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

AngelaJanuary 30, 2018

If if house was purchased with inheritance money and then partners name put on can it be removed if they paid no money towards the property

Finder

AshFebruary 16, 2018Finder

Hi Angela,

Thank you for reaching out to finder.

Yes, any names on the deed can be removed so long that all parties listed on the deed would agree. If anyone won’t give their consent, this could be a complex process as you may need to seek a legal advice before removing any names.

In case that your partner agrees that his name will be removed from the deed, you can then follow the steps outlined above.

I hope this helps.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have additional questions.

Cheers,
Ash

MaryJanuary 15, 2018

Can you please tell me just how long it takes to remove a name from joint deeds of a house ?. Have filed papers over a week.

Finder

RenchJanuary 17, 2018Finder

HI Mary,

Thanks for your inquiry.

The average completion time for processing a change of ownership is around 5 to 6 weeks but could take longer depending on a number of reasons such as the application lacking certain documents.

The advantage of working with a lawyer is that they can help you prepare and submit a complete set of documents which could prevent any unnecessary delay in processing.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Rench

KatieJanuary 6, 2018

If a divorce settlement was based on wife transferring beneficial interest in family home, but could not do so as husband not financially secure as lender would not agree but knowing that husband was in breach of their agreement by renting, wife not benefitting from rent & no acccess to property, could wife apply to court for an involuntary deed removal? Divorce settlement states that wife should not incur any liability to co operate. The property is in negative equity & therefor wife would be liable. Thank you for you advise.

Finder

RenchJanuary 7, 2018Finder

HI Katie,

Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer you general advice.

It can be complicated to remove someone’s name from a property deed when the person doesn’t want their name to be removed. If necessary, you may need to go through partition actions which are lawsuits that force co-owners to give up their ownership interests.

You may contact Rocket Lawyer by clicking on ‘Apply now’ button above this page and seek for advice.

Best regards,
Rench

SarahDecember 27, 2017

Hi.

My brother in law and my mum were both on the deeds to her house. My mum died and he has removed her name from the deeds without my permission. I am her next of kin and dealing with her other finances. How has e managed this without my authority?

Finder

RenchDecember 28, 2017Finder

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer you general advice.

You will need to consult your case with a lawyer who will complete the process for you.

Rocket Lawyer is the most widely used legal service in the world, and might be a good option for any queries you have around property deeds. You may click on ‘Find out more’ or ‘Apply now’ button on this page.

Best regards,
Rench

IanOctober 30, 2017

Hi, I was divorced in 1993 but the mortgage company refused to remove my ex’s name because we had been arrears. My mortgage is now finished. So I would like to know how I can now remove her name. We have no contact war so ever.

Finder

JoanneOctober 31, 2017Finder

Hi Ian,

Thanks for reaching out.

Before a removal of a name can happen on a property deed, all parties involved must have an agreement and sign to conform with the changes. If not, you would need to seek legal advice. You may try checking with Rocket Lawyer for further questions.

In addition, the process of removing someone’s name from the property title depends on which state or territory your property is located. But generally, to start with, you’ll need to fill out a relevant transfer form that can be obtained from your state government department’s website.
You’d also be best to utilise the services of a conveyancer so you’ll be guided properly with the process and the fees involved.

Cheers,
Joanne

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.