Property Alert is a free monitoring service introduced by the Land Registry in 2014, and it’s designed to eliminate fraud in the market.
There is little doubt that fraud is on the increase and property, whether owned by individuals or companies, is increasingly a target for criminals. Their activities include the submission of false documentation to the Land Registry and fraudulent mortgage applications.
The Law Society has also produced a practice note on property fraud.
Signs of fraud
When purchasing a property, you will initially look at carrying out a survey. If you are looking to carry out a home buyers survey Cambridgeshire is well-served with specialist providers, such as https://www.samconveyancing.co.uk/Homebuyers-Survey/Home-Buyers-Survey-Cambridge, but signs of fraud relating to the property can be revealed through Property Alert.
You do not have to own the property to activate this service, and any individual can register to receive electronic alerts notifying them if strange activity occurs in relation to a property. There is also a dedicated telephone line where your questions can be answered.
Although anyone can use the service, it is usually the registered owner who will find it most useful.
Trigger an alert
Any application or search on the register will trigger an alert in relation to the property which is being monitored. You can register up to ten properties with the system, and more than one individual can check on the same property. That alert will result in email alerts being sent to anyone who has registered to monitor the property.
If you think there is something suspicious when you receive the alert, you should call the contact number included in the message to express your concern.
The Land Registry has been concerned about the increase in fraudulent applications and is keen to bring the issue to the attention of the public and encourage the use of Property Alert to protect homes and investments.
If you wish to create an account, the property to be monitored should be in England or Wales and be registered with the Land Registry. Once you create an alert account, you will receive an email from the Land Registry to confirm your details. At this point, you can add a property or properties to your account and they will be monitored on your behalf. You can delete properties at any time.
