A sharp rise in registrations for HM Land Registry’s Property Alert Service suggests that homeowners are increasingly concerned about the risk of fraud, following alarming figures in recent years.

135,624 property owners registered for the free service in 2021, compared with 46,043 in 2020. More than 110,000 have already signed up this year.

According to the FOI data, 515,709 property owners in total have now signed up for the free service since its launch in 2014. With approximately 28 million homes in the UK, this represents between just 2% and 4% of property owners, despite significant risks of title fraud.

HM Land Registry’s Property Alert service offers a quick and simple way for homeowners to protect themselves against property title fraud.

Property owners can sign up in minutes and can register up to 10 properties.

Email alerts are sent when HM Land Registry receives an application to change the register as well as for official searches. This enables property owners to judge whether the activity is suspicious and if they should seek further advice.

We’ve seen some alarming instances of fraudsters acquiring ownership of properties using forged documents to impersonate registered owners.”

Olly Thornton-Berry, co-founder and Managing Director of Thirdfort says, “We’ve seen some alarming instances of fraudsters acquiring ownership of properties using forged documents to impersonate registered owners. Empty properties, tenanted properties and those without a mortgage are particularly at risk.”

He adds, “While on one hand it’s hugely positive that there’s been such an increase in people using the scheme, on the other these numbers still account for a very small percentage of UK homes. We’d urge more homeowners to take advantage of this very effective tool, particularly as fraud risk continues to increase.”

Thirdfort is a risk management platform, which combines Know Your Client (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Source-of-Funds (SoF) verification urges property owners to sign up.