The AP1 form is the covering application that must accompany almost every HM Land Registry submission. It is the document that formally opens every change to a registered title — whether that is a sale, a mortgage, a discharge or a name change.
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The AP1 is the official HM Land Registry application form to change the register. It is the covering form that must accompany almost every application to alter a registered title in England and Wales in England and Wales. Whether you are registering a transfer of ownership, a new mortgage, a discharge, a restriction, a change of name or any other dealing with registered land, this is the document that formally opens the application.
Think of it this way: the TR1, DS1, CH1 and other transaction documents are the substantive deeds. The HM Land Registry form AP1 is the application wrapper that tells them what you want done with those documents, which title number is affected, what you are paying, and who is making the application. Without it, HM Land Registry has no formal application to process and your documents will be returned.
This form was introduced alongside the Land Registration Act 2002 and has been updated periodically since. The version available on this page is dated October 2024. Always use the current version as older versions are sometimes rejected. The PDF on this page is always the latest edition.
When is the AP1 not needed? Some specific applications use their own dedicated cover forms instead of the AP1. First registration uses the FR1. Official copy requests use OC1 or OC2. Searches use their own search forms. For virtually every other dealing with a registered title, submitting via the AP1 is the correct route.
The AP1 form land registry system covers an enormous range of transactions. Many people only encounter it during a house sale or purchase, but in practice it is used far more broadly than that.
Every residential and commercial property transfer requires an AP1 to register the new owner. It accompanies the TR1 (whole title) or TP1 (part transfer).
When a new charge is registered against a title, an AP1 accompanies the CH1 legal charge form. The lender’s details are entered in Panel 10.
When a mortgage is paid off and removed from the register, an AP1 accompanies the DS1 discharge form or is used alongside the electronic END1 process.
Updating the register after a change of name following marriage, civil partnership, divorce or deed poll requires this form with supporting evidence. See the dedicated name change section below.
Adding or removing a restriction (using RX1 or RX3) or entering a unilateral notice all require an AP1 as the covering application.
Transferring a title into joint names or removing a co-owner following a death or relationship breakdown both require an AP1 accompanying the relevant transfer deed.
A new lease of more than seven years must be registered. The AP1 accompanies the lease document as the covering application.
Changing the address for service held on the register can be done using an AP1 without any separate deed.
One of the most common reasons people use the AP1 form without a solicitor is to update their name on the property register after getting married, entering a civil partnership, divorcing or changing their name by deed poll. The process is straightforward but a few things need to be right.
What documents do you need? The documents required depend on why the name has changed:
💍 Marriage or civil partnership: Your original or certified copy marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate. A photocopy will not be accepted without certification.
⚖️ Divorce or dissolution: Your decree absolute or final order of dissolution. This confirms the old name is no longer in use and the new name can be registered.
📄 Deed poll or statutory declaration: Your enrolled or unenrolled deed poll, or a statutory declaration confirming the change. HM Land Registry will accept either, but the document must be an original or certified copy.
✅ A name change application using the AP1 form is one of the simpler applications you can make to HM Land Registry without a solicitor. Most name change applications are processed without a requisition provided the supporting document clearly links the old name on the register to the new name being registered.
Panel 5 of the form AP1 requires you to list all documents being lodged with the application. What you need depends on the type of application being made. Getting this list right is important — missing documents are a common reason for requisitions.
⚠️ Important note on certified copies. HM Land Registry only needs certified copies of deeds and documents, not originals, for most applications made using this form. Once they have scanned the documents, they are destroyed. This means originals will not be returned. Where you need to keep originals, send certified copies instead and state this on your Form DL or in Panel 5.
This form has fifteen panels. The following guidance takes you through each one so you can complete your application correctly first time. Even a small error or omission can result in HM Land Registry raising a requisition and delaying the registration by weeks.
Enter the name of the local authority for the area where the property is located, along with the full postcode of the property. Where more than one local authority serves an area, enter the one to which council tax or business rates are normally paid. This helps HM Land Registry link the application to the correct local land charges register.
💡 Check your council tax demand notice if you are unsure which local authority applies. The council named there is the correct one to enter in Panel 1.
