How to check a house's history before buying
No single register holds a house's full history. In England and Wales you piece it together from HM Land Registry sale prices since 1995, the title register, planning and building control records, the EPC, flood records and old maps. For anything earlier, use local archives, census returns and, where they survive, the deeds.
Where each part of the history is kept
As a buyer you are usually after three things: what the home has sold for, how it has been changed, and whether anything has gone wrong with it. Each answer sits with a different body.
| Question | Where to look | How far back | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| What did it sell for? | HM Land Registry Price Paid Data | January 1995 | Sales for value only, and recent months are incomplete |
| Who owns it now? | Title register, £7 online | Current owner | Unregistered land has no register |
| Who owned it before? | Historical editions of the register | After 4 May 1993, where held | May not show every transaction |
| How has it been altered? | Council planning and building control records | Varies by council | Older files may not be online |
| Has it flooded? | Environment Agency flood history report, or Natural Resources Wales recorded flood extents | Varies | Records do not cover every area |
| Who lived there? | Census returns and local archives | 1841 to 1921 for the census | Mainly useful for older homes |
Start with the sale history
Price Paid Data covers residential sales in England and Wales from January 1995 that were sold for value and lodged with HM Land Registry. It is refreshed monthly, and sales usually take between two weeks and two months to appear, so the newest figures are incomplete. Gifts, transfers on divorce, compulsory purchases and some right to buy sales are left out, which means a home can change hands without showing up.
Read the pattern as well as the prices. A resale within a year or two may simply be a refurbishment or a change in someone's plans, but it is a fair question to put to the agent. A price well below neighbouring sales may reflect condition at the time. Our guides to house sale history by address and Land Registry sold prices explain how to read these records, and you can start with sold house prices for the address.
Find out how the building has changed
Search the council's planning register for the address, then check what was approved against what you can see. A loft conversion or extension with no record is not automatically unlawful, because some work falls under permitted development, but it is a reason to ask for paperwork.
Energy certificates help too. If an older EPC shows a smaller floor area than a recent one, the home may have been extended, or the assessors may simply have measured differently. Building regulations are a separate matter from planning, so ask for completion certificates for any structural work, new windows or a new boiler. Gov.uk warns that without approval you may lack the certificates you need when you sell. If the home might be listed, check that as well, because past work may have needed separate consent.
Trace ownership through the title
The title register names the current owner and records rights and restrictions. To see earlier owners, HM Land Registry offers historical editions of the register using form HC1, at £11 by post where the edition is held electronically. Register history may be available for dates after 4 May 1993, you must give an exact date, and the copy may not show every transaction.
Deeds are harder to find. The National Archives warns that deeds older than 30 years may not survive. If the register notes 'copy filed', you can apply for that document with form OC2. Our guides explain how to find out who owns a property and how to find previous owners. A Doorstep Report does not name owners.
Look for problems in the past
- Flooding: in England, ask the Environment Agency for a flood history report. It is emailed within 20 working days and a fee may apply. In Wales, use the recorded flood extents layer on the Natural Resources Wales map. See how to check flood risk.
- Mining: the Mining Remediation Authority's online search is free and says whether you need a report, which starts at £27 plus VAT.
- Former land use: old Ordnance Survey maps, many viewable through the National Library of Scotland, can show a quarry, works or railway where the house now stands. Your conveyancer's environmental search covers contaminated land in more depth.
Going back further
For a period home, start at the local archive, which may hold maps, electoral registers, estate papers and building plans. Census returns from 1841 to 1921 can be searched by address. The 1939 Register, the Valuation Office Survey of 1910 to 1915 and tithe maps from 1836 add owners, occupiers and property details. Our guides on how old your house is and who lived in your house before you walk through these.
A clean history does not tell you the home's condition today, and a missing record is not evidence that nothing happened. Put your questions to the seller in writing through your conveyancer, and use a survey for the building itself.
Questions, answered
Can I check a house's history for free?
Much of it. Sold prices, EPCs, council planning registers and the coal mining search are free to view. A title register costs £7, and historical editions and some reports cost more.
Can I find out why a house was sold or who lived there recently?
Public records rarely say why a home was sold. Recent occupants are not published in the sources here, and census returns stop at 1921. You can ask the seller, through the agent or your conveyancer, why they are moving.
Why does a sale I know about not appear in the Land Registry data?
It may be too recent, as registration can take up to two months or occasionally longer, or it may be a type of transfer that is excluded, such as a gift or a transfer on divorce.
Does this work in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Not in the same way. HM Land Registry covers England and Wales, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own property records. A Doorstep Report covers England and Wales only.