How you can find out the age of your home

HM Land Registry keep records of land ownership (not what’s built on the land). If your property was sold by the developer who built it, you could find out its approximate age using the date of the first transfer or lease by the developer (as this date is often referred to in the register. Find out how to get a copy of the title register.

If your property was not sold by the developer who built it, HM Land Registry won’t have any information as to its age.

How else can you find out the age of your house?

• If you're in the process of buying the house, ask the vendor or their agent. As part of a sale, the vendor must complete a 'Seller's' property information form which should contain the age of the house.
• If you have a mortgage on the house, your survey may say how old the building is.
• Your local authority may have a record of when planning permission was granted.
• Ask neighbours in the same type of properties if they know the age of their house.

If you have an older house, you can:

Search the 1862 Act register on HM Land Registry's digital archives which contains information on 2,000 properties which you can search for free.

• Look at the architectural style and features of the house, particularly the roof and position of windows. Historic England gives tips about estimating the age of a property using these details.
• Check your parish records, county record offices or your local library which may have archive records.
• Check historical editions of Ordnance Survey maps.
• Contact a local historic society to see if they can help you.
• Look at census returns made a ten-year intervals between 1841 and 1911 to find a first mention of an address.

RICHARD J. CLIFFE - Sales & Marketing Manager

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