How do find who owns land

If a property does not appear in a search, it may be filed under the wrong address. Ask for a search of the index map instead. You can download online copies of the information for a fee but you cannot use them as proof of ownership. Download and fill in an application for official copies of documents and send it to HM Land Registry with your fee. The title register may give you details about rights over adjoining land.

Apply for a copy of the deeds if you need more information. Title plans only give general boundary information. You may be able to find out who owned the property before the current owner from a historical title register. Contact HM Land Registry with the:. Download and fill in form HC1. To help us improve GOV. Click 'Accept all cookies' to agree to all cookies that collect anonymous data.

To only allow the cookies that make the site work, click 'Use essential cookies only. Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can change your cookie settings at any time. If you want to find out who owns land or property in Scotland, you can access Registers of Scotland's registers.

They have an ownership and title deed search, which lets you search their registers for details of:. They also have the Land Register of Scotland, which gives information on properties and land owned in Scotland, including:. Visit the Registers of Scotland website for more information on searching the registers.

Peace of mind over pieces of mind, right? But what if you don't want to spend the money just yet? You want to search for free first. No problem, here is how:. It's a vacant property, so it's not like you can look at the mailbox for the exact address. But first things first, let's get you the address. You know where the parcel of land is located, so open up Google Maps and get to that location. When you click on the plot of land, the address will pop up at the bottom of the screen. Now pop that address into a plain old google search and see what comes up.

You'll probably find out if it's for sale, or has been recently, but you won't find out who the property owners are. If that doesn't work, there is another way. Some states have parcel maps that make it easy to gather info on any parcel of land. For example, if you want to know how to find out who owns land in Texas, google Texas parcel viewer , or Texas parcel map. There will be pages of search results, so if you know the county, enter that instead of the word Texas.

It will narrow down the search. Once you find the right map, you should be able to click on the parcel of land and get some basic info. Depending on the state, and how much info they put on the site, you may find out who owns the property.

You can do that for any state, not just Texas. However, some states make it more complicated than others. Some counties have offices where you can go and physically pull parcel maps to get the address. Others have uploaded all of their maps to online portals. The basic info is out there if you have the time and patience to search it out.

So let's assume you've found the exact location, but still don't know the owner's name. This is your next step. You've got the address; now you need to find out who owns that property. In your quest to learn how to find out who owns land, you've got to get the basics first. Start with a public records search at the local county recorder's office or the tax assessor.

The recorder's office keeps all the permanent public records that have to do with real property. The clerk will do the property owner lookup for you with the address you've given them. Their records will show who owns this property, and who was the previous owner was. If you decide to go to the tax assessor's office instead, they will look up the address and find out where they mail the tax bills.

Obviously, if it's vacant land, the property owners don't live there, but they still have to pay taxes on the parcel. You can assume whoever is getting the bill is the owner of the land.

The documents found by either of these offices will have more info than just the owner on record. You'll get tax records and if there are any current liens or encumbrances. The county you are looking within might have all of these records online. Finding it out is just a matter of figuring out which portal has access to the specific data you need. These methods also come in handy if you want to buy a house that's not on the market. For example, you've been keeping an eye on this home for years, and it's falling into disrepair.

There is so much potential, and you could see yourself growing old in that house. You'd love to buy it, but you have no idea who owns this property. Head down to the tax assessor or county recorder's office and find out who lives at this address with a free search of public records. As with most bureaucratic processes, finding the answers might not come so easily or be so straight forward. But you've got to try, right? Or go to PropertyScout.

If you know the area well, asking the neighbors is an easy option. But be sure to explain what you are trying to achieve.