How to remove a deceased joint owner from a property title at HM Land Registry
When a jointly-owned property passes to the surviving owner by survivorship, the legal title transfers automatically on death — no probate required.
But HM Land Registry's register still shows both names, which causes problems with selling, remortgaging, or proving ownership.
This walkthrough covers how to check which type of joint ownership applied, what documents Land Registry needs, how to complete the AP1 application form for a deceased joint proprietor, and what to do if you discover the property was held as tenants in common instead.
✓ Official source checked 2 September 2026 · GOV.UK last revised this form 18 August 2026DJP on GOV.UK ↗
United Kingdom·Informational, not legal or financial advice·Official source: GOV.UK
✓Official form · always current
This is the same official DJP 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on GOV.UK — the link below fetches the current version live from GOV.UK the moment you click it, so it can never go out of date.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: August 2026 · confirmed on GOV.UK 2 September 2026
This walkthrough takes the DJP application field by field, in plain English. Most of the form is administrative; the hard part comes before the form — confirming the property was held as joint tenants, not tenants in common, because that single fact decides whether you can simply update the register or need a grant of probate first.
The joint-tenancy versus tenants-in-common mistake
The most common error is applying this procedure when the property was actually held as tenants in common rather than as joint tenants.
If a Form A restriction appears in the Proprietorship Register section of the title, the property is held as tenants in common — the deceased's share is part of the estate and you cannot update the register without a Grant of Probate or Administration.
Applying for a DJP update on a tenants-in-common title will be rejected by Land Registry.
The form, in summary
The DJP form, in summary.
Valoren
DJP·4 pages·18 fields guided
With Valoren15 minutes
Without Valoren30–45 minutes
to complete the form; allow 4–6 weeks for Land Registry processing
Deadline
No deadlinebut update promptly for future dealings
When a property is held by joint tenants and one joint tenant dies, the deceased's interest passes automatically to the surviving joint tenant(s) by the right of survivorship (jus accrescendi).
No probate or grant of administration is required.
The application to HM Land Registry is an administrative step to update the register to reflect the legal position — which changed automatically on death.
This procedure applies ONLY to joint tenants.
If the property was held as tenants in common, the deceased's share does not pass by survivorship: it forms part of the estate and requires a Grant of Probate or Administration before the register can be updated.
·Draws from your Estate File — Property Folio, Civil Dossier, Legal Instruments
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Section 1
Joint tenancy or tenancy in common? — the step that determines everything
Before doing anything else, confirm how the property was held.
The entire DJP procedure only works for joint tenants. If the property was held as tenants in common, a different process applies and you may need probate first.
01
How to check the title
Order a copy of the official title register from HM Land Registry (at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry — costs £3 online).
Look at the Proprietorship Register section (usually the B section).
If you see both names as registered proprietors and no Form A restriction, it is almost certainly a joint tenancy.
If you see the words 'RESTRICTION: No disposition by a sole proprietor of the registered estate' or 'Form A restriction', the property is held as tenants in common.
02
The Form A restriction
A Form A restriction reads: 'No disposition by a sole proprietor of the registered estate (not being a trust corporation) under which capital money arises is to be registered except under an order of the Registrar or of the Court.'
This is the standard restriction used when property is held as tenants in common.
If you see this, stop — you cannot use the DJP procedure and you will need to obtain a Grant of Probate or Administration to deal with the deceased's share.
03
What if you are unsure?
Look at the original purchase documents (transfer deed, TR1 form, or conveyance if old).
There should be a box that was ticked for 'joint tenants' or 'tenants in common in equal shares'.
If you cannot find the original documents, ask the conveyancing solicitor who acted on the original purchase — they are required to keep records for 6 years (12 years for property transactions).
04
Severed joint tenancies
Even if the property was originally purchased as a joint tenancy, the joint tenancy may have been severed later by a written notice, a deed, or conduct (such as one party attempting to sell their share).
A severed joint tenancy converts to a tenancy in common.
Check the title register for any restriction or entry referring to 'severance of joint tenancy' or 'Form A restriction entered on [date]'.
Before doing anything else, confirm how the property was held.
HM Land Registry · DJP❦
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Section 2
Documents you need to gather
The Land Registry requires specific documents to process a DJP application. Gathering these before you start the form saves time and avoids rejection.
01
Death certificate — original or certified copy
Land Registry accepts a certified copy of the death certificate.
A certified copy is one signed by a solicitor, notary, bank official, or similar professional, with the words 'I certify this is a true copy of the original' and their signature, name, and capacity.
If you send an uncertified photocopy, Land Registry will return the application.
You do NOT need to send the original — keep it safe.
02
Copy of the title register
You will need the property's title number (shown on the title register) to complete the AP1 form.
If you do not already have the title register, obtain one at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry before starting the form.
03
Form AP1 — Application to change the register
This is the main application form.
It is available free from the Land Registry website (gov.uk/government/publications/change-the-register-ap1).
Despite the 'DJP' shorthand used by solicitors, there is no form called 'form DJP' — the correct form is AP1, with the death certificate as the supporting document.
04
Fee
The fee depends on how the application is submitted.
Online via Land Registry portal: £20.
