AS1 form: how to transfer probate property to a beneficiary
When someone dies leaving a property, and that property is to go to a beneficiary rather than be sold, the mechanism is an assent.
The executor signs form AS1, which formally vests the property in the beneficiary — and the beneficiary then registers the transfer at Land Registry.
This walkthrough covers when an assent is appropriate (versus a sale), what the AS1 form requires, the Land Registry fees, and the important step of settling all estate debts before the assent takes place.
✓ Official source checked 2 September 2026 · GOV.UK last revised this form 22 April 2024AS1 on GOV.UK ↗
United Kingdom·Informational, not legal or financial advice·Official source: GOV.UK
✓Official form · always current
This is the same official AS1 file HM Land Registry publishes on GOV.UK — the link below fetches the current version live from GOV.UK the moment you click it, so it can never go out of date.
Current version: April 2024 · confirmed on GOV.UK 2 September 2026
This walkthrough takes AS1 field by field, in plain English. Most of the form is straightforward; the hard part is knowing when an assent is the right instrument rather than a sale, and not signing the property over to a beneficiary until the estate's debts are settled.
Don't assent the house before the estate's debts are cleared
Assenting a property to a beneficiary before all estate debts and liabilities have been settled.
If a creditor of the estate later makes a claim after the property has been assented, the executor may have personal liability for unpaid debts.
The safe sequence is: pay all debts and liabilities first, place a notice in the London Gazette (to protect against unknown creditor claims), then assent the property.
The form, in summary
The AS1 form, in summary.
Valoren
AS1·4 pages·24 fields guided
With Valoren20 minutes
Without Valoren45 minutes
to complete form AS1; allow 4–8 weeks for Land Registry registration
An assent is the formal act by which a personal representative (executor or administrator) transfers a property from the estate to a beneficiary.
Unlike a sale (which uses form TR1 and involves a buyer), an assent vests the property in someone who is entitled to it under the will or intestacy rules — without a sale price.
The executor holds the property as a trustee during the administration period; the assent is the act that converts this to the beneficiary's outright ownership.
The assent takes effect in equity on the executor's written agreement, but must be registered at HM Land Registry to take effect as a legal transfer.
·Who Files — The executor(s) (or administrator(s) if there is no will) assent the property to the beneficiary; the beneficiary then applies to register the transfer at Land Registry
·4 pages · 24 fields guided
·Draws from your Estate File — Property Folio, Legal Instruments, Civil Dossier, People, Authority & Contacts
Section01
§11
Section 1
When an assent is used — and when a transfer (TR1) is used instead
An assent and a transfer both move title — but they are used in different circumstances. Choosing the wrong form will cause Land Registry to reject the application.
01
Use AS1 when: a beneficiary inherits the property
If the will leaves a specific property to a named beneficiary ('I give my house at 12 Oak Street to my daughter Emma'), or if the intestacy rules entitle someone to the property, the transfer from the estate to that person is an assent (AS1).
There is no sale price — the beneficiary is entitled as a matter of law.
02
Use TR1 when: the property is being sold
If the estate is selling the property to a buyer (whether to pay debts, or because the residuary estate is being distributed in cash), the transfer to the buyer uses TR1.
This is a standard property sale conveyance.
Use TR1 even if the buyer is a beneficiary purchasing the property at market value from the estate.
03
What if the beneficiary is also one of the executors?
An executor who is also a beneficiary can assent property to themselves.
The legal formality must still be observed — they cannot simply move in and treat the property as theirs.
The AS1 must be completed and registered.
If there is only one executor/beneficiary, Land Registry will note the assent correctly.
04
Joint beneficiaries
If the property is to be assented to more than one beneficiary (e.g. two children in equal shares), the AS1 names all beneficiaries and specifies how the property is to be held: as joint tenants (both own the whole, right of survivorship applies) or tenants in common in specified shares.
This decision should be agreed between the beneficiaries before the AS1 is completed.
