A Form LL restriction is a type of legal document which is put in place to protect property owners from a specific type of fraud whereby other people try to impersonate the homeowner in order to sell the property and pocket the money from the sale.
Although it sounds far-fetched, it is plausible that criminals can successfully and fraudulently impersonate another person so successfully that they are able to market and sell their home from under their feet. Unfortunately, this is someone who has access to the property such as a current tenant or other trusted person who obtains the genuine homeowners’ personal documents (this may be personal identity documents as well as house deeds), purporting to prove that they are the true legal owner.
How does the Form LL restriction protect the true property owner?
The Form LL restriction can be prepared and signed at the conveyancing stage of the house-purchasing process. It’s not a mandatory requirement, but it can be sufficient to prevent this type of fraud because any potential fraudster would need to prove that they are the legal owner of the property in order to comply with the Form LL restriction before they could proceed with selling the property.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that if you add a Form LL restriction to your house-buying process, it can slow down the process of moving into your property. While it adds another layer of security, it also takes time to prepare and comes with additional legal costs, too.
Where can I find more information about obtaining this document?
More information about the Form LL restriction can be found at GOV.UK
Of course, a Form LL restriction is a specialist type of legal document. Therefore, anyone considering signing one is best advised to obtain suitable legal advice from experienced solicitors, such as those found at https://www.parachutelaw.co.uk/form-ll-land-registry-restriction, before doing so.
Obtaining a restriction such as this one can be sufficient to deter and foil any potential fraudsters from committing such a serious financial and personal crime.
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