Paper application posted to Land Registry: £40.
Some survivorship applications where the property value is under £80,000 carry no fee — check the current fee schedule on the Land Registry website before submitting.
The Land Registry requires specific documents to process a DJP application. Gathering these before you start the form saves time and avoids rejection.
HM Land Registry · DJP❦
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Section 3
Completing form AP1
Form AP1 has several panels. For a straightforward DJP application, you will only need to complete panels 1–6 and the relevant fee panel. Most other panels are left blank.
01
Panel 1 — Title number
Enter the title number shown on the title register (e.g. AGL123456).
If the property is unregistered — older properties may not yet be registered — a different procedure applies (first registration is required).
Contact Land Registry for guidance on unregistered land.
02
Panel 2 — Application and fee
Tick the box for 'Registration of all dealings or dealings affecting the property'.
Under 'Nature of Application', write 'Removal of deceased joint proprietor by survivorship'.
Enter the fee payable.
03
Panel 3 — Documents lodged
List the documents you are enclosing: 'Certified copy death certificate of [full name of deceased], dated [date of death]'.
If applying online, you upload the document instead.
04
Panel 4 — The applicant
Your full name, address, and telephone number or email.
Land Registry will contact you here if there is a query.
05
Panels 5 and 6 — Correspondence and solicitor
Panel 5 is where you want correspondence sent — usually your own address.
Panel 6 asks for a solicitor's details if one is acting for you.
Leave panel 6 blank if you are applying yourself.
Form AP1 has several panels. For a straightforward DJP application, you will only need to complete panels 1–6 and the relevant fee panel. Most other panels are left blank.
HM Land Registry · DJP❦
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Section 4
After the application — what happens next
Land Registry typically processes straightforward DJP applications within 4–6 weeks. The register will be updated to show the surviving owner as sole proprietor.
01
What the updated register looks like
After processing, the Proprietorship Register will show only the surviving owner's name.
The deceased's name will be removed.
Land Registry will issue a confirmation letter and, if you requested one, an updated official copy of the register.
02
Selling the property after updating the register
Once the register is updated, you can sell the property as sole proprietor without restriction.
If you try to sell before updating the register, the buyer's solicitor will require evidence of death and may delay completion until the register is updated — which can take weeks in a chain.
It is far easier to update the register proactively.
03
Tenants in common — what to do instead
If you have established that the property was held as tenants in common, the deceased's share forms part of their estate.
You must obtain a Grant of Probate (if there is a will) or Letters of Administration (if there is no will) before the register can be updated.
Once you have the grant, a different Land Registry application is required — usually a Form AS1 (assent to a beneficiary) or TR1 (transfer to a buyer).
04
Mortgage on the property
If there is a mortgage registered against the property, the lender should be notified of the death separately.
Some lenders will want to review the mortgage terms (particularly for interest-only mortgages) once the sole borrower is deceased.
Contact the lender's bereavement team as soon as the title update is submitted.
Land Registry typically processes straightforward DJP applications within 4–6 weeks. The register will be updated to show the surviving owner as sole proprietor.
HM Land Registry · DJP❦
Many people file DJP 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
DJP questions, answered.
It removes a deceased joint owner's name from a property's title register at HM Land Registry, leaving the surviving owner shown as sole proprietor.
There is no form actually called 'DJP' — the application is made on form AP1, with a certified copy of the death certificate as the supporting evidence.
Not if the property was held as joint tenants.
The deceased's interest passes automatically to the surviving owner by survivorship, so no grant is needed — the AP1 simply brings the register up to date.
But if the property was held as tenants in common, the deceased's share forms part of their estate, and you will need a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration before the register can be changed.
The surviving joint tenant (or tenants).
You can do it yourself; a solicitor is not required for a straightforward survivorship update, though you can instruct one if the title is unusual or you would prefer support.
There is no statutory deadline.
The deceased's name can stay on the register indefinitely, but the register stays inaccurate until it is updated, which can hold up a future sale or remortgage.
Most people update it promptly so any later dealing can proceed without complications.
An online AP1 application is currently £20 and a paper application £40.
Survivorship applications on properties valued under £80,000 can carry no fee.
Land Registry fees are revised periodically, so check the current fee schedule on the Land Registry website before submitting.
Order a copy of the official title register (currently £3 online) and look at the Proprietorship Register.
A 'Form A restriction' — wording that begins 'No disposition by a sole proprietor…' — usually means the property is held as tenants in common.
No such restriction usually means a joint tenancy, where survivorship applies.
If you are unsure, check HM Land Registry's guidance or consider professional advice before applying.
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Where this fits
DJP is one form. The file behind it is the rest.
Forms are easier when the records are ready.
For the DJP application, that means the property's title number and a copy of the official register (to check for a Form A restriction), the certified copy of the death certificate, the AP1 application form, and — only if the title turns out to be held as tenants in common — the will and grant of probate or letters of administration.
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·18 fields·£20 online (AP1 application); £40 paper application — scale 1 fees apply; properties valued under £80,000: no fee for survivorship applications·15 minutes with Valoren
Goes in together
Removing a deceased joint proprietor is lodged with HM Land Registry using the same AP1 cover application as any other change to the register.
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