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Property Ownership and Land Registry Research

4 min read Apr 11, 2026

Overview

Land registry and property ownership data connects names to physical addresses through legally recorded transactions. Unlike electoral or court records which reflect an address at a point in time, property ownership records are continuously updated and reflect current ownership. They also reveal transaction history, purchase prices, mortgage holders, and in some cases beneficial ownership structures used to hold property anonymously.

UK Land Registry

HM Land Registry holds title records for registered properties in England and Wales. Title registers are publicly searchable and purchasable. Each register entry contains the registered proprietor's name, the property address, price paid, and details of any charges or restrictions on the title.

Search by address to find the registered owner:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.os.uk/search/names/v1/find?query=$ADDRESS&maxresults=5" -H "key: $OS_API_KEY" | jq '.results[].GAZETTEER_ENTRY | {name: .NAME1, type: .TYPE, postcode: .POSTCODE_DISTRICT}'

For direct title register access, the Land Registry Search API returns ownership details by title number or address. Each search costs a small fee through the GOV.UK Land Registry portal, but the data is authoritative and current:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.landregistry.data.gov.uk/data/ppi/address-token/$POSTCODE.json" | jq '.result.items[] | {address: .propertyAddress, amount: .pricePaid, date: .transactionDate}' 
{
  "address": "123 HIGH STREET, LONDON, EC1A 1BB",
  "amount": "750000",
  "date": "2019-06-14"
}

Price Paid data is freely available and shows all residential property transactions in England and Wales since 1995. This confirms whether a subject purchased a property, when, and for how much, even without accessing the full title register.

Overseas Property Ownership

UK Land Registry also holds a register of overseas entities that own property in England and Wales, introduced under the Economic Crime Act 2022. This register is publicly searchable and connects offshore company ownership to UK properties, which is particularly relevant for investigating individuals using shell structures to hold assets.

Search the overseas entities register:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.company-information.service.gov.uk/search/companies?q=$COMPANY_NAME&company_type=registered-overseas-entity" -u $COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY: | jq '.items[] | {name: .title, status: .company_status, registered: .date_of_creation}'

US Property Records

US property ownership is recorded at county level by the county assessor or recorder of deeds. Records are publicly accessible and most counties provide online search portals. Aggregator sites compile county data into national search interfaces.

Useful US property search sources:

  • Zillow and Realtor.com show current and historical ownership for most US properties

  • County assessor portals provide the most current and detailed records including tax assessment, owner name, and mailing address

  • PropertyShark provides detailed ownership history, mortgage data, and lien information for major US markets

  • ATTOM Data Solutions provides a comprehensive API for US property data with ownership, transaction history, and mortgage records

County assessor search by owner name:

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ curl -s "https://api.gateway.attomdata.com/propertyapi/v1.0.0/property/basicprofile?street=$ADDRESS&cityname=$CITY&state=$STATE" -H "apikey: $ATTOM_API_KEY" | jq '.property[0] | {owner: .owner.owner1.lastname, address: .address.line1, assessed: .assessment.assessed.assdttlvalue}'

Corporate Property Ownership

Property held by a company rather than an individual requires tracing through corporate records to reach the beneficial owner. When a Land Registry or county record shows a company as the owner, look up the company in the relevant corporate registry to find directors, shareholders, and beneficial owners.

For UK properties held by UK companies, the chain is: Land Registry title register to company name, Companies House to directors and persons with significant control. For properties held by offshore entities, the UK overseas entities register, the British Virgin Islands financial services commission, or the relevant offshore jurisdiction's corporate registry are the next steps.

Mortgages and Charges

Mortgage records in the Land Registry title register name the lender and confirm the subject has a financial relationship with a specific institution. This is useful for confirming identity and for understanding financial exposure. In the US, mortgage deeds are recorded in county deed records alongside ownership transfers and are publicly accessible through the same county portals.

References