Practice guide 13: official searches of the index of relating franchises and manors
Updated 3 April 2023
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2023
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Please note that HM Land Registry’s practice guides are aimed primarily at solicitors and other conveyancers. They often deal with complex matters and use legal terms.
1. Introduction
HM Land Registry keeps an index of verbal descriptions of registered franchises that are relating franchises and of registered manors (rule 10(b) of the Land Registration Rules 2003).
Any person may apply, in form SIF, for an official search of the index (rule 146 of the Land Registration Rules 2003). The certificate of result will show whether any registered relating franchise or manor relates to the administrative area(s) searched together with the title numbers that affect and the type of registration. Index of verbal descriptions lists the different types of registration that can be revealed on an official search of the index.
2. What constitutes a franchise
A franchise is a right or privilege granted by the Crown. Examples include the right to take a toll or the right to hold a fair or market. It is an intangible right. It does not involve ownership of the physical land and is separate from any freehold or leasehold interests in the land itself. In legal terms, it is an incorporeal hereditament. The Land Registration Act 2002 permits the registration of a franchise with its own title. A franchise in this context does not include any commercial/trading rights or creation of a chartered corporation that have no direct effect on property.
A franchise granted with reference to ‘City of Sunlight’ in 1189 would be difficult to define in 2003 because the boundaries of the city will have changed considerably. This type of franchise is known as a ‘relating franchise’ as it relates only generally to an area. We do not prepare a title plan for a relating franchise registration and it will be entered in the verbal index. On the other hand, an ‘affecting franchise’ that can be defined as affecting a particular area is indexed on the index map.
Practice guide 18: franchises: registration under the Land Registration Act 2002 contains further information on franchises. Practice guide 10: index map: official search explains how to search the index map in order to ascertain whether an affecting franchise is registered.
3. What constitutes a manor
The registered manors that appear in the index are for lordship titles. The lordship of the manor is simply the title by which the lord of the manor is known. In many cases the title will no longer have any land or rights attached to it. Because of its origin and lack of physical substance it is also known as an incorporeal hereditament. These registrations do not have title plans and we do not hold any definitive record of the extent of the original manor.
Practice guide 22: manors: manorial titles and rights contains further information about manorial land.
4. Index of verbal descriptions
HM Land Registry must keep an index from which it is possible to ascertain whether any registered estates or cautions against first registration relate to a parcel of land (section 68 of the Land Registration Act 2002). Because the extent of a relating franchise or manor cannot be determined with any precision, we hold the information in an index of verbal descriptions known as the index of relating franchises and manors (rule 10(b) of the Land Registration Rules 2003).
The index is arranged by administrative area and contains the title numbers and details of the following types of registration.
- pending applications for first registration of title to relating franchises
- pending applications for cautions against first registration where the subject of the caution is a relating franchise
- registered franchises which are relating franchises
- registered manors
- cautions against first registration where the subject of the caution is a relating franchise
5. Obtaining information held in the index
5.1 Form SIF
You must use the prescribed form SIF to apply for an official search of the index.
Note: we will reject any application for an official search of the index of relating franchises and manors not made on the prescribed form.
You may only use form SIF to search against administrative areas. Entries in the index are recorded against the administrative area(s) to which they relate.
You must quote on any search all the current administrative area(s) that apply to the land in which you are interested. For the purposes of applications in form SIF an administrative area is a county or unitary authority.
A list of the administrative areas, together with details of HM Land Registry offices they are served by, is contained in Appendix A to this guide. We will reject any application that does not refer to a listed administrative area.
We will ignore any additional information supplied such as a detailed property description or a plan. We will process the application by reference to the quoted administrative area(s) alone.
If panel 1 of form SIF is not completed, we will complete the application for both relating franchises and manors.
5.2 Fees
Please see HM Land Registry: Information Services fees for information on the fees payable for this service.
5.3 Submitting your application
To find out where to send your completed application, see HM Land Registry address for applications.
5.4 Certificate of result
Where possible, the certificate of result will be sent by return of post. Where the search reveals there are entries in the index relating to the administrative area(s) quoted, the certificate will include an extract of the index. Where there are no entries to reveal, the certificate will include a statement to that effect.
6. Enquiries
If you have a particular concern that is not covered by this guide, please contact HM Land Registry in advance of any search. If the problem is particularly complex, it may be better if you make your enquiry in writing at the HM Land Registry office that will process your application.
7. Appendix A
The index of relating franchises and manors is arranged by administrative area. The table alongside sets out all the administrative areas suitable for the purposes of a form SIF application together with HM Land Registry offices they are served by.
