include postal applications as well as those sent electronically.
5. Transaction Data excludes: pending applications, bankruptcy applications, bulk applications and discharge applications (to remove a charge, for example a mortgage, from the register).
6. Transactions for value are applications lodged involving a transfer of ownership for value. For an explanation of other terms used, see abbreviations used in Transaction Data.
7. Most search and hold queries (official searches) carried out by a solicitor or conveyancer are to protect the purchase and/or mortgage. For example, a search and hold query 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
15. Follow us on: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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