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AP1 form: how to apply to HM Land Registry to change the register

Any time you need to change who owns a property — removing a deceased person from a joint title, transferring it to a beneficiary, or making a restriction — you file AP1 to make that application to HM Land Registry.

AP1 itself just identifies the application; the actual change is effected by the form lodged with it (DJP, AS1, TR1, or RX1).

This walkthrough explains how to complete AP1, what supporting documents must accompany it, how the fee is calculated, and how the OS1 official search protects your application.

✓ Official source checked 24 September 2026 · GOV.UK last revised this form 23 December 2025AP1 on GOV.UK
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United KingdomInformational, not legal or financial adviceOfficial source: GOV.UK
Official form · always current

This is the same official AP1 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on GOV.UK — the link below fetches the current version live from GOV.UK the moment you click it, so it can never go out of date.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: December 2025 · confirmed on GOV.UK 24 September 2026

This walkthrough takes AP1 field by field, in plain English. AP1 is just the envelope; the real change to the register is in the form lodged with it — DJP to remove a deceased joint owner, AS1 to assent property to a beneficiary, TR1 to sell. The hard part is knowing which of those applies, and protecting your place in the queue with an OS1 search before you send it.

The step people skip that loses their place in the queue
Lodging AP1 without a current OS1 official search.

The OS1 search provides a 'priority period' during which no other application against the same title can jump ahead of yours.

Without an OS1, you have no protection against a competing application — for example, if the deceased's estate had unknown creditors who might register a restriction.

The OS1 search costs £7 online or £11 by post and usually comes back within a day; it should always be obtained immediately before submitting AP1.
The form, in summary

The AP1 form, in summary.

Valoren
AP13 pages20 fields guided
With Valoren15 minutes
Without Valoren30 minutes
once substantive forms are prepared
Deadline
OS1 prioritylodge within 30
working days of search
Who Files
Executoror solicitor
lodging the application
£
Fee
Free–£1,105by application type
(DJP free)
Filed with Land Registry
Draws from your Estate File
the records this form is built from
PersonalProperty Folio·Legal Instruments·Civil Dossier·Digital Access Map·Financial Accounts·Asset Inventory·Income & Outgoings·Policy Index·Medical Abstract·Succession Plan·Digital Legacy Registry·Business Interests & Directorships·Funeral & Committal Wishes·Dependent Care & Handoff·Personal Record·RegistryMaster Registry·Renewal Register·People, Authority & Contacts·Designated Places·Kinship & Succession Map·SecureAccess Controls·Recovery Routes·Custody & Contingency·EventsDeath & Estate Activation·Incapacity & Medical Proxy·Absence & Continuity Cover·Access Loss & Identity Recovery·Legal Dispute & Evidence Protocol·Theft & Asset Compromise·Property Damage & Incident Response·Relocation & Address Update Protocol·Separation & Custody Documentation·Business Interruption & Continuity·PersonalProperty Folio·Legal Instruments·Civil Dossier·Digital Access Map·Financial Accounts·Asset Inventory·Income & Outgoings·Policy Index·Medical Abstract·Succession Plan·Digital Legacy Registry·Business Interests & Directorships·Funeral & Committal Wishes·Dependent Care & Handoff·Personal Record·RegistryMaster Registry·Renewal Register·People, Authority & Contacts·Designated Places·Kinship & Succession Map·SecureAccess Controls·Recovery Routes·Custody & Contingency·EventsDeath & Estate Activation·Incapacity & Medical Proxy·Absence & Continuity Cover·Access Loss & Identity Recovery·Legal Dispute & Evidence Protocol·Theft & Asset Compromise·Property Damage & Incident Response·Relocation & Address Update Protocol·Separation & Custody Documentation·Business Interruption & Continuity·
Legal basisStatute

AP1 is the Land Registry's standard application form for registering any dealing with a registered title — including transfers, assents, restriction entries, charges, and removing deceased proprietors.

