Registering your lease

Retail leases with a lease period of more than three years, including any option period, must be registered.

A lease of three years or less can be registered if the parties agree. The lease will need to be in registrable form.

If the lease is more than three years, the lessor should lodge the lease at Land Registry Services within three months after the tenant returns the signed lease to the landlord or their agent.

The tenant usually pays the lease registration fee.

The three-month period for registration can be extended if there is a delay in obtaining consent from the mortgagee (often a bank that has lent money to the property owner so they could purchase the property) or head lessor (if there is one).

If a lease is registered it will show up in property searches. This benefits the tenant if the property owner wants to sell the property, ensuring that the lease is recognised by any new owner.