Land Registry fees: A guide for homeowners

At a glance

Land registry fees are the mandatory government charges paid to HM Land Registry whenever ownership of a property in England and Wales changes hands, a mortgage is registered, or a new lease is recorded. They are set by statutory instrument, are not subject to VAT, and vary according to the value of the property and the nature of the transaction. Most buyers pay between £20 and £1,105 depending on the purchase price and how the application is submitted.

What are land registry fees?

When a home in England and Wales changes hands, the change of ownership has to be formally recorded with the government, and these charges cover that process. They fall due at the conveyancing stage and are usually paid by the buyer, as the party registering their new ownership. Your solicitor normally settles them on your behalf, and they appear as a disbursement on your completion statement.

The fees apply whether you are buying a freehold house, registering a leasehold flat, taking out a mortgage, or making a voluntary first registration of previously unregistered land. The current structure is governed by the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, which came into effect on 9 December 2024.

These registration charges are not subject to VAT, which distinguishes them from most other professional costs you incur during a property transaction. They are a fixed statutory cost set by government, not a charge applied by your solicitor.

What does the property register do?

HMLR is the government body responsible for maintaining the definitive record of property ownership in England and Wales. It holds title registers for more than 26 million properties and processes millions of applications each year.

Solicitors, conveyancers, and mortgage lenders rely on the register to verify ownership, check for charges or restrictions on a title, and confirm that a seller has the legal right to sell. When a transaction completes, the register is updated to reflect the new owner, and that updated record gives the buyer legal recognition of their ownership rights.

You can search the register yourself using the title search service on GOV.UK, or instruct your solicitor to obtain official copies of the title register and title plan as part of their standard conveyancing searches.

The two fee scales: Scale 1 and Scale 2

Registration fees fall into one of two scales. Understanding which scale applies to your transaction is the starting point for working out what you are likely to pay.

Scale 1: first registrations and transfers for money

Scale 1 fees apply to transactions where money changes hands, including most property purchases and first registrations of previously unregistered land. The fee is calculated on the VAT-inclusive purchase price.

Scale 1 fee table (current as at December 2024)

Source: HM Land Registry Registration Services fees, updated April 2025

Scale 2: transfers not for money, charges, and other applications

Scale 2 fees apply to transactions that do not involve a straightforward monetary consideration, including gifts, trustee appointments, and the registration of mortgage charges. They are generally lower than Scale 1 fees for the same property value.

Scale 2 fee table (current as at December 2024)

Source: HM Land Registry Registration Services fees, updated April 2025

How registration fees are calculated

Three factors determine which fee you pay: the value of the property, the type of transaction, and the method of application.

Property value

For Scale 1 transactions, the fee is assessed on the VAT-inclusive consideration, which in a standard residential purchase is the agreed purchase price. The fee rises through a series of brackets rather than as a percentage, so the jump from one band to the next is a fixed step.

For example, a buyer purchasing a property at £200,000 pays a postal fee of £230 under Scale 1. A buyer at £200,001 pays £330. Your solicitor may draw your attention to the fee bracket your purchase sits in, particularly if you are close to a threshold.

Application method

Electronic applications submitted through HMLR's portal or Business Gateway attract a significant fee reduction compared with postal applications, but only in specific circumstances. For transfers or surrenders affecting the whole of a registered title, the electronic fee is approximately 55% lower than the postal equivalent.

This reduction does not apply to lease registrations, transfers of part, or most other applications affecting only part of a registered title, even when submitted electronically. Your solicitor will normally handle electronic submission as standard, so it is worth confirming with them which rate applies to your transaction.

Transaction type

The nature of the transaction determines whether Scale 1 or Scale 2 applies, and in some cases determines a fixed fee rather than a value-based one. Registering a mortgage charge is a Scale 2 application assessed on the amount of the charge rather than the full property value. A gift of property between family members is also a Scale 2 transaction, assessed on the open market value of the property being transferred.

The Land Registry fee calculator

HMLR provides an official fee calculator on GOV.UK that covers all common application types. It is the most reliable way to confirm the charge that applies to a specific transaction before your application is submitted.

The tool allows you to select the application type, enter the property value, and confirm whether you are applying by post or electronically. It then returns the applicable fee under the current fee order. Your solicitor should use this as standard when preparing your completion statement, but it is freely available for anyone to use.

