Why a sold price isn't showing on Land Registry
You know a sale happened — but Price Paid Data has nothing. Almost always, the gap has a boring explanation. This guide walks through how a sale reaches the register, the legitimate reasons one never does, and what you can do while you wait.
How a sale reaches the register
After completion, the sale must be lodged for registration with HM Land Registry. Price Paid Data covers eligible sales submitted for registration; it is separate from the completion of the title-registration application. An asking price, "sold subject to contract" listing or exchange alone is not a completed sale record. The dataset is published monthly, on the 20th working day. Recent sales can be missing, and later releases add or correct older records.
The legitimate reasons a sale is missing
- It's simply too recent — submission and processing plus the monthly release cycle, as above.
- No money changed hands — transfers not involving monetary consideration are excluded: gifts, inheritance, and shares in a property transferred on divorce. So are compulsory purchases, court orders and transfers to trustees.
- Right-to-buy discounts — discounted council-house sales are excluded.
- Short leases — HM Land Registry does not record leases of seven years or less in Price Paid Data.
- It completed before 1995 — the dataset starts there.
- It's outside England & Wales — Scotland (Registers of Scotland) and Northern Ireland publish separately.
- The address doesn't match how you searched — new-build plot renumbering, flat splits and renamed buildings can leave the record filed under a different address string.
What you can do
- Check the latest monthly release — recent sales may appear in later updates; the next release is not a deadline for a particular sale.
- Search address variants — try the postcode alone and pick from the address list, in case the record sits under a different address string.
- Check the title — a copy of the title register (small fee, from HM Land Registry) may record the price where the price paid entry hasn't surfaced in the dataset you're searching.
- Ask the conveyancer or seller — confirm the completion date and whether the sale was submitted for registration. They may also explain an excluded transfer.
Frequently asked questions
How often does Land Registry update sold prices?
Price Paid Data is published monthly, on the 20th working day of each month. Each release also adds late records to earlier months, so a sale can appear in an update to a month already published.
How long after completion does a sale show up?
There is no guaranteed publication date for a particular sale. Submission and processing take time, and monthly releases can add older sales. Check when the sale was lodged and which release your search tool uses.
Do all house sales appear in Price Paid Data?
No. Transfers not involving monetary consideration (gifts, inheritance, shares transferred on divorce), right-to-buy discounts and leases of seven years or less are excluded, and sales before 1995 or outside England and Wales are not in the dataset.