TR1 form: the transfer deed, who signs it and what each panel means

TR1 form at a glance

Get the form itself from HM Land Registry: Form TR1 on GOV.UK (version dated 29 August 2023). We explain it here; we do not reproduce it.

What does a TR1 form actually do?

Agreeing a sale, and even paying for the home, does not make the buyer the legal owner. Two steps do. First the seller signs a transfer deed. Then HM Land Registry records the buyer as the new owner. Until that registration, the legal title stays with the seller. For a whole registered house or flat, freehold or leasehold, that deed is the TR1.

The same form is used whatever the reason for the transfer. A sale, a parent giving a home to a child and a partner coming off the title after a break-up all use a TR1. The biggest change is panel 8, about what was paid. A TR1 can also transfer land that has never been registered, which is then registered for the first time.

We never act for the buyer and the seller in the same deal. So on every sale or purchase we handle, one side’s conveyancer drafts the TR1 and the other side’s checks it.

When does a TR1 need to be completed?

The TR1 is agreed before exchange, signed before completion and dated on completion day. HM Land Registry’s own note on panel 3 says the date goes in only after the deed has been signed. The seller’s conveyancer holds the signed, undated deed until the money arrives, then dates it and sends it to the buyer’s conveyancer. We ask for the balance of the purchase money at least one working day before completion, so the deed can be released on the day.

The buyer is protected from the day HM Land Registry receives the application, if the application is in order, however long the update then takes.

Who has to sign the TR1?

Every seller named on the register signs, using the words “Signed as a deed by” and their full name. If a seller’s name has changed since they bought, the application includes evidence of the change, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll. If a joint owner has died, the death certificate or grant of probate goes in.

The buyers sign only if the deed has something for them to declare or promise: a declaration of how they will own it (panel 10) or an extra provision such as a covenant (panel 11). On a joint purchase panel 10 is filled in, so every buyer signs.

Someone who gives part of the deposit does not sign the TR1. They are not buying, so they are not a party to the deed. Their gift is dealt with separately. 202 of the 670 purchase quote requests we received included a gifted deposit (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026).

The planner at the top of this page works out who signs your TR1, how many witnessed signatures that makes and which extra papers HM Land Registry will expect.

Who can witness a TR1 signature?

• The witness must be in the room when you sign. HM Land Registry does not accept a witness on a video call. Signing through a window is fine if the witness can clearly see you sign.
• The witness cannot be another party to the deed. One joint seller cannot witness the other, and a buyer cannot witness a seller.
• The law does not stop a spouse, civil partner or partner you live with from witnessing if they are not a party, but HM Land Registry advises against it. HM Land Registry also advises that the witness is at least 18.
• One witness can witness several signatures, but signs and gives their details under each one.
• The witness prints their full name and address.

An independent adult, such as a neighbour or colleague who is not part of the deal, avoids most problems. HM Land Registry sets out the rules in practice guide 8.

Can a TR1 be signed electronically, or from abroad?

Electronically: HM Land Registry accepts a TR1 signed through a signing platform, but only on its conditions. A conveyancer sets up and controls the signing. Each person gets an email and a one-time code by text. The witness must still be physically present and signs on the platform too. A regulated conveyancer then certifies it. Every party to the TR1, sellers and buyers alike, must have a conveyancer. So a DIY transfer cannot be signed this way.

From abroad: English law still decides whether the deed is valid, wherever you sign it. The witness rules above apply in full. Tell your conveyancer early if anyone signing is overseas, because posting the original deed takes time.

What goes in each of the 12 panels?

The form has twelve numbered panels. In plain words, this is what each is for. Use HM Land Registry’s completion guidance alongside the form.

What goes in panel 8 when no money changes hands?

Panel 8 has three choices: the money paid, a box for a gift, or a box for “other” with a description.

• A sale: the price.
• A gift with no mortgage: tick the gift box.
• Adding or removing an owner: this is where mistakes are common. If anyone takes on more of the mortgage, such as a person joining or an owner who stays and takes over a leaver’s share, the share of debt they take on counts as payment for Stamp Duty Land Tax, even if no money changes hands. The same rule applies to Land Transaction Tax in Wales. So panel 8 and the tax return have to tell the same story. For the tax figure, use our transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator.