AP1 is not a standalone transaction: it is submitted alongside the relevant substantive form (DJP for removing a deceased joint owner, AS1 for an assent to a beneficiary, TR1 for a transfer, RX1 for a restriction).

Without a valid AP1, HMLR will not process the supporting documents.

AP1 identifies the title, the applicant, the priority period from the OS1 search (which protects the application), and the fee payable.

Section by section

The form, section by section.

Before you start, you’ll need:
  • Who Files — The executor, administrator, or their solicitor lodging the application
  • 3 pages · 20 fields guided
  • Draws from your Estate File — Property Folio, Legal Instruments, Civil Dossier
Section 1

AP1 and the forms it accompanies — the gateway concept

AP1 is the envelope, not the letter.

The actual instruction to HMLR is in the substantive form — DJP, AS1, TR1, or RX1. AP1 identifies the title, the parties, and the fee. Understanding which substantive form applies to your situation is the first step.

DJP — removing a deceased joint proprietor

When a property was held by two or more joint tenants and one has died, the survivor applies on form DJP, sent to HM Land Registry on its own — it does not need an AP1.

The surviving joint owner remains as sole proprietor.

There is no fee.

Required supporting documents: official copy death certificate or a certified copy.

AS1 — assenting property to a beneficiary

When the executor or administrator transfers the property to a named beneficiary under the will or intestacy, AS1 is lodged with AP1.

Required documents: grant of probate or letters of administration (certified copy); AS1 signed by the executor(s); identity verification for the executor under ID1 or ID2 form.

Fee: Scale 2, banded on the property's value — £45 to £305 by post.

TR1 — selling the property

When the property is sold (either by the estate to a buyer, or by a beneficiary who has received it), TR1 is lodged with AP1.

This is a standard conveyance.

The buyer's solicitor typically handles AP1 at the point of purchase.

RX1 — entering a restriction

When beneficiaries wish to protect a beneficial interest (for example, recording that two beneficiaries own the property as tenants in common in specific shares), RX1 and a Form A restriction are lodged with AP1.

This is standard when a property passes jointly to multiple beneficiaries.

AP1 is the envelope, not the letter.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) · AP1
Section 2

Completing AP1

AP1 is straightforward once you have the title register and know the nature of your application.

The title register (available online for £7 at gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry) contains most of the information you need.

Panel 1 — title number and property address

Enter the title number from the Land Registry title register (format: e.g. GL456789 for a Greater London title).

This is not the same as the property address, postcode, or mortgage account number.

It is a unique registration identifier found at the top of the title register document.

Panel 2 — application type

Tick the relevant application type(s).

For an estate application you will typically tick 'Transfer' (if using TR1 or AS1) or 'Remove deceased proprietor' (if using DJP).

If you are also entering a restriction, add 'Restriction' to the application.

Panel 3 — priority search reference

Enter the reference number from the OS1 official search obtained before submitting.

The priority period (30 working days) within which you must lodge AP1 is shown on the OS1 certificate.

If the priority period has expired, conduct a new OS1 search before lodging.

Panel 4 — fee

Use the HMLR fee calculator to determine the fee.

An assent to a beneficiary (AS1) pays Scale 2 on the property's value — £45 to £305 by post. A sale (TR1) pays Scale 1 on the price paid. A joint owner's death is registered free on form DJP, without an AP1.

Payment by cheque (made payable to HM Land Registry) or by HMLR fee account if the application is made by a solicitor.

Panel 5 — applicants' details and identity

Name and address of the applicant (the executor, or their solicitor).

All executors must be identified.

For private individuals (not solicitors), the executor must verify their identity using form ID1 (verified by a professional — solicitor, accountant, bank) or ID2 (verified in person at a Post Office or conveyancer).

AP1 is straightforward once you have the title register and know the nature of your application.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) · AP1
Section 3

The OS1 official search — protecting the application

Before lodging AP1, always obtain an OS1 official search against the title.

