Property fraud checks we make before buying any home
Property fraud checks protect real owners, and we carry them out on every purchase without exception. Empty homes, homes without a mortgage and homes whose owners live elsewhere are more at risk of fraud, according to HM Land Registry. This page explains exactly what we check, who we check, why we ask for ID and the free steps owners can take to protect a property themselves.
Why empty and unmortgaged homes attract fraudsters
Title fraud on an empty property works like this. Someone pretends to be the owner, finds a buyer and tries to sell a house that is not theirs. If it succeeds, the real owner can find their home transferred to a stranger, and untangling it can take a long time.
The government lists who is most at risk. You are more at risk of property fraud if your identity has been stolen, you rent the property out, you live overseas, the property is empty, it is not mortgaged or it is not registered with HM Land Registry. Many of the homes a company like ours buys can tick two or three of those boxes at once: a relative's house left empty after a death, a rental between tenants, a home owned outright by someone who moved away years ago. You can read the official guidance on protecting your property from fraud on GOV.UK.
A company that buys empty homes is exactly the kind of buyer a fraudster would approach. So we treat property fraud checks as part of the job, not a formality. If you are a genuine owner, they protect you. If you are not, they stop the sale.
Our identity checks for each type of seller
Who we check, and what we ask for, depends on who is selling. The table sets out our standard checks, all completed before exchange of contracts.
| Who is selling | What we check before exchange |
|---|---|
| An owner selling their own property | Photo ID matched to the registered proprietor on the title register; evidence of a historic connection with the property; contact through a channel we have verified independently; the seller's solicitor checked on the professional register |
| Executors or administrators | The sealed grant of probate or letters of administration; every named personal representative joining in the sale; ID for each of them |
| An attorney or deputy | A registered lasting power of attorney checked with the Office of the Public Guardian, or a Court of Protection order that covers the property |
| A company | Companies House records for directors, charges and status; a board resolution approving the sale; ID for the people signing |
| Every purchase | Fresh official copies of the title register; a visit confirming the property is empty at completion; money paid only to the seller's regulated solicitor or conveyancer |
Your solicitor will also carry out their own property fraud checks on you. That is normal, and it is separate from ours. Between the two, a fraudster has very little room.
Owners selling: matching you to the title register
For an owner, the key question is simple: is the person in front of us the person named on the register? Our solicitor obtains fresh official copies of the title from HM Land Registry, which show the registered proprietor, any mortgage or charge and any restriction. We then match photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, to that name.
A name match alone is not enough, because names can be copied. We also look for a historic connection with the property, for example an old utility bill or council tax statement at that address, and we make sure we are contacting you through a phone number or email we have confirmed independently, not only the one on the first enquiry.
Joint owners each need to be identified, and each must agree to the sale. If one owner has died and the property was held as joint tenants, it usually passes to the survivor, who registers the death with HM Land Registry. Your solicitor will confirm how that applies to your title.
Executors and administrators: the grant and every signature
When someone has died, the right to sell their property belongs to their personal representatives: the executors named in the will, or administrators if there was no will. In England, their authority comes from a grant of probate or letters of administration, and we see a copy of the sealed grant before exchange.
All the personal representatives must join in a sale. The Administration of Estates Act 1925 says a sale of land, or a contract for one, needs the agreement of all the personal representatives, or a court order. Where probate was granted to only some of the named executors, those proving executors can act. You can read section 2 of the Administration of Estates Act 1925 on legislation.gov.uk. So if there are three executors on the grant, we need ID for all three and all three sign.
The principle is the same in every sale: we see the authority, and we identify the people using it. Executors will find more on our page for selling a probate property and in our step-by-step probate guide for executors.
Attorneys and deputies: checking the Office of the Public Guardian
When a family member sells for someone who can no longer manage their own affairs, we need to see that they have the legal authority to do it. In England, that is usually a property and financial affairs lasting power of attorney, which must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian. Where there is no LPA and the person lacks capacity, the Court of Protection can appoint a deputy, and the court order sets out what the deputy may do.
Anyone can ask the Office of the Public Guardian to search its register, free of charge, using the form on the GOV.UK page for finding someone's attorney or deputy. The OPG replies within 5 working days, or longer by post. We use that check, alongside ID for the attorney.
Our guide for attorneys selling a house goes into more detail, and our page on selling a home for someone who has moved into care explains how we handle these sales gently.
Company sellers and landlords holding property in a company
Some properties belong to a limited company rather than a person, often a landlord's company. For these we check the Companies House record: who the directors are, whether the company is active and whether any charges are registered against it. We ask for a board resolution approving the sale, and we identify the people who will sign.
