What is the difference between the Land Register and the Sasine Register?

Scotland has two main systems for recording ownership and property interests: the modern Land Register of Scotland and the older General Register of Sasines.

The Land Register is map-based. A registered title usually has a Title Sheet and a Title Plan. The Title Sheet gives written information about the property, including ownership, securities, rights, burdens and other registered matters. The Title Plan shows the general extent of the registered property on an Ordnance Survey-based plan.

The Sasine Register is the older register. It is deed-based rather than map-based. This means that ownership and property rights are recorded through deeds, usually using written descriptions of the land rather than a modern title plan.

If a property has not yet been transferred into the Land Register, it may still be recorded in the Sasine Register. In that case, a modern Title Sheet and Title Plan may not be available.

Which search do I need?

If the property is registered in the Land Register, you will usually need a Title Register or Title Register and Plan search.

If the property is not registered in the Land Register, a Sasine Register search may be required instead.

If you need information about the history of a property before it was registered in the Land Register, a Sasine Register search is usually required. This can help trace previous ownership, historic deeds, and other title information recorded before the property moved into the modern Land Register system.