The OS1 search grants a priority period of 30 working days. During this window, HMLR will not process any application against the title that has a later search date than yours.

Why priority matters

If a creditor of the estate, a beneficiary's ex-spouse, or a fraudster registers something against the title between you and HMLR processing your application, it could jump ahead of your client's acquisition.

The OS1 search prevents this.

In practice, for straightforward estate administrations, competing applications are rare — but the £7–£11 search fee is cheap protection.

How to obtain OS1

Apply online at the Land Registry portal (gov.uk/guidance/land-registry-portal-official-search-of-whole-with-priority) or submit form OS1.

You need the title number and the search applicant's details.

The result is provided electronically within 24 hours.

Once you have the priority certificate, lodge AP1 within the 30 working day window.

OS2 for leasehold

If the property is leasehold, use OS2 (official search against the leasehold title) in addition to (or instead of) OS1 against the freehold title.

Check the title register — it will show whether the property is freehold (absolute freehold) or leasehold.

Before lodging AP1, always obtain an OS1 official search against the title.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) · AP1

Many people file AP1 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

AP1 questions, answered.

AP1 is HM Land Registry's standard application form for changing a registered property title.

It is the gateway form for almost any dealing with registered land in an estate — removing a deceased joint owner, assenting a property to a beneficiary, transferring it on a sale, or entering a restriction.

AP1 itself does not make the change: it identifies the title, the applicant, and the fee, and travels alongside the substantive form that actually does the work.
The executor or administrator dealing with the estate, or a solicitor or conveyancer acting for them.

On a sale, the buyer's solicitor usually lodges AP1 at completion.

A lay executor can complete and submit it themselves, but where the application transfers the property (AS1 or TR1) they will also need to verify their identity using form ID1 or ID2.
There is no statutory deadline to register a death-of-proprietor change or an assent — the title can be updated whenever the estate is ready.

The window that matters is the 30-working-day priority period given by the OS1 official search: lodge AP1 within that window and no later application against the same title can jump ahead of yours.

If the window lapses, you simply obtain a fresh OS1 and lodge again.
It depends on the substantive form. Removing a deceased joint proprietor (DJP) is free. An assent to a beneficiary (AS1) is charged on Scale 2, banded on the property's value — £45 to £305 by post.

A transfer on a sale (TR1) carries the higher Scale 1 fee, which rises with the price paid.

The OS1 official search costs only a few pounds.

Always check HMLR's current fee schedule on gov.uk, as the fee order changes from time to time.
The title number and property details from the Land Registry register (a copy of the register costs a few pounds online); the substantive form for your situation (DJP, AS1, TR1, or RX1); the supporting evidence that form needs — an official copy death certificate for a DJP, or a certified copy grant of probate or letters of administration for an assent; a current OS1 official search certificate; and, for individuals lodging a transfer, completed ID1 or ID2 identity verification.
Lodging AP1 without a current OS1 official search.

The OS1 gives you a 30-working-day priority period during which no competing application — such as a creditor's restriction — can register ahead of you.

Without it, you have no protection while HMLR processes the application.

The search costs only a few pounds and is returned within a day, so it should always be obtained immediately before you submit.

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Where this fits

AP1 is one form. The file behind it is the rest.

Forms are easier when the records are ready.

For AP1, that means the title number from the Land Registry register, the substantive form that does the actual work (DJP, AS1, or TR1), the death certificate or grant of probate that supports it, and a current OS1 official search to protect your priority.

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 (HMLR)20 fieldsFee depends on the application and on the price paid or the property's value (HM Land Registry registration services fees, gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees). DJP (made on its own form): free. AS1 assent to a beneficiary: Scale 2, £45–£305 by post. TR1 sale: Scale 1 on the price paid, £45–£1,105 by post.15 minutes with Valoren
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