An assent and a transfer both move title — but they are used in different circumstances. Choosing the wrong form will cause Land Registry to reject the application.
HM Land Registry · AS1❦
Section02
§22
Section 2
Before the assent — settle debts and place a Gazette notice
An assent should not take place until the administration of the estate is substantially complete. If you assent property before all debts are paid, the executor may be personally liable for any shortfall.
01
Pay all known debts first
All funeral costs, outstanding bills, tax liabilities, and other debts of the estate must be paid before assets are distributed.
If the estate has insufficient liquid assets to pay debts and the property has already been assented, the executor cannot recall the property — but may have personal liability to the creditors for the amount of the distribution.
02
London Gazette notice
Before assenting property (and before making any distribution from the estate), executors should consider placing a Deceased Estates Notice in the London Gazette and a local newspaper.
This is a notice to creditors to come forward with any claims.
Once the notice period has expired (usually 2 months from the date of the notice), the executor can distribute with reduced risk of personal liability to undisclosed creditors.
03
HMRC clearance
Although not legally required before assenting, it is prudent to obtain IHT clearance from HMRC (a 'clearance certificate' confirming they have no further claim against the estate) before the final distribution.
HMRC can raise enquiries for up to 4 years after the IHT400 was submitted.
Clearance provides the executor with protection against later claims.
An assent should not take place until the administration of the estate is substantially complete. If you assent property before all debts are paid, the executor may be personally liable for any shortfall.
HM Land Registry · AS1❦
Section03
§33
Section 3
Completing form AS1
Form AS1 is available from the Land Registry website.
It must be completed by the executor(s) and signed in the presence of a witness. The beneficiary then uses the completed AS1 to apply to register the change of ownership.
01
Panel 1 — Title number and property
The title number of the property (from the title register — order a copy at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry if you do not have it).
The full registered address.
If the property is leasehold, note the lease term and any superior title number.
02
Panel 2 — The transferor (the personal representative)
The full name(s) of the executor(s) or administrator(s) assenting the property.
Their capacity must be stated: 'Executor of the estate of [full name of deceased], deceased'.
03
Panel 3 — The transferee (the beneficiary)
Full name and current address of the beneficiary receiving the property.
If there are multiple beneficiaries: all names, and whether they hold as joint tenants or as tenants in common in specified shares.
04
Panel 4 — Consideration
An assent to a beneficiary is usually for nil consideration (no money changes hands).
Write 'The transferor assents to the vesting of the property in the transferee' or leave the monetary consideration blank.
If a beneficiary is purchasing the property from the estate at value, use TR1 instead.
05
Panel 8 — Execution
Each executor must sign the AS1 in the presence of a witness, who must also sign and provide their name and address.
If there are two or more executors, all must sign.
The beneficiary does not sign AS1 — they sign the AP1 application form when applying to register the transfer.
Form AS1 is available from the Land Registry website.
HM Land Registry · AS1❦
Section04
§44
Section 4
Registering the assent at Land Registry
The completed AS1 must be submitted to Land Registry along with form AP1 (Application to change the register) to update the title. This is usually done by the beneficiary (or a solicitor acting for the beneficiary).
01
Documents to submit
AP1 (Application to change the register); the original or certified copy of AS1 signed by the executors; a certified copy of the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (Land Registry needs proof that the executors had authority to assent); Land Registry fee payment.
If the property is leasehold, the landlord's consent to the transfer may also be required — check the lease.
02
Land Registry fee
Scale 1 fees based on property market value.
For an assent with no monetary consideration, the value for fee purposes is the property's open market value at the date of the assent.
Properties valued up to £80,000: no fee; £80,001–£100,000: £20; up to £200,000: £45; up to £500,000: £95; over £500,000: £125+.
Check current fees on the Land Registry fee calculator at gov.uk.
03
After registration
Land Registry updates the Proprietorship Register to show the beneficiary as the new registered owner.
They issue a confirmation and, if requested, an official copy of the updated register.
