Yes, in some circumstances as explained below.

 Land Registry holds an index of ownership in this way. The index is called the Index of Proprietors’ Names and is held under the provisions of rule 11 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 (LRR 2003). Access to the index is not automatically available but there is provision for the registrar to exercise discretion and allow a search.

The index contains proprietorship details relating to over 20 million registered titles. An index of this size inevitably contains some errors. You are strongly advised to obtain a copy of the register of any title revealed before taking any action based upon a search result.

The registrar will only exercise his discretion under rule 11 LRR 2003 in limited circumstances to allow a search of the index against a private individual. These include applications made:

• by the person themselves;
• on behalf of the named person and their authority accompanies the application (where a conveyancer is acting it is sufficient to insert the name of the person in the first part of panel 2 of form PN1);
• by the personal representative of the named person;
• by the trustee in bankruptcy of the named person; or
• on the basis of a Court Order expressly authorising a search of the Index of Proprietors’ Names and specifying the name to be searched and any variations.

Information in the index relating to a private individual is also regarded by Land Registry as personal data and is, therefore, exempt from disclosure by virtue of section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We permit searches of the index against all non-private individuals, for example, companies, banks, building societies, local authorities and Government departments.

You can apply for a search of the index using form PN1. Our fee for this service is £12 per name. The search result will tell you the title numbers where the name searched is registered as the proprietor of a land or charge.