If you’re a director of a company that owns land registered at HM Land Registry, it’s important to keep HM Land Registry updated with your company’s contact details using Form COG1. For example, if HMLR have your home as the contact address and you move house you’ll need to inform them of the change.
As part of this process, you will also need to verify the company's identity following HM Land Registry's prescribed process.
Read on to understand what this entails and how we can help.
Why Keeping Your Details Updated is Important
Failure to update your company’s contact details can have serious consequences.
Missed Notices: HM Land Registry sends official notices to the registered address. If they go unanswered, you might miss important legal updates.
Fraud Prevention: Outdated details can make your property more vulnerable to fraud. This is the primary purpose of HM Land Registry's ID verification process which we discuss below.
Legal Compliance: Keeping information up to date ensures your company meets its legal responsibilities.
What You Need to Do
To update your company’s contact details with HM Land Registry, you need to
- complete Form COG1
- provide an up-to-date contact address (what HM Land Registry calls your ‘address for service’) and
- send the completed form to Citizen Centre, PO Box 74, Gloucester, GL14 9BB.
Updating your company’s contact details is free. However, you will also need to verify your identity when submitting the form, which incurs solicitors' fees.
You can read HM Land Registry's guidance for the process and get Form COG1 itself here.
HMLR’s ID Verification Process
If you are representing a corporate body (i.e. if the property is registered in the name of a limited company), you must provide evidence of your identity and authority to act on behalf of the company.
This is done using Form ID2 – Certificate of Identity for a Body Corporate.
What is an ID2 Form?
Form ID2 is used to verify the identity of a corporate entity (and indirectly establish that the person also named in the form is authorised to make an application on the company's behalf).
It must be completed when a company is involved in transactions requiring its identity to be verified, such as updating contact details at HM Land Registry. This helps to prevent criminals impersonating the company and fraudulently dealing with the property.
It is worth pointing out that you don't need to have your company's identity verified if a conveyancer (e.g. a solicitor) is representing the company in the wider transaction. This is because they will give HMLR the relevant assurances instead.
Difference Between Form ID1 and Form ID2
It’s worth pointing out that as well as the ID2 Form, there are also ID1 and ID5 Forms.
- Form ID1 is used for individuals verifying their own identity for land transactions.
- Form ID2 is specifically for company or corporate bodies verifying their identities.
How to Complete the ID2 Form
As part of the process, a solicitor must certify that they have seen various pieces of evidence relating to the company and the individual referenced in the ID2 Form as representing the company.
Our ID2 Verification Service does exactly this. In addition, we will complete the form, leaving you needing to only sign the forms after we have posted them to the company's registered address.
To complete the ID2 form, we will need you to provide us with the following:
- Your company’s registered name and number
- The name and details of the individual representing the company
- The details of the company's property, including the title number and address
We’ll send you a short questionnaire to capture this information after you have booked a call with us.
Verification Process: In-Person or Video Call
Identity verification for the ID2 Form can be done in two ways:
- In-Person Verification: Visit a solicitor or a licensed conveyancer, bring identification documents such as a passport or driving licence, and the solicitor will certify your ID2 form and photograph. They will also need to run a number of checks regarding the company prior to the appointment.
- Video Call Verification: HM Land Registry allows verification via a video call. When using this method, Form ID5 also needs to be completed (this is included in our service). The ID5 form confirms that the video call verification process was conducted correctly. You do not need to provide photographs if you complete the ID verification via video call.
Final Thoughts
Updating your company’s contact details at HM Land Registry is a straightforward but crucial task. By completing Form COG1 and verifying your identity with Form ID2, you ensure that your company stays compliant and protected.
If you’d like us to help you with the ID verification of your company please book your appointment through our service product page to get things started.
