Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to require companies registered abroad that intend to hold a property title in the United Kingdom to deliver to the Land Registry the same details that companies registered in the United Kingdom are required to deliver to Companies House.

Land Registry records the legal owner of a property in England and Wales. Where the registered owner is a company, Land Registry records the Companies House registration number for UK companies, or the territory of incorporation for overseas companies. This information can be accessed by the public.

From 2016 all UK companies will have to register their beneficial owners at Companies House. So where a property is owned by a UK company, information on that company’s beneficial ownership will be accessible, online and for free in the Register of People with Significant Control.

The Prime Minister stated during a speech made in Singapore on 28 July, that he will consult on the best way forward to extending what we ask of UK companies to foreign companies.

He has also asked Land Registry from this autumn to publish data on which foreign companies own which land and property titles in England and Wales.