Why Is My Property Listed Twice On Hm Land Registry Website

[Gizmonster]

I've no idea if my property is freehold or leasehold, so I thought I'd look on https://propertyalert.landregistry.gov.uk/

I've found 2 entries for the same address, one freehold and one leasehold, both with different title numbers. I've looked for a few other different addresses, but only found one entry for each of these.
Anyone any idea what's going on here - why are there 2 title numbers for one address??

[Buenchico]

Trust you to be different, Gizmonster!

Title numbers are meant to be uniquely allocated to properties, so that two properties can't share a title number and two title numbers can't be allocated to a property. All that I can think of here is that someone has used the wrong form when transferring title to a property and that hasn't been picked up by the Land Registry.

Properties that haven't changed ownership for many years can still be unregistered with the Land Registry. When they do change hands though, they then have to be registered. If someone believed that your property wasn't already registered, when it actually was, they would have applied for a new registration. If the Land Registry also couldn't see that there was already a registration in place, they would then have issued a new title number for the duplicate registration that they'd erroneously created. That might explain what's happened in your case.

Use the web form here to query the situation with the Land Registry:
https://customerhelp.landregistry.gov.uk/contactus

Alternatively try a phone call to 0300 006 0411. (Mon to Fri, 0800 to 1700. Calls are charged at the same rate as those to 01 and 02 numbers, on both landlines and mobiles. If you've got spare 'included minutes' in a phone package, that means that your call will actually be free).

[Gizmonster]

Cheers for the reply ..... I think my missus has kinda found the answer, but it still doesn't explain why there are 2 entries:
Apparently our house used to be leasehold, but the previous owners bought the leasehold before selling it (thus making it freehold??) .... but surely the existing deeds should simply have been updated; or if it was necessary to create a new one, then the old one should have been deleted??

I feel the need to make a phone call :)

[Buenchico]

I still think that it's likely that somebody submitted the wrong form during the process you refer to. Ask the Land Registry!

[Zacs-Master]

Surely if you own or have a mortgage on the property, it’s freehold. If you pay rent, it’s leasehold.

Or am I over simplifying?

[Gizmonster]

No this is different.
When you buy a house, you can buy it with or without the land it sits on.
If you own the property and the land, it's freehold; but if you own the property but not the land, then it's leasehold.

[Peter Pedant]

// I've no idea if my property is freehold or leasehold//
but it used to be leasehold and the previous owners bought the lease

I would ring the registry and ask about ' rectification '
The lease has merged - by the way

not a great fan of tthe land registrry but it is what we are stuck with

[HBAnorak]

The leasehold and freehold are separate titles with different numbers: this is correct and entirely normal. They exist simultaneously. If you have a long lease, someone else owns the freehold. You probably pay them ground rent. If you were to sublet your home to someone else for 7 years or longer, the subtenancy would have to be registered as well and a third title would exist.