Before anyone joins or leaves the title of a mortgaged home, the lender has to agree. It usually wants the new owner on the mortgage too.

For adding or removing an owner, we give you a written, itemised quote before you instruct us. More on our transfer of equity service.

What happens if panel 10 is left blank?

Panel 10 records how two or more buyers will own the home. There are three boxes: joint tenants; tenants in common in equal shares; or another arrangement, such as unequal shares, set out in detail. Form JO can be used instead of panel 10.

If there is more than one buyer and neither panel 10 nor form JO is sent, HM Land Registry adds a Form A restriction to the register by default. Nothing then records the shares you agreed.

Which box suits you is a separate choice, explained in what joint ownership of a home means. If you put in different amounts, a fuller record of your shares, a declaration of trust, can sit alongside the TR1.

How does a company sign or receive a TR1?

A company that sells or buys fills in extra company details in panel 4 or 5. A UK company can sign a deed in one of three ways under the Companies Act 2006: with its common seal; by two authorised signatories (for example two directors, or a director and the secretary, who must be two different people); or by one director whose signature is witnessed.

An overseas company must be registered with Companies House as an overseas entity, and give its Overseas Entity ID, before it can buy, sell or transfer land in the UK.

We act on purchases by limited companies. See buy-to-let conveyancing.

Why does HM Land Registry send a TR1 back?

When something on the deed does not match the register or HM Land Registry’s rules, it raises a question, called a requisition. Registration waits until it is answered. The common causes:

• A seller’s name that does not match the register, with no evidence of the change.
• A witness who was not in the room, or who is a party to the deed.
• The deed dated before it was signed, or changed after signing without the change being signed again.
• A wrong or missing title number, or an address that does not match the register.
• Panel 8 not matching the tax return.
• No tax certificate where a return was due: HMRC’s in England, the Welsh Revenue Authority’s in Wales.
• A signature under a power of attorney with no copy of the power. The power must itself be a deed.

More on the AP1 application to register, which is where requisitions are answered.

What will the Land Registry charge to register a TR1?

Nothing is paid for the TR1 itself. The fee is paid when the buyer’s conveyancer applies to register it. On a sale it is worked out on the price. Where no money changes hands, such as a gift, it is worked out on the value of what is transferred, after taking off any mortgage that stays on the home or is taken out with the transfer. HM Land Registry fees have no VAT and are separate from our fee.

HM Land Registry is consulting on new fees for changes of owner where no money is paid (closes 22 December 2026). Until a new fee order comes in, the current fees apply. For every other case, use the Land Registry fee calculator.

Can I fill in a TR1 myself?

Yes. HM Land Registry publishes the form and its guidance for anyone to use, though GOV.UK itself suggests thinking about legal help first, because errors can be serious. A simple gift between family members with no mortgage is a case people sometimes do themselves.

Once there is a lender, a tax question or more than one buyer, it is usual to use a conveyancer. A wrong answer in panel 8 can mean the wrong tax. A wrong answer in panel 10 can change who gets the home if someone dies. And an owner applying without a conveyancer must give evidence of who they are, usually on form ID1.

Is the TR1 different in Wales?

The form is the same in England and Wales, and HM Land Registry registers both. A Welsh-language version is on GOV.UK. What differs is the tax. A purchase in Wales pays Land Transaction Tax to the Welsh Revenue Authority, and the return is due within 30 days of the day after completion, not HMRC’s 14 days. Where a return is due, HM Land Registry needs the Welsh Revenue Authority’s certificate before it registers the TR1.

43 of the 670 purchase quote requests we received were for a home in Wales (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026). Work out the tax with the Land Transaction Tax calculator.

TR1, TP1, TR2 or AS1: which transfer form is it?

AP1 is not a transfer at all: it is the application that goes to HM Land Registry with the TR1.

Which of our fees cover the TR1?

On a purchase, our fee covers drafting or approving the TR1, getting it signed and registering it (the HM Land Registry fee is extra). On a sale, it covers preparing or approving the TR1 and getting it signed. Both fee ranges are in the box below, plus VAT. For adding or removing an owner, we give you a written, itemised quote before you instruct us.

What happens next

• Exchange and completion: the day the TR1 is dated
• Buying a house: the whole process with us
• Selling a house: what the seller signs and when
• AP1: registering the TR1 after completion
• More conveyancing forms, explained