Do I Need Title Documents When Selling a Property?

Written by Editorial Team · Reviewed by Legal Reviewer · Last reviewed 19 July 2026

Usually you do not have to supply title documents yourself — your conveyancer will obtain up-to-date copies of the register and title plan as part of the sale. Having your own copy can still help before and during the sale, for example to check covenants, answer enquiries or resolve boundary queries before the property is listed. Leasehold sales usually need the lease as well.

The short answer

For a registered property, you do not normally need to produce title documents yourself to sell. Your conveyancer obtains up-to-date copies of the title register and title plan directly as a routine early step in every sale, and those current copies — not anything you hold at home — are what the transaction runs on.

That surprises some sellers, particularly those who have been searching the loft for "the deeds". For registered property, the register long ago replaced the paper deeds as the definitive record of ownership, so lost paper deeds are rarely the crisis they feel like.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Your conveyancer is the right person to advise on your specific sale.

When having your own copy helps

Even though your conveyancer will obtain the formal copies, many sellers find it genuinely useful to have their own copy of the register and plan, especially before the property goes on the market.

| Situation | How your own copy helps | | --- | --- | | Answering buyers' enquiries | The buyer's side raises detailed questions about the title; having the register in front of you makes the standard enquiry forms far easier to complete accurately | | Checking covenants before listing | Restrictive covenants — no extensions without consent, no business use — are better discovered by you before listing than by the buyer's solicitor afterwards | | Boundary queries | Comparing the title plan's general boundaries with the fences on the ground flags mismatches early, before they can unsettle a buyer | | Lost paper deeds | The current register is the modern replacement for the old deed bundle, and a copy reassures you (and estate agents) about what is actually recorded | | Extensions and alterations | Checking what the title records before marketing a property that has been altered helps you anticipate the questions that will come |

The theme is timing. Everything on the title will come out during the sale anyway — the only question is whether you see it first, with time to react, or whether it lands as a buyer's query when you are weeks into a chain.

Selling a leasehold property

Leasehold sales involve one more key document: the lease itself. The buyer's side will want to read it, because it sets out the term, the ground rent, the service charge machinery and the rules that come with the flat.

If you cannot find your copy, all is not lost — the lease is often held as a document filed with the registered leasehold title, and a copy can usually be obtained. Your conveyancer will also assemble the management information pack from the freeholder or managing agent, which sits alongside the title documents rather than replacing them.

A simple pre-listing routine

If you want to get ahead of the paperwork, this order of events works well:

Order a copy of the title register and title plan for the property.
Read the charges register for covenants or other entries a buyer might query, and note anything you do not understand.
Compare the title plan with the boundaries as they exist on the ground.
For leasehold, dig out your copy of the lease — or establish early that you will need to obtain one.
Raise anything unexpected with your conveyancer before the property is listed, while there is still time to deal with it quietly.

None of this is compulsory, and none of it replaces the work your conveyancer does — it simply moves the surprises to the start of the process, where they are cheapest to handle.

How to get your own copy

If you want to read your title before selling, you can order the register and title plan together through our service: we check the address by hand, identify the registered title — contacting you first if more than one title could match — and deliver the PDFs through a secure link. You can also buy copies directly from HM Land Registry, which usually costs less; our fee covers the human address checking, retrieval, secure delivery and support.

Whichever route you choose, remember that your conveyancer will still obtain their own up-to-date copies when the sale begins — your copy is for your own preparation, not a substitute for theirs.

Do I Need Title Documents When Selling a Property? — FAQs

I've lost the paper deeds — can I still sell?

If the property is registered, yes. The title register replaced the old bundle of deeds as the definitive ownership record, so lost paper deeds do not stop a sale of registered property. If the property is unregistered, lost deeds are a more serious problem and you should speak to a solicitor early.

Will my conveyancer charge me for title copies?

Conveyancers normally obtain up-to-date copies at the start of a sale and pass the modest cost through in their bill. Getting your own copy beforehand does not replace that step — they will still want current copies — but it lets you see what the buyer's side will see.

What might come up from the register during a sale?

Typical examples include restrictive covenants the buyer asks about, entries relating to old mortgages, restrictions that affect how the sale completes, or a title plan that does not match what the seller believes they own. Spotting these before listing gives you time to deal with them calmly.

I'm selling a leasehold flat — what extra documents are involved?

Leasehold sales usually need a copy of the lease itself, alongside the leasehold title register. If you cannot find your copy, the lease is often available as a document filed with the registered title. There is normally also a management information pack from the freeholder or managing agent, which your conveyancer will request.

Should I order documents before putting the property on the market?

It is optional, but sellers who expect questions — about covenants, boundaries, shared accesses or extensions — often find it useful to read the register and plan before listing, so surprises surface early rather than mid-transaction.