Have you signed up to protect against property fraud? Number of homeowners increased by 30% in two years
- In 2022, a total of 178,086 homeowners will have registered for the Kadaster alert
- It’s a 30% increase, compared to 135,624 homeowners who signed up in 2020
- We reveal how to sign up for HM Land Registry’s property alerts
The number of homeowners signing up to protect themselves against property fraud – via alerts from HM Land Registry – has risen by 30 per cent.
In 2022, a total of 178,086 homeowners registered for the free HM Land Registry property alert service, up from 135,624 in 2021.
There has been a decline so far this year, with 34,821 registrations in the first six months of 2023. However, this suggests that the annual total will still far exceed 2020’s 46,043 registrations.
The service alerts homeowners if there is any suspected fraudulent activity related to the ownership of their property – particularly if someone files an application to change the property’s registry.
In 2022, a total of 178,086 homeowners will have registered for the HM Land Registry Property Alerts
| Year | bills |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 34,821 |
| 2022 | 178,086 |
| 2021 | 135,624 |
| 2020 | 46,043 |
| 2019 | 51,809 |
| 2018 | 51,178 |
| 2017 | 61,168 |
| 2016 | 28,424 |
| 2015 | 12,999 |
| 2014 | 16,938 |
| 2013 | 1,095 |
| Total | 618,185 |
| Source: Thirdfort | |
The 30 percent increase in registrations was revealed in a Freedom of Information request from risk management platform Thirdfort.
It means 618,185 have signed up for the service since the scheme launched in 2014, which is still a small percentage of the entire property market.
Olly Thornton-Berry, from Thirdfort, said: ‘Property fraud is a major risk, especially as fraudsters become more sophisticated and the economic climate remains challenging.
“There has been an explosion of fake IDs and we have seen some high-profile examples of fraudsters gaining ownership of properties by using forged documents to pose as registered owners.”
He explained that vacant properties, rental properties and properties without a mortgage are particularly at risk.
“It is critical that we use all available tools to prevent fraudulent sales, and HM Land Registry’s Property Alert Service provides homeowners with access to a simple and highly effective method of minimizing the risk of property fraud,” he added .
“We encourage more homeowners to take advantage of this highly effective tool, especially as the risk of fraud continues to increase.”
Homeowners can sign up for HM Land Registry’s property alerts in minutes and can register up to 10 properties
He suggested that with around 24.8 million homes in Britain, only 2.5 per cent of property owners may have signed up for the alerts.
HM Land Registry’s Property Alert service provides a quick and easy way for homeowners to protect themselves against property fraud.
Property owners can sign up in minutes and can register up to 10 properties.
Email alerts are sent when HM Land Registry receives a request to change the register and for official searches.
This allows property owners to assess whether the activity is suspicious and whether they should seek further advice.