Land Registry Lease Plan Requirements Explained
HM Land Registry has specific requirements for lease plans. This guide explains each one — scale, north point, colouring, demise and the OS location plan.
Why the requirements exist
HM Land Registry maintains the definitive record of land ownership in England and Wales. For that record to be reliable, the plans submitted with applications must be accurate, scaled and unambiguous. The requirements are not bureaucratic box-ticking — they exist so that decades from now, anyone can look at the plan and know exactly which area the lease covers.
Scale and measurement
The plan must be drawn to a stated metric scale, typically 1:100 or 1:200 for the floor plan and around 1:1250 or 1:500 for the OS location plan. A scale bar should be included so the drawing remains measurable if copied. The plan must be printed at the stated scale — printing with "fit to page" changes the scale and is one of the most common reasons for rejection.
Demise, colouring and the north point
The demised area must be edged in red, following the actual walls and including any garden, loft, terrace or parking space let under the lease. Communal areas are shown in green, and additional rights such as rights of way may be shown in other colours. A north point must be included so the plan reads consistently against the OS map.
The Ordnance Survey location plan
A location plan based on Ordnance Survey mapping must show where the property sits in relation to surrounding buildings and streets, so the land can be identified on the OS map. Insufficient surrounding detail — making the property impossible to locate — can cause an application to be rejected.
Getting it right first time
Because requisitions can delay a transaction by weeks, the value of a compliant plan is in being accepted first time. Plans produced by people unfamiliar with the practice guides are a frequent cause of rejection. For the official rules, see HM Land Registry’s guidance on preparing plans for applications on GOV.UK.
Need a lease plan?
We produce Land Registry compliant lease plans across England and Wales. Send us the property details for a fixed-price quote.