If the property has been let, we buy it with vacant possession, so the tenancy must have ended and the property be empty by completion. Landlords can read more about selling a rental property to us.
Why we ask for ID, even when you have nothing to hide
Being asked for a passport by a buyer can feel odd, especially if you have owned a house for thirty years. Here is why we ask for ID. It is not suspicion of you. It is the one step that stops someone else pretending to be you. The checks that feel a little tedious to a genuine owner are the ones a fraudster cannot pass.
We only ask for what we need, keep it securely and delete it when our retention period ends. Our privacy notice explaining how we store your information sets out how long we keep records and why.
Executors and attorneys may well find the checks reassuring rather than tiresome. They are acting for someone else and want to be sure everything is done properly. Clear checks give them a record they can show the rest of the family.
Sale money only ever goes to your solicitor
On completion, we pay the purchase price to your solicitor or licensed conveyancer, never to you directly and never to any other account. Your solicitor then pays off any mortgage and sends you the balance. This one rule shuts out a whole category of fraud, including emails that claim bank details have changed at the last minute.
Before we rely on your solicitor, we check that the firm is real. In England, we check the solicitor on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register. For a licensed conveyancer, we check the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.
A tip for any sale, to us or anyone else: if you ever receive an email saying your solicitor's bank details have changed, phone the firm on a number you already know before doing anything.
HM Land Registry Property Alert and Form LL for owners
You do not need to be selling to protect a property. HM Land Registry offers two tools, and owners of empty homes should know about both.
HM Land Registry Property Alert
HM Land Registry Property Alert is a free service that covers up to 10 properties. It emails you when there is certain activity on the register for a property you are monitoring, such as an application to change the owner. It does not block anything, but it gives you early warning so you can act.
A Form LL restriction
A restriction on the register means a conveyancer must verify the owner's identity before the property can be sold or mortgaged. It is aimed at landlords, owners who do not live at the property and homes that will be empty.
| Who applies | Form | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| A company that owns the property | RQCO | Free |
| An owner who does not live at the property | RQ | Free |
| An owner who lives at the property | RX1 | £40 |
These tools cover England. After we buy a property, we set up our own alert on it. If you are keeping an empty home for now, our checklist for looking after an empty house includes these steps alongside insurance and security.
What happens if a fraud check does not add up
Most of the time, our property fraud checks are simply a list of boxes ticked. Occasionally, something does not fit: a name that does not match the register, a phone number that leads nowhere or a solicitor who cannot be found on any register. When that happens, we stop. We do not exchange and we do not pay. We ask the questions again through a channel we trust.
If there is a simple explanation, such as a name change after marriage or a property never registered because it has been in the family for generations, it usually comes out quickly, and the sale carries on. Unregistered land is not a problem in itself. It just means the title deeds do the work of the register.
If there is no good explanation, we do not buy. That can be frustrating for a seller who is genuine but disorganised, and we will always tell you what is missing. But we would rather lose a purchase than help take someone's home from them.
Where these checks fit in a sale to us
Our property fraud checks run alongside the legal work and finish before exchange. They do not usually slow a sale down, because they happen while the searches are out. You can see where they sit in our stage-by-stage account of how a sale to us runs.
The checks do not affect the price. Our offers are below open-market value, and our method is set out on our page explaining how we work out every offer we make.
If you own an empty home and want to know what we would pay, our page on selling an empty house is the place to start, or you can go straight to the form to request our written offer. We are Resolute Estate Solutions, and our company details are on our page about who we are and how we work.
Questions about our identity and fraud checks
Why do you need my ID if my solicitor already checks it?
Your solicitor acts for you, and we act for ourselves as the buyer. Checks on both sides close gaps a fraudster might use. It also means we can confirm you are the registered proprietor before we commit to buying.
What ID do you accept?
Usually a current passport or photo driving licence, and proof of address such as a council tax bill or phone bill dated within the last 3 months. We will tell you exactly what we need before we ask for it.
Why are empty homes more at risk of fraud?
Because nobody is there to notice post arriving or strangers visiting. The government lists empty, unmortgaged and rented properties, and those whose owners live overseas, among those more at risk.
Is HM Land Registry Property Alert free?
Yes. It is free and covers up to 10 properties. It sends email alerts about certain activity on the register but does not block changes on its own.
Will you ever pay the sale money straight to me?
No. We only pay the seller's solicitor or licensed conveyancer, who then sends you the balance after paying off any mortgage. If anyone asks you to change that, treat it as a warning sign.
Do all the executors have to sign?
In England, all the personal representatives must join in a sale, unless probate was granted to only some of them, in which case the proving executors can act. We need ID for each of them.
Page last reviewed on by the Resolute Estate Solutions team.