The property is now legally and beneficially owned by the beneficiary — the administration of the estate is complete as regards that property.
The completed AS1 must be submitted to Land Registry along with form AP1 (Application to change the register) to update the title. This is usually done by the beneficiary (or a solicitor acting for the beneficiary).
HM Land Registry · AS1❦
Many people file AS1 themselves — that is what this walkthrough is for. If the estate behind it has stopped being simple — inheritance tax to pay, a trust, foreign assets, a dispute — Signum, Valoren’s own specialist desk, can take it on, and we say so plainly: it starts with a free intake, and if you do not need us, we will tell you. Prefer an independent adviser? STEP and the Chartered Institute of Taxation both keep public member directories, and neither pays Valoren a referral fee.
FAQ
AS1 questions, answered.
AS1 is the HM Land Registry form a personal representative uses to assent a property from an estate to a beneficiary — that is, to transfer an inherited house to the person entitled to it under the will or the intestacy rules, with no sale price.
It is not used when a property is being sold; a sale (even to a beneficiary buying at market value) uses form TR1 instead.
The executor (or the administrator, if there is no will) completes and signs AS1, in the presence of a witness, to assent the property.
The beneficiary does not sign AS1 — they sign the AP1 application when applying to register the transfer at Land Registry.
If there are two or more executors, all of them must sign.
There is no fixed statutory deadline for an assent, but it should not happen until the administration of the estate is substantially complete — all known debts, funeral costs and tax liabilities paid, and ideally a Deceased Estates Notice placed in the London Gazette (the notice period is usually 2 months).
The estate should not be left in administration indefinitely, but settling debts before assenting comes first.
Land Registry charges a Scale 1 registration fee based on the property's open-market value at the date of the assent, since no money changes hands.
As a guide, properties valued up to £80,000 attract no fee, rising up the bands as value increases — broadly £40 to £910.
Fee bands are revised periodically, so check the current figures on the Land Registry fee calculator at gov.uk before you submit.
You need the property's title number (order an official copy of the title register at gov.uk if you don't have it), the grant of probate or letters of administration proving the executor's authority, the will or evidence of intestacy entitlement that identifies the beneficiary, and the death certificate.
The completed AS1, an AP1, and a certified copy of the grant are submitted to Land Registry together.
Assenting the property to a beneficiary before the estate's debts and liabilities are settled.
If a creditor later makes a valid claim, the executor cannot recall the property and may face personal liability for the shortfall.
The safe sequence is to pay all debts, place a London Gazette notice, then assent.
Where the estate is insolvent, contested, or the property is leasehold, it is worth checking the position with a solicitor or conveyancer.
Library
Free guides behind this form
These free institutional briefs cover the records and context that make this form easier — what to gather before you start.
Leave your email and we'll send you a link to this guide, plus the Valoren monthly note: one practical household-records briefing, one law or form update, and one worked example each month.
You can unsubscribe with one click.
Where this fits
AS1 is one form. The file behind it is the rest.
Forms are easier when the records are ready.
For AS1, that means the property's title number, the grant of probate or letters of administration that give the executor authority to assent, the will or intestacy entitlement that names the beneficiary, and the death certificate.
When you're ready — not before — our £179 Executor's First Hour walks you through registering the death, notifying banks and pensions, and getting probate started, in the right order. The free checklist above covers the essentials; this is for when you'd rather have a hand to hold. Executor's First Hour — £179 →
HM Land Registry·24 fields·Land Registry registration fee based on property value (scale 1 fee; properties valued under £80,000 may qualify for a reduced fee if no monetary consideration is given)·20 minutes with Valoren
Goes in together
AS1 is the deed transferring the property to a beneficiary. AP1 is the application asking HM Land Registry to register it — the two are lodged together.
We use first-party analytics only — no advertising or tracking third parties — to see which pages actually help people. You can keep that off. Anonymous error reports go to our error-monitoring processor so we can fix what breaks. Privacy