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Electoral Rolls
only show the occupants of the property |
Once a year all
adult citizens of the UK are obliged to register
their names on the electoral rolls. Searching
the Rolls will provide a list of all occupants
at the address searched. This will include all
family members, lodgers, tenants, etc. If the
owner of the property does not live there, e.g.
if he is a landlord or a company, his name will
not be shown.
It is not prudent to rely on
an electoral register search for details of ownership,
therefore. Land Registry searches, on the other
hand, reveal the actual owner of the property.
The correct search to make is a Title Register search, which can be carried out from this web
site. |
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Electoral
Rolls are only updated once a year |
The Electoral Roll is updated once a year.
Changes in occupation of a property between
annual versions of the Roll are not apparent
until the new Roll is published. On the other
hand, the Land Registry usually update changes
of ownership within a few days, and where
ownership changes are pending this is revealed
on a list known as the Day List, which is
automatically included with our search report.
We have a direct link to the Land Registry
and provide up to date information to our clients.
This includes an automatic Day List search so
that our clients not only receive up to date
information, but receive notice of any forthcoming
changes. Day List entries also include details
of pending official searches, which show that
a sale is in progress, even though it has not
yet been completed.
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Electoral
Rolls contain non-inclusions |
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Many people do
not realise there are 2 Electoral Register databases.
Only one of these is available to the public.
Members of the public can, and increasingly
do, apply to have their names omitted from this
register. As more people become aware of this
right (which has recently received considerable
media attention following a ruling by the Court)
it is becoming less reliable as a source of
tracing people.
Problems of this nature cannot
occur with Land Registry searches, where all
properties in the UK are subject to compulsory
registration following a sale or mortgage. There
is no provision for opting out of registration. |
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