Enter the title number of each registered title that requires an entry to be made. Most applications affect a single title and will have one title number here. Where a transaction affects more than one title — for example, a consolidation of titles or a charge over multiple properties — list all affected title numbers. If you do not know the title number, you can find it on an official copy of the register (OC1) or by searching the HM Land Registry portal.
Tick the appropriate box to confirm whether the application affects the whole of the title or only part of it. For a standard property sale using a TR1, tick “the whole of the title(s)”. For a part transfer using a TP1, tick “part of the title(s) as shown” and give a brief description of the part affected — for example “edged red on the plan to the transfer dated [date]”.
⚠️ Getting this wrong causes requisitions. If you are submitting a TP1 and tick “whole of the title”, HM Land Registry will raise a requisition to clarify what part of the title is being affected before they can proceed.
This is one of the most important panels in the AP1 form. List each application being made in priority order — for example, “Transfer” on the first line, “Charge” on the second line if a new mortgage is also being registered simultaneously. Enter the price paid or value of the property and the fees payable for each application. Total the fees at the bottom and tick the payment method. Multiple applications lodged together must be listed in the order they are to take priority, as restrictions in higher-priority deeds may affect lower-priority applications unless you specify otherwise.
💡 Common application descriptions to use in Panel 4 include: Transfer, Charge, Discharge, Lease, Assignment, Restriction, Notice, Change of name. The fee for each is calculated using the HM Land Registry fee scale. Use the fee calculator on GOV.UK to confirm the correct amounts before submitting.
List every document being lodged with the AP1. This acts as an inventory for HM Land Registry and ensures nothing is separated or lost when the application bundle is processed. Include every deed, certificate, discharge and identity document. Where you are sending certified copies rather than originals, note this against each item. HM Land Registry scans documents and then destroys them, so originals and certified copies are treated the same way and neither will be returned.
Enter the full name of the person or entity applying to change the register. Where a conveyancer is submitting the application, this must be the client’s name, not the conveyancer’s name. For UK companies and LLPs include the registered number. For overseas entities, the overseas entity ID issued by Companies House under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 must be provided.
This panel must always be completed and identifies the person or firm sending the application to HM Land Registry. If you are a professional customer such as a solicitor, enter your key number. Enter your name, address or UK DX box number, email address, reference and phone number. Requisitions and returned documents will be sent to the address given here. If an email address is included, HM Land Registry will use it wherever possible. Acknowledgement of receipt for postal applications is sent by email where one is available. Warning of cancellation letters are only sent to conveyancers where an email address is included.
💡 Always include an email address. This speeds up communications significantly and ensures you receive automatic acknowledgement when your application is received. Without an email address, you have no confirmation anything arrived until a requisition or registration certificate appears in the post.
This panel is unique to the AP1 form and allows you to notify a third party when the application is completed. Enter the name, address or UK DX box number, email address and reference of any person or organisation who needs to be informed when registration is complete. In a typical property sale or remortgage, this might be the outgoing mortgagee, a management company or a freeholder. It is an optional panel but can be useful in transactions involving multiple interested parties. Refer to the guidance on completing form AP1 on the GOV.UK website for further detail on when to use this panel.
Enter the address or addresses at which the registered proprietor can be served with official notices. There are four options to choose from: the address of the property itself (only available where it is a single postal address); the address for service taken from the transfer or assent; the current address for service already on the register (for existing proprietors staying on the register); or a specific address you enter. Each proprietor may give up to three addresses, one of which must be a postal address with postcode. The others can be a UK DX box number or an email address.
Complete this panel if the application involves registering a new charge such as a mortgage. Enter the full name of the lender and their address for service. For UK companies and LLPs, include the registered number. For overseas companies, include the territory of incorporation. Note that where a charge has an MD reference number, HM Land Registry will disregard an address given here unless the charge is in favour of a UK bank and neither the charge form nor any lender agreement specifies a different address.
💡 Most major UK mortgage lenders operate under direct debit accounts with HM Land Registry and have their own standing arrangements. Your solicitor will know whether a specific lender address needs to be entered or whether the lender’s own instructions apply.
Tick this box and enclose Form DI if the application relates to a registrable disposition and there are disclosable overriding interests affecting the registered estate. Section 27 of the Land Registration Act 2002 defines registrable dispositions. Rule 57 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 sets out which overriding interests are disclosable. Common disclosable interests include legal easements, the rights of persons in actual occupation not mentioned in the register, and certain local land charges not shown on a search. If no disclosable overriding interests exist, leave this panel blank.
