Top tips for protecting your home against property fraud

Property fraud is a growing concern for homeowners, especially as fraudsters become more sophisticated in their tactics. Criminals can forge documents, steal your identity and then use these methods to impersonate you to sell or mortgage your property without your knowledge. The impact of property fraud is not just limited to financial losses, as it can cause significant emotional distress as well. It is, therefore, beneficial to understand the ways in which you can protect yourself against property fraud.

1. Register your property with the Land Registry

Registering your property with the Land Registry is one of the most effective ways to protect against property fraud. Once registered, the Land Registry will hold all the legal information about your property, making it harder for fraudsters to fake ownership. Since 1990, it has been a requirement for properties to be registered with the Land Registry. Properties that have changed ownership since 1990 would have been registered automatically by the conveyancers during the changing of property ownership process. Properties that haven’t changed ownership, however, wouldn’t have been registered unless done voluntarily. This may mean that without knowing, your property may not be registered to the Land Registry.

2. Sign up to the Property Alert Service

The Property Alert Service is provided by the Land Registry and is a free service that property owners can register to. The Property Alert Service allows you to monitor any activity related to your property. Once registered to the service, you will receive email alerts any time your property flags suspicious activity, such as someone trying to change ownership details or submit a mortgage application. The alert will prompt you to check this activity and instruct you on the next steps and how to report this activity. Although the alert won’t directly prevent fraud, it gives you early warning so you can act quickly.

3. Apply a property restriction

Placing a restriction on your property title will ensure that no sale or mortgage can be registered without a solicitor or conveyancer certifying that you made the application. This method of fraud prevention is extremely beneficial where a property is mortgage-free, or is a property that you do not live in, to provide an extra layer of protection.

4. Protect yourself from identity theft

Identity theft can affect anyone and is a common way for fraudsters to impersonate property owners. Methods to protect yourself against identity theft include keeping personal and financial documents safe (especially when disposing of old paperwork), being cautious when sharing personal details online or over the phone and using strong and unique passwords for online accounts.

5. Take immediate action if you suspect fraud

Finally, if you become aware of activity relating to your property which is unknown to you or you are suspicious of, it is important to act immediately. . It is crucial that you keep copies of all paperwork relevant to the activity. You can contact the HM Land Registry property fraud team, on 0300 006 7030, if you believe that you are a victim of property fraud.

If you require any help with buying or selling your property, please do not hesitate to contact Attwells on 01473 229200.

Our blogs and articles are correct at the time of writing.

These have been created for marketing purposes only and should not be considered as legal advice.