If you have discovered a "Form LL restriction" on your property title register, or if your solicitor has mentioned it in connection with a sale or remortgage, this page explains exactly what it is, why it exists, and what you need to do about it.
A Form LL restriction is an entry on your property's title register at HM Land Registry. It prevents any sale, remortgage, transfer of equity or other disposition from being registered unless a Certificate of Compliance accompanies the application. That certificate must be signed by an independent, SRA-regulated solicitor confirming that the person executing the transaction is the genuine registered owner of the property.
The formal wording of the restriction reads:
In plain English: before your sale or remortgage can be registered, an independent solicitor must confirm you are who you say you are.
The Form LL restriction is an anti-fraud measure. Property title fraud is a real and growing problem in England and Wales — particularly on properties where the registered owner does not live at the address, such as buy to let properties, vacant properties, and homes owned by people living abroad. A fraudster who successfully sells or remortgages your property without your knowledge could leave you with a devastating legal dispute.
The restriction adds a mandatory identity verification step that a fraudster cannot pass. An independent solicitor conducting a video call will immediately identify that the person on the call is not the genuine registered owner. HM Land Registry itself recommends this restriction as one of the primary ways homeowners can protect their property.
Most people with a Form LL restriction had it registered when they bought the property — either by requesting it themselves or because their solicitor added it automatically as a matter of good practice. Some people have no recollection of requesting it. If you bought a buy to let property, the restriction is particularly common.
You can check whether your property has a Form LL restriction by viewing your title register at Land Registry (gov.uk, approximately £3). Look in section B — the restriction will contain the phrase "without a certificate signed by a conveyancer".
If you are selling, remortgaging or transferring your property and there is a Form LL restriction on the title, you need to obtain a Certificate of Compliance before the transaction can be registered. The process is straightforward:
The restriction does not go away after the first certificate is used. It remains on your title register and must be satisfied again for every future transaction. If you want to remove it permanently, that is a separate Land Registry application.
FormLL gets your Certificate of Compliance sorted in days. Fixed fee. Specialist confirmed within 24 hours.
Request Free Callback Fast Track — guaranteed next working day — £240No. The restriction has no bearing on your property's value, your ability to sell at full market price, or a buyer's ability to obtain a mortgage. It is purely an administrative step in the Land Registry registration process.
Yes. You can apply to Land Registry to remove the restriction using Form RX3. You would need to demonstrate good reason for removal. However, removing the restriction also removes the fraud protection it provides — which may not be desirable, particularly for landlords and overseas owners.
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