Panel 12 explains the identity framework that applies to this application. HM Land Registry relies on conveyancers to verify client identity as a fraud prevention measure. Where a person is not represented by a conveyancer, separate evidence of identity is required. If the application involves registering a transfer, lease, charge, or giving effect to a DS1 discharge or DS3 release, the applicant must then complete either Panel 13 (if a conveyancer) or Panel 14 (if not a conveyancer).
Complete this panel if you are a conveyancer. For applications registering a transfer, lease or charge, state the details of each conveyancer who represented each party to each disposition. Mark your own firm with an X if you acted for that party. For DS1 or DS3 applications, do the same for each lender involved. Where any party was unrepresented, complete Panel 13(2) either confirming you are satisfied with their identity verification or enclosing separate identity evidence for each unrepresented person.
Complete this panel instead of Panel 13 if you are not a conveyancer and are submitting the application yourself. State the details of any conveyancer who represented each party to any disposition being registered. You must also complete Panel 14(2) by enclosing identity evidence for each applicant named in Panel 6 and for each unrepresented party to any disposition included in the application.
💡 If you are submitting the AP1 form yourself without a solicitor, the identity evidence requirement under Panel 14(2) is non-negotiable. HM Land Registry will raise a requisition and hold the application if identity evidence is missing for any unrepresented party.
The AP1 must be signed here. If a conveyancer is acting, the conveyancer signs. If no conveyancer is acting, the applicant signs — and if there is more than one applicant, each must sign separately. Add the date alongside the signature. An unsigned application will not be processed.
✅ Practical tip: Download the PDF from the button at the top of this page and type all entries digitally before printing. The form is complex and typed entries are significantly easier for HM Land Registry to read and process than handwritten ones. For Panel 4 in particular, clean and correctly ordered applications and in the correct priority order avoids one of the most common sources of requisitions in property transactions.
Panel 4 asks for applications to be listed in priority order. This is one of the areas where guidance most people read online gets thin. Understanding priority order matters because it determines which application takes precedence in the event of a conflict.
In most residential transactions, the applications are straightforward: a transfer is registered first, a new charge is registered second. In that order, the buyer’s ownership is established before the lender’s charge is noted, which reflects the legal sequence of events on completion day.
|
Transaction type |
Typical priority order |
|
Standard house purchase with mortgage |
Transfer (TR1), 2. Charge (CH1), 3. Discharge of seller’s mortgage (DS1/END1) |
|
Remortgage |
Discharge of existing charge (DS1/END1), 2. New charge (CH1) |
|
Part transfer with new mortgage on retained land |
Transfer of part (TP1), 2. Charge (CH1) |
|
Transfer with restriction |
Transfer (TR1), 2. Restriction (RX1) |
|
Name change only |
Change of name of registered proprietor |
The form notes that restrictions in deeds of higher priority may affect applications listed below them in Panel 4, unless you specifically state otherwise. If there is any doubt about the correct priority order for a complex transaction, this is an area where professional advice pays for itself.
Downloading the PDF is free. The fees payable to HM Land Registry depend on the type of application and the value of the transaction. Multiple applications submitted on a single AP1 each carry their own fee.
|
Application type |
Fee basis |
Example fee (postal) |
|
Transfer of ownership |
Based on purchase price (Scale 1) |
£150 for £200,001 to £500,000 |
|
New charge (mortgage) |
Based on amount secured (Scale 2) |
£50 for up to £100,000 |
|
Discharge of charge |
Fixed fee |
£40 per title |
|
Change of name |
Fixed fee |
£40 per title |
|
Lease registration |
Based on premium or rent (Scale 1) |
Varies |
|
Restriction or notice |
Fixed fee |
£40 per title |
Electronic applications submitted through the HM Land Registry Business e-services portal attract slightly lower fees than postal applications for value-based transactions. For postal applications made by private individuals, payment must be by postal order or cheque made payable to HM Land Registry. Conveyancers using a direct debit agreement with HM Land Registry have fees charged to their account.
