When was my house built?

How do I find out when my house was built?

There are several documents that should tell you what year your home was built, including the title register or title deeds as well as any home surveys you have commissioned or any mortgage offer you’ve received. You might also be able to find out by getting in touch with your local council.

Title deeds / title register:

This is an official document that proves you own the property, and it normally contains details including the date of construction.

Home survey:

If you had a survey carried out before you bought your current home, the surveyor should have established exactly when the house or flat was built.

Mortgage offer:

Similarly, if you have taken out a mortgage on your property, the lender will have ascertained when it was built as part of the process. This information should be included in the offer details.

Local council:

If you’ve drawn a blank with the options above, your local authority’s planning department might be able to tell you when planning permission for your home was originally granted.

How do I find out when my house was built through HM Land Registry?

If you don’t have a copy of your title deeds or can’t find one, you can get in touch with HM Land Registry. This is a government service that records who owns property in England and Wales. Once you have found your home on the site, you can get a copy of the title register by paying a £3 fee. The title register should usually provide details of when the property was built.

If the property is in Scotland, you can use the Registers of Scotland and in Northern Ireland the Land Registry for Northern Ireland.

Bear in mind that the documents provided by these services do not always include the date of construction of a property.

I have a period property, how do I find out how old it is?

For older homes, in particular those built before 1940, it may be more difficult to establish when they were built. For period properties – a term that generally refers to homes build before the start of the First World War in 1914 – there are other methods you can try.

1862 Land Registry Act:

The 1862 Act Register was the government’s first effort to collect information about property ownership. The register has been digitised and can be found here.

Local archives:

In England and Wales, you can search local archives for information about buildings of note in your area.

Ordnance Survey maps:

By checking old maps, you may be able to work out when your home or street first appeared. The National Library of Scotland has a digital database of old Ordnance Survey maps covering all of the UK.

Listed buildings:

Depending on where you are in the UK, you can check to see if your property is a listed building. Listed buildings are buildings that have special historical significance. The listing should give at least an approximate construction date.

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland

Census data:

The National Archives holds census information from 1841 onwards.

What if I can't find out how old it is?

If none of the methods described above helps you work out when your home was built, you can try to make an educated guess based on the style of property you have.

Tudor (1485-1603):

In the Tudor period, homes were usually based on timber frames, with small windows and an upper floor that extends out over the ground floor.

Jacobean (1604-1713):

Jacobean-style homes are flat-fronted properties with exposed brickwork and steep roofs.

Georgian (1714-1820):

Georgian properties have tall sash windows, central front doors and large fireplaces.

Victorian (1837-1901):

In the Victorian era, properties were built from brick with sloping roofs, large bay windows and high ceilings.

Edwardian (1901-1914):

Edwardian homes are similar to those from the Victorian period, but tend to be broader with hipped roofs, dormer windows and wide halls.

Post-WW1 (1918-1939):

Between the wars, home design was simplified, with bare brick or pebble-dashed semi-detached family homes featuring large bay windows.

Why is it useful to know when my house was built?

As mentioned above, knowing when your house was built is likely to be useful when you apply for home insurance. This is one of the factors that insurers use to work out premiums for buildings insurance. But it is also handy to know how old your home is in case you want to carry out improvements or building work. Older homes may need specialist materials, and if your property is listed, you may face restrictions in terms of the changes or improvements you can make.

Knowing when it was built can also help when you come to sell your home – this information will need to be included in the sale details.

Do older houses cost more to insure?

Older homes usually cost more to insure. This is because properties that have been around longer have had more time to develop issues such as subsidence, and also because older materials will have been used in their construction. So the likes of electrical wiring, plumbing and brickwork could be less reliable than in newer homes.

In addition, repairs and rebuilding work on older homes may need more specialist labour, so this will also increase the cost of insurance.