Where a transaction involves both registered and unregistered land, separate applications and fees apply to each part, assessed on the apportioned value of each. Your conveyancer will advise on how the value should be split in those circumstances.

Common transactions and what you are likely to pay

Buying a property

For a straightforward residential purchase of registered land, Scale 1 applies to the purchase price. If your solicitor submits electronically and the transaction covers the whole of a registered title, the reduced electronic rate applies.

Example: buying a property at £350,000

First registrations

Some older properties in England and Wales are still held under unregistered title, meaning they have never been formally recorded. When a property of this kind is sold, gifted, or mortgaged, a first registration application is required.

For voluntary first registrations, where the owner chooses to register without a triggering event such as a sale, HMLR offers a minimum 25% reduction on the Scale 1 fee. The reduced rates in the voluntary registration column of the fee table above reflect this discount.

For compulsory first registrations triggered by a sale, the fee is based on the purchase price if the application is made within one year of the open market sale. After that point, or for gifts and certain other transfers, the fee is assessed on the current open market value of the property, which may require a professional valuation or a statement of value from a qualified person.

Registering a mortgage

When a lender registers a charge against a property, that registration is a Scale 2 application assessed on the amount of the charge rather than the full property value. On a standard purchase where you take out a mortgage, the transfer and the new charge are usually lodged together, so you generally will not face a separate Land Registry fee for the mortgage charge on top of the transfer registration fee. A separate Scale 2 fee tends to arise where a charge is registered on its own, most commonly on a remortgage.

For a remortgage on a property worth £350,000 where the new mortgage is £250,000, the applicable Scale 2 postal fee would be £100. The electronic rate for the same transaction would be £45 if submitted as a whole-title application.

Gifts and transfers not for monetary consideration

If a property is transferred as a gift, as part of a trust arrangement, or in connection with a court order in matrimonial or civil partnership proceedings, Scale 2 applies. The fee is assessed on the open market value of the property being transferred, minus the amount of any continuing mortgage that is not being discharged.

These transactions can be more complex to assess correctly. Your conveyancer will advise on the appropriate basis of valuation and which Scale 2 fee band applies.

Inspecting the register

If you want to view a title register or title plan without making a full application, a separate fixed fee applies. The current charge is £7 by post or £3 per document downloaded online through GOV.UK. These are separate from any registration fees and are standard disbursements in most conveyancing transactions.

How to pay

In most residential transactions, these fees are paid by your solicitor or conveyancer on your behalf as a disbursement and will appear as a line item on your completion statement. You do not usually interact with the registry directly.

For those submitting their own applications, payment can be made by cheque or postal order made payable to HM Land Registry, accompanied by the relevant application form. Those with a Business e-services account may pay by variable Direct Debit, which is the standard route for conveyancing professionals.

Registration fees and your estate agent

These are a conveyancing cost rather than an estate agent cost, so your agent is not responsible for paying or advising on them in detail. That said, a good agent with strong experience selling homes in your area can help ensure your sale progresses smoothly to the point where these costs become relevant.

If you are preparing to sell and want to understand the full cost picture, including conveyancing fees, stamp duty, and estate agent fees, GetAgent's comparison tool lets you compare local agents by their performance data so you can choose an agent whose results justify their fee. Over 1.2 million UK homeowners have used GetAgent to find the right agent for their property, according to GetAgent's research.

For more on the costs involved in selling, see our guide to estate agent fees and what to expect.

Exemptions and reduced fees

Certain transactions are exempt from registration fees altogether. These include some applications made by government bodies, certain social housing transactions, and applications to correct errors caused by the registry itself. Your conveyancer can confirm whether an exemption applies in your case.

Reduced fees are available in the following circumstances:

• Voluntary first registrations attract a minimum 25% reduction on Scale 1 fees.
• Electronic applications for transfers or surrenders of whole registered titles attract approximately a 55% reduction compared with postal rates.
• Large scale applications involving 20 or more registered titles or land units are assessed under a separate fee structure.

The reduced electronic rates do not apply to lease registrations or applications affecting only part of a registered title, even when submitted electronically.

References

• HM Land Registry: Registration Services fees (GOV.UK)
• HM Land Registry fee calculator (GOV.UK)
• Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Search sold house prices (GOV.UK)