Once the application form and all accompanying documents are ready, the submission process depends on whether you are a registered conveyancer or a private individual.
For most property transactions, an OS1 (whole title) or OS2 (part transfer) official search will have been obtained before completion. This protects the buyer’s priority for 30 business days. The AP1 must be received at HM Land Registry before this period expires. If it lapses, a fresh search is needed and the protection is lost.
Gather the signed AP1 form, all transaction documents listed in Panel 5, the SDLT certificate where required, identity evidence, and the correct fee. Using a checklist before submitting reduces the risk of missing items which would trigger a requisition and delay registration.
Registered conveyancers with a Business e-services portal account can submit electronically, which is faster and carries reduced fees on value-based applications. Private individuals and unregistered firms must submit by post to the appropriate HM Land Registry office. Send by tracked or recorded delivery and keep copies of everything in the bundle.
💡 HM Land Registry processes applications in the order they are received. Electronic applications typically enter the queue faster than postal ones. For time-sensitive matters where a priority period is approaching its end, electronic submission by a conveyancer is strongly preferable.
HM Land Registry processing times have extended considerably in recent years and continue to vary significantly based on workload. Current processing times are published and updated regularly on the GOV.UK website.
|
Application type |
Current estimated time |
|
Transfer of ownership (straightforward) |
3 to 5 months |
|
Transfer with new charge |
3 to 6 months |
|
Discharge of charge only |
2 to 4 months |
|
Name change |
2 to 4 months |
|
Restriction or notice |
2 to 4 months |
|
Complex or expedited applications |
Varies |
The delay in processing does not affect the legal protection of the application. Once HM Land Registry receives a valid AP1 within the priority period, the application is protected and backdated to the date of receipt once registration is complete. Ownership and mortgage security are protected from the moment the application is received, not the date it is processed.
Track your application using the title number and application reference through the HM Land Registry portal. Conveyancers can also track applications through their Business e-services account.
Yes. There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor or conveyancer to submit an AP1. However, Panels 13 and 14 make the identity requirements more onerous for unrepresented parties, and you will need to enclose identity evidence (ID1 or ID2 forms) for yourself and any other unrepresented parties to the transaction. For a simple name change, most people manage without a solicitor. For a property purchase or remortgage, the wider conveyancing risk makes professional representation strongly advisable even though the application itself can technically be made by anyone.
The AP1 form is used to change or update the register — adding new entries, updating proprietor details, registering transactions. The AP2 form is specifically for cancelling an existing entry in the register, such as removing an outdated restriction or a caution. If you want to remove something from the register, AP2 is the correct form. If you want to add or change something on the register, AP1 is what you need.
Your title number appears on any official copy of the register (OC1) you have previously obtained. It is also shown on correspondence from your solicitor relating to the property and on the title information document issued after the property was last registered. If you do not have any of these, you can search for your property on the HM Land Registry register search at GOV.UK for £3. If you are not sure whether the property is registered at all, an SIM (Search of Index Map) application will confirm this.
In most straightforward transactions, an incorrect priority order will lead to a requisition asking you to confirm or correct it before HM Land Registry proceeds. In more complex situations, a wrong priority order could have substantive legal consequences — for example, if a charge is registered before the transfer, the lender’s security technically attaches to the transferor’s estate rather than the buyer’s. This is why conveyancers are careful about the Panel 4 order and why professional advice matters in anything other than the simplest applications.
A requisition is a request from HM Land Registry for additional information or a correction before they can proceed with registration. You will receive a letter or email (if you provided an email address in Panel 7) setting out exactly what is needed. You must respond within the timeframe stated in the requisition — typically 20 business days — or the application may be cancelled. If you cannot respond in time, contact HM Land Registry to request an extension before the deadline passes.
Yes. The form AP1 PDF is a fillable document which you can download from this page, complete digitally and then print for submission. Typed entries are considerably cleaner and easier for HM Land Registry to process than handwritten ones. Conveyancers with access to the Business e-services portal can also prepare and submit AP1 applications entirely online without using a paper form at all.
The current version is dated October 2024. This is the version available to download from this page. HM Land Registry periodically updates the form and older versions are sometimes rejected. Always download a fresh copy immediately before use rather than reusing a form that has been saved for some time, as it may have been superseded.
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