You may have decided to place a Form LL restriction on a property you have purchased, as this is designed to protect you from any fraudulent activity relating to the title. It means that the property cannot be disposed of or transferred to another owner without the conveyancer providing a certificate which confirms that the vendor of the property is the registered owner.
Why would you have a Form LL restriction?
Organised crime often targets property, especially if the legal owner is not resident in the property or is letting it out. Sometimes a fraudster may try to impersonate you and try to sell the property or raise a mortgage without your knowledge.
A conveyancer may recommend such protection if they are concerned that you will not be involved in the day-to-day management of the property and it is likely to be left unattended for long periods. If you think this may affect you and add this layer of protection, it might mean your property is not so tempting to criminal gangs
Why remove it?
Although removing the restriction may open you up to potential fraud, there are times when it is an appropriate course of action. If you want to re-mortgage the property, for example, you will need to confirm and verify your identity with a solicitor. Should you want to sell the property you will also need to have the conveyancer confirm your identity using his own name rather than that of the firm. Obviously, you may want to find more information by using sites such as https://www.parachutelaw.co.uk/form-ll-land-registry-restriction.
How to remove a Form LL restriction
The process is pretty straightforward, with a solicitor confirming your identity as described above and a certificate of compliance being offered. Your solicitor will then contact HM Land Registry and submit a Form RX3. Once this has been done, the Form LL restrictions on the property will be removed, and you will be in a position to either re-mortgage or dispose of the property in question with no restrictions in place on the property.
