What does form DJP ask for, panel by panel?
Form DJP is one of the shortest HM Land Registry forms, lodged on its own without an AP1 and without a fee. It goes in alone because rule 13(2)(a) of the Land Registration Rules 2003 carves an application to remove a deceased joint proprietor out of the general requirement for an AP1, and it carries no fee under Schedule 4 paragraph 6 of the Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (in force from 9 December 2024, checked 19 September 2026). The evidence of death is the part that needs most care. The part about the deceased's name and address is not a general certification and is left blank in most cases: it is completed only where the deceased's name or address on the death certificate, probate or letters of administration differs from what the register says. What can never be left blank is the signature, which every applicant has to give. Unlike the transfer and registration forms, DJP is not a form prescribed by Schedule 1 to the rules; it is one HM Land Registry devised, so take the form from the registry's own page on the day you lodge.
The form and the evidence it requires are explained in HM Land Registry Practice Guide 6 (devolution on the death of a registered proprietor), which also deals with what happens to a Form A restriction after a death.
| Part of the form | What it asks for | Common mistakes |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority | The council serving the property | County named where the district is the authority |
| Title number(s) | The registered title number | Blank; the wrong title for a leasehold flat |
| Address of the property | Full address with postcode, or a description of the land | Does not match the property register |
| Evidence of death | One of: an original or certified copy death certificate; an official copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration; or a conveyancer's certificate that they hold the original or certified copy and setting out the details of death | A plain photocopy; no option ticked; the wrong option for the evidence enclosed |
| The applicant(s) | Full name of the surviving proprietor(s), or of the conveyancer's client | Naming the deceased as applicant |
| Sent by | Name, address and contact details of whoever is lodging; reference and key number for a conveyancer | No contact details for requisitions |
| Application | Whether the applicant is the surviving proprietor or a conveyancer, the deceased's full name as registered, and the date and place of death | Name given as on the death certificate rather than as on the register; date of death omitted |
| Name or address differences | Completed only where the deceased's name or address on the death certificate, probate or letters of administration differs from the register, to explain the difference; otherwise left blank | Filled in when nothing differs; left blank when the names do not match |
| Signature | Signed and dated by every applicant, or by their conveyancer | One of two surviving proprietors signing; undated |
Can I complete form DJP myself?
Yes, and it is one of the few HM Land Registry forms routinely completed by the person concerned rather than by a conveyancer. There is no HM Land Registry fee, and where the survivor holds a certified copy of the death certificate and the names match the register, the form takes a few minutes. A DJP is not one of the applications listed in Practice Guide 67 that require confirmation of identity, so HM Land Registry does not normally ask for identity evidence, though the registrar can ask for it in a particular case under rule 17 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 (Practice Guide 67, updated 1 September 2026, checked 20 September 2026). One thing a DJP does not do is remove a form A restriction, so where the two of you held as tenants in common the survivor still cannot sell alone. GOV.UK's own guidance on updating property records when someone dies walks through it.
The reasons people instruct us are not the form. They are the register check, because a Form A restriction changes everything, the certification where names differ, and the fact that a DJP is usually the first of several steps: a sale, a remortgage, an assent of the deceased's share, a new will. Doing the DJP as part of that sequence is where a licensed conveyancer earns the fee.
| Doing it yourself | With Property Law Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Checking how the property was held | You obtain the register and look for a Form A restriction | Obtained and read on day one, with the route explained |
| Evidence of death | You send an original or certified copy by post | Our conveyancer's certificate in the evidence of death part; your original stays with you |
| Names that differ | You explain and hope HM Land Registry accepts it | Certified by us with supporting evidence |
| Form A restriction | You work out whether it can be cancelled and how | Advised, and the cancellation applied for where the survivor is sole beneficial owner |
| Sale or remortgage running alongside | Separate application, timed by you | Lodged together so neither delays the other |
| Requisitions | You answer within the deadline | Answered by us, usually the same week |
| Cost | No HM Land Registry fee; your time | One fixed fee, in writing; still no HM Land Registry fee |