| Administrative area | HM Land Registry office |
|---|---|
| England | |
| Barnsley | Nottingham |
| Bath and North East Somerset | Plymouth |
| Bedford | Peterborough |
| Birmingham | Coventry |
| Blackburn with Darwen | Fylde |
| Blackpool | Fylde |
| Bolton | Fylde |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Weymouth |
| Bracknell Forest | Gloucester |
| Bradford | Nottingham |
| Brighton and Hove (City of) | Coventry |
| Bristol (City of) | Gloucester |
| Buckinghamshire | Leicester |
| Bury | Fylde |
| Calderdale | Nottingham |
| Cambridgeshire | Peterborough |
| Central Bedfordshire | Peterborough |
| Cheshire East | Birkenhead |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Birkenhead |
| Cornwall | Plymouth |
| County Durham | Durham |
| Coventry | Coventry |
| Cumberland | Durham |
| Darlington | Durham |
| Derby (City of) | Nottingham |
| Derbyshire | Nottingham |
| Devon | Plymouth |
| Doncaster | Nottingham |
| Dorset | Weymouth |
| Dudley | Coventry |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | Kingston upon Hull |
| East Sussex | Coventry |
| Essex | Peterborough |
| Gateshead | Durham |
| Gloucestershire | Gloucester |
| Halton | Birkenhead |
| Hampshire | Weymouth |
| Hartlepool | Durham |
| Herefordshire (County of) | Telford |
| Hertfordshire | Leicester |
| Isle of Wight | Weymouth |
| Isles of Scilly | Plymouth |
| Kent | Nottingham |
| Kingston upon Hull (City of) | Kingston upon Hull |
| Kirklees | Nottingham |
| Knowsley | Birkenhead |
| Lancashire | Fylde |
| Leeds | Nottingham |
| Leicester | Leicester |
| Leicestershire | Leicester |
| Lincolnshire | Kingston upon Hull |
| Liverpool | Birkenhead |
| Luton | Peterborough |
| Manchester | Fylde |
| Medway | Nottingham |
| Middlesbrough | Durham |
| Milton Keynes | Leicester |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Durham |
| Norfolk | Kingston upon Hull |
| North East Lincolnshire | Kingston upon Hull |
| North Lincolnshire | Kingston upon Hull |
| North Northamptonshire | Leicester |
| North Somerset | Plymouth |
| North Tyneside | Durham |
| North Yorkshire | Durham |
| Northumberland | Durham |
| Nottingham (City of) | Nottingham |
| Nottinghamshire | Nottingham |
| Oldham | Fylde |
| Oxfordshire | Gloucester |
| Peterborough (City of) | Peterborough |
| Plymouth (City of) | Plymouth |
| Portsmouth | Weymouth |
| Reading | Gloucester |
| Redcar and Cleveland | Durham |
| Rochdale | Fylde |
| Rotherham | Nottingham |
| Rutland | Leicester |
| St Helens | Birkenhead |
| Salford | Fylde |
| Sandwell | Coventry |
| Sefton | Birkenhead |
| Sheffield | Nottingham |
| Shropshire | Telford |
| Slough | Gloucester |
| Solihull | Coventry |
| Somerset | Plymouth or Weymouth |
| South Gloucestershire | Gloucester |
| South Tyneside | Durham |
| Southampton | Weymouth |
| Southend-on-Sea | Peterborough |
| Staffordshire | Birkenhead |
| Stockport | Fylde |
| Stockton-on-Tees | Durham |
| Stoke-on-Trent (City of) | Birkenhead |
| Suffolk | Kingston upon Hull |
| Sunderland | Durham |
| Surrey | Durham |
| Swindon | Weymouth |
| Tameside | Fylde |
| Thurrock | Peterborough |
| Torbay | Plymouth |
| Trafford | Fylde |
| Wakefield | Nottingham |
| Walsall | Coventry |
| Warrington | Birkenhead |
| Warwickshire | Gloucester |
| West Berkshire | Gloucester |
| West Northamptonshire | Leicester |
| West Sussex | Durham |
| Westmorland and Furness | Durham |
| Wigan | Fylde |
| Wiltshire | Weymouth |
| Wirral | Birkenhead |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | Gloucester |
| Wokingham | Gloucester |
| Wolverhampton (City of) | Coventry |
| Worcestershire | Coventry |
| Wrekin (County of) (otherwise known as The Wrekin) | Telford |
| York | Durham |
| London authorities | |
| Barking and Dagenham | Telford |
| Barnet | Swansea |
| Bexley | Croydon |
| Brent | Swansea |
| Bromley | Croydon |
| Camden | Croydon |
| City and the County of the City of London | Swansea |
| City of Westminster | Croydon |
| Croydon | Croydon |
| Ealing | Swansea |
| Enfield | Swansea |
| Greenwich | Telford |
| Hackney | Swansea |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Birkenhead |
| Haringey | Swansea |
| Harrow | Swansea |
| Havering | Birkenhead |
| Hillingdon | Swansea |
| Hounslow | Swansea |
| The Inner Temple and The Middle Temple | Swansea |
| Islington | Swansea |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Birkenhead |
| Kingston upon Thames | Croydon |
| Lambeth | Telford |
| Lewisham | Telford |
| Merton | Croydon |
| Newham | Telford |
| Redbridge | Birkenhead |
| Richmond upon Thames | Telford |
| Southwark | Telford |
| Sutton | Croydon |
| Tower Hamlets | Swansea |
| Waltham Forest | Swansea |
| Wandsworth | Telford |
| Wales/Cymru | All areas are dealt with by Swansea Office |
| Blaenau Gwent | |
| Bridgend | |
| Pen-y-Bont Ar Ogwr | |
| Caerphilly | |
| Caerffili | |
| Cardiff | |
| Caerdydd | |
| Carmarthenshire | |
| Sir Gaerfyrddin | |
| Ceredigion | |
| Sir Ceredigion | |
| Conwy | |
| Denbighshire | |
| Sir Ddinbych | |
| Flintshire | |
| Sir Y Fflint | |
| Gwynedd | |
| Isle of Anglesey | |
| Ynys Mon | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | |
| Merthyr Tudful | |
| Monmouthshire | |
| Sir Fynwy | |
| Neath Port Talbot | |
| Castell-Nedd Port Talbot | |
| Newport | |
| Casnewydd | |
| Pembrokeshire | |
| Sir Benfro | |
| Powys | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
| Swansea | |
| Abertawe | |
| The Vale of Glamorgan | |
| Bro Morgannwg | |
| Torfaen | |
| Tor-Faen | |
| Wrexham | |
| Wrecsam |
8. Things to remember
We only provide factual information and impartial advice about our procedures. Read more about the advice we give.