Landlords and owners of short term lets are at particular risk of property fraud or “property hijacking” for their buy to let properties.
In this blog post, I look at why landlords are at risk of fraud, and what practical steps they can take to reduce the risk.
For more practical advice for landlords, which is up to date with the Renters’ Rights Act, see my bestselling book, The Good Landlord Handbook.*
What landlords need to know about stopping property fraud
What is property fraud?
Property fraud, also called “property hijacking”, can happen when a fraudster impersonates the person who is listed on the Proprietorship Register of the Land Registry’s Official Copies, and holds themselves out as the legal owner of the property before “selling” or mortgaging it.
According to HM Land Registry’s 2025-26 Annual Report, its counter-fraud checks prevented fraudulent property applications worth more than £63 million in a single year. It also paid out £1.6 million in compensation against 948 claims from victims of fraud or error under its statutory guarantee of title. It’s a big problem.
Here is an example of the steps that a property fraudster may take to carry out fraud:
- Assume the identity of the owner of a registered property through identity fraud and fake ID.
- With their new ID, they trick property professionals (solicitors, lenders, estate agents or mortgage brokers) that they are the person listed on the Proprietorship Register of HM Land Registry’s Official Copies of the property’s title.
- The fraudster puts the house up for sale or mortgages the property, before disappearing with the cash.
- The real owner discovers the fraud when they stop receiving rent or they see someone else is living there.
Why is property fraud a problem for landlords?
Property fraud can be a problem for unincorporated landlords if the address of the Registered Proprietor with HM Land Registry is the address of the property itself, and not the home address of the landlord. This happens with accidental landlords who were previously living there, or if the solicitors were lax and didn’t use the home address of the landlord. It’s also an issue for landlords who don’t have a mortgage.
Anyone can check the title deeds of a property at HM Land Registry, and then pose as a tenant in order to intercept post and carry out identity theft. The owner won’t know anything about it, as the post will be going to the rental property, and not to their own address.
Here’s a scenario involving property fraud by a tenant:
- Tenant takes out a loan in the landlord’s name and defaults on the payments.
- A charging order is registered against the property.
- It comes to light after the tenant has moved on, and the debt has been sold.
Alternatively, if the property is a short-term let, someone could do the same.
>> Related Post: 10 practical tips for accidental landlords
>> Related Post: Is a limited company best for landlords?
What can landlords do to reduce the risk of property fraud?
1. Set up a free Property Alert with HM Land Registry
This is the easiest way for a landlord to prevent property fraud. You can sign up to HM Land Registry’s free Property Alert Service online to receive email alerts when they receive official searches and applications against up to 10 monitored properties. This will let you know that someone is either investigating or actively looking at committing property fraud.
2. Check the address of the registered proprietor is the landlord’s home address
Make sure that the address of the registered proprietor in the Proprietorship Register of the Register of Title has your home address, or the registered office if the owner is a limited company. If it’s not, it’s easy to change it by completing and returning Form COG1 to HM Land Registry. It’s free to do this, and you don’t need to use a solicitor to submit the form.
It’s also important to keep the address up to date if you move house or change the address of the registered office.
3. Put a Form LL restriction on the title with HM Land Registry
If landlords or limited company owners don’t have a mortgage, there won’t be a restriction on the property’s title to stop HM Land Registry registering a sale or mortgage on your property. It’s easy for landlords to put a restriction on the title by using Form RQ if you bought the property in your own name, and Form RQ (Co) if a limited company owns the property. There is no cost to doing this and you can even email the form to HM Land Registry. This free service is available for when the registered proprietor is not living at the property.
A Form LL restriction is HM Land Registry’s counter-fraud restriction. Once it’s on the register, HM Land Registry won’t register a sale or mortgage unless a conveyancer certifies that they are satisfied the person who signed the transfer or mortgage is the registered owner. A fraudster with fake ID has to get past a conveyancer who is required to verify your identity.
Two practical points. First, HM Land Registry won’t normally enter the restriction if the only contact address you give is the let property itself, as that suggests you live there. Give your home address. Second, when you genuinely sell or remortgage, your conveyancer provides the identity certificate to satisfy the restriction, and they may charge a fee for it.
>> Related Post: How to avoid fake or rogue letting agents
What is Form ID1 (Verify identify: citizen)?
Form ID1 is a certificate of identity for a person, and enables someone to prove their identity when lodging an application to HM Land Registry.
You’ll need this to prove your identity if you lodge applications with HM Land Registry yourself, without a conveyancer or a solicitor, for certain applications such as transfers, mortgages, leases and surrenders of leases.
A conveyancer or other approved verifier completes the certificate, either in person or under HM Land Registry’s digital identity standard.
It can feel like a hoop to jump through, but it’s the same identity net that makes life harder for the fraudsters this post is about.
Form ID2 does the same for legal entities, such as limited companies.
>> Download form here: Verify identity: citizen (ID1)
>> Government Guidance: Completing forms ID1 and ID2
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