How to remove a deceased joint owner from a property title at HM Land Registry

Order a copy of the official title register from HM Land Registry (at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry — costs £7 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.

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 it, you can still send form DJP. The restriction stays on the register after the deceased's name is removed.

It means the deceased's share belongs to their estate rather than passing to you outright — and that before the property can be sold or mortgaged, either a second trustee must be appointed to act alongside you, or, if the share has since passed to you, you can apply to cancel the restriction (form RX3, with a statement of truth on form ST5).

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).

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]'.

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.

You will need the property's title number and the deceased owner's full name exactly as the title register shows them — both go on form DJP.

If you do not already have the title register, obtain one at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry before starting the form.

This is the application form, free from GOV.UK (search for 'Deceased joint proprietor (DJP)').

It is sent on its own with the evidence of death — it does not need a covering form AP1.

HM Land Registry's own note on the form: it is only for use on the death of a joint proprietor where the legal estate vests in the survivor(s).

There is no Land Registry fee for this application. Registering the death of a joint proprietor is on the exemptions list in Schedule 4 of the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, and GOV.UK's fees guide lists it among the applications that carry no fee, whatever the property is worth.

Most families send form DJP by post; online filing through the Land Registry portal is for conveyancers.

1: the local council for the property's area. 2: the title number from the title register (for example AGL123456) — if the property has more than one title, list each.

3: the property's address and postcode; land with no address gets a description instead, such as 'land adjoining 2 High Street'.

If the property was never registered at HM Land Registry, form DJP does not apply — that is a first registration, a different application. Contact HM Land Registry for guidance.

Tick A and send an official copy of the death certificate, or a certified copy. B is an alternative — an official or certified copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration. C is for conveyancers only.

HM Land Registry scans what you send and may destroy it, so never send the original certificate. A document in another language needs a certified translation.

Your full name, and the name of anyone else making the application with you.

Your name and postal address — HM Land Registry uses it to return documents and to ask any questions, and cannot process the application without it. Email is optional. The reference and key number boxes are for conveyancers; leave them blank.

Complete part A ('I/We') and part C: the full name of the person who died as it appears on the title register, the date they died, and the place of death. Part B is for conveyancers.

Fill this in only if the name or address on the death certificate (or the grant) is different from the title register — a missing middle name, or an old address. You are certifying that they are the same person.

Every applicant named in section 5 signs and dates the form.

Post the form and the evidence of death to HM Land Registry Citizen Centre, PO Box 7806, Bilston, WV1 9QR. There is no fee box on the form and nothing to pay.

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.

Once the register is updated, you can sell the property as sole proprietor — unless a Form A restriction remains on the title, in which case see the item below.

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.

If the property was held as tenants in common, the deceased's share forms part of their estate and passes under the will or the intestacy rules.

Form DJP has still updated the register: you are now the sole registered owner, holding the property on trust for yourself and the estate.

The Form A restriction stays. Before a sale or mortgage, either appoint a second trustee to act with you — HM Land Registry's guidance says this can be the deceased's executor or administrator, but does not have to be — or, if the share has passed to you under the will or intestacy, apply to cancel the restriction with form RX3 and a statement of truth on form ST5.

If the share is passing to someone else, the executor or administrator will usually need a grant of probate or letters of administration to deal with the estate, and the transfer of that share to its new owner is a separate Land Registry application.

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.