How to remove a name from a title deed

Whether it’s due to death, divorce or a change in personal circumstances, it may become necessary for a name to be removed from a property deed. This is usually achieved by the property owners, including the person whose name is being removed, completing a transfer deed.

Although you can generally complete the process yourself, you might want to get legal help and have a lawyer review the paperwork for you.

How can I remove a name from the title deed?

The basic process involves filling in a series of forms and sending them to HM Land Registry. The exact procedure you’ll need to follow depends on a few things, such as whether or not there is a mortgage on the property.

Steps to remove a name from a property deed

1. Fill in the application to change the register.

You’ll need to fill in the application to change the register, known as form AP1.

You can obtain a copy of the official title register for £3 from the Land Registry website.

2. Sign the transfer deed.

The transfer deed, often referred to as TR1, must be signed by the property owners, including the one who is being removed.

3. Take form ID1 to a solicitors’ firm.

Form ID1 is the certificate of identity for a private individual. This form needs to be completed by a solicitor. You must also take with you a valid form of identification, which must be one of either:

A valid passport
A current photocard driving licence from either the EU, UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands. A provisional licence wouldn’t be enough
A UK Biometric Residence Permit

You will also need to provide two of the following:

A mortgage statement, sent by post, for the most recent finished accounting year
A UK-issued credit card, supported by a recent account statement, under three months old
A council rent book for the last three months
A council tax bill for the current year
A utility bill sent by post under three months ago
A current firearm or shotgun certificate

4. Send the completed forms to HM Land Registry.

The forms should be sent to this address:

HM Land Registry
Citizen Centre
PO Box 74
Gloucester
GL14 9BB

Don’t want to deal with all the trouble of handling your deed? You can consult with a lawyer who will complete the process for you.

What if there is a mortgage on the property?

If you need to remove a name from a title deed for a property with a mortgage on it, you will need written consent to do so from the lender. Generally, it is easier to obtain this if the person(s) left on the title deed is (are) sufficiently financially secure.

How can I remove a name from the title deed when a property owner dies?

In this case, you should fill in the deceased joint proprietor (DJP) form.

This form should then be sent to the HM Land Registry Citizen Centre, at this address:

HM Land Registry
Citizen Centre
PO Box 74
Gloucester
GL14 9BB

Frequently asked questions

If you buy a property with someone, whether it’s your partner or a friend, and contribute exactly the same amount towards the deposit, buying costs, mortgage and ongoing expenses you’ll probably want the proceeds to be split between you equally if you sell it.
But if you put in different amounts – for example, one of you pays more of the deposit than the other, or one of you will be paying more of the mortgage, you may want this to be reflected in how the proceeds are divided. And if a third party, such as a parent, has contributed money to help with the purchase they may want to be sure of getting their money back when the property is sold.
This is where a deed of trust – also known as a declaration of trust – comes in. It’s a legally binding document you draw up when you buy the property to record how much each party has paid and set out who will get what if the property is sold or what will happen if one person wants to buy the other out. This helps to avoid disagreements later.

Who is most likely to be researching removing someone's name from a title deed?

Finder data suggests that men aged 25-34 are most likely to be researching this topic.

Response	Male (%)	Female (%)
65+	6.03%	6.09%
55-64	6.85%	7.38%
45-54	9.28%	9.46%
35-44	10.84%	10.24%
25-34	10.98%	10.06%
18-24	6.80%	5.99%

Source: Finder sample of 6,630 visitors using demographics data from Google Analytics

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Matthew Boyle

Publisher

Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio

Matthew's expertise

Matthew has written 285 Finder guides across topics including:

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60 Responses

JohnMarch 27, 2018

Hi I own a property with my sister which has a mortgage. We both want to have my name removed from the deeds and mortgage. Can you tell me what costs are involved I.e solicitors / capital gains tax etc for either of us.

Finder

JoshuaMarch 29, 2018Finder

Hi John,

Thanks for getting in touch with finder.

I can’t give you the exact costs involved in removing our name from the deed and mortgage, but let me give you general pieces of information.

If you want to remove your name from a mortgage, the first thing you need to do is notify your lender. Generally, you can’t remove your name from the mortgage without the knowledge of your lender and you need a written consent from them.

Removing a name from a mortgage may cost you a few hundreds of GPB. You also need to consider additional search fees and Land Registry costs which would depend on the nature of the individual transaction.

You may also want to consider getting in touch with Rocket Lawyer or London and Country Mortgage Experts to get a more personalised answer.

I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers,
Joshua

AnneliseMarch 24, 2018

I married in the US, now live in UK. We plan to divorce, how difficult is it to put the deed in my name? Will I pay US tax? My spouse is a UK citizen.

Finder

MayMarch 26, 2018Finder

Hi Annelise,

Thanks for your question. The degree of difficulty when adding a name into to the property deed would differ, depending on if there’s a smooth agreement between parties involved. Best to speak to your spouse first and come to an agreement, otherwise, this will entail complexities in the process and you may need a lawyer’s help. As to the tax and other fees involved, this depends on where the property is located. So this will also be part of the legal advice and process. I would suggest that you consult with Rocket Lawyer above to get a no obligation legal advice on this matter.

Regards,
May

BillMarch 23, 2018

How much would it cost for a solicitor to pass a completed AP1 Form to remove a name from property deeds.

Finder

MayMarch 26, 2018Finder

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your inquiry. I’m afraid we don’t have information as to how much would be the professional fee of a solicitor when they organise the removal of name from the deed. I think this would be best to confirm directly from the solicitor or through the firm they are affiliated with.

Regards,
May

NeilMarch 20, 2018

Me and my wife need her ex husband name taking off the house which is in joint name with her ex.
He hasn’t lived in the house for more 10 years and lives somewhere in Wales.
We have 2 children who live with us in this house.
My wife also has joint loans with her ex secured against the house. Is there a legal way to get his name taken off the deeds?

Finder

MayMarch 26, 2018Finder

Hi Neil,

Thanks for your question.

Yes, there is. Usually, taking off names from the deed must be agreed upon by the parties/owners involved. If in case that you don’t have a consent from the person whose name is to be removed, it could be a more complex situation. You’d need to get a legal advice on this and consult a lawyer. The Rocket Lawyer may be able to help though for legal advice.

Also, in a situation that the property is still on a mortgage, you’d need to get in touch with a lender first and let them know about the removal of the name. Usually, the lender would advise if you’d need to re-structure the mortgage especially when one of the borrowers is to be removed.

Cheers,
May

RenheMarch 17, 2018

Can I take my name off a property deed and put someone else’s name on if the mortgage is paid off? In effect making them the owner of the property? Can they then have loans secured on the property, a first charge against the property by a lender for example?

Finder

JoshuaMarch 25, 2018Finder

Hi Bara,

Thanks for getting in touch with finder.

The answer to your question is yes. You can take your name off a property deed and put someone else’s name on it.

Once their name is on the property deed, that person technically owns the property. Thus, he/she can use it when applying for a secured loan.

If in case you are looking for a personal loan, you might want to start your search here.

I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers,
Joshua

How to remove someone’s name from a title deed

A change in personal circumstances may make it necessary to remove a name from a property deed.