How Property Passport UK Sources Data: Methodology and Refresh Schedules

The principle

Property Passport UK does not generate property data. The platform aggregates and standardises data published by official UK government sources into one verified record per property. Every fact on a Property Passport page can be traced to a named government source, and the platform displays the source on the property page.

This guide explains where each data point comes from and how often it is refreshed.

Address and UPRN

Source: Ordnance Survey AddressBase

What it shows: the verified address and the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) for every addressable location in England and Wales.

Refresh: weekly. Ordnance Survey publishes AddressBase updates regularly and Property Passport UK ingests the latest version on a continuous schedule.

Tenure (freehold or leasehold)

Source: HM Land Registry title register

What it shows: whether the property is held as freehold or leasehold according to the official register.

Refresh: monthly. HMLR publishes ownership and tenure updates on a regular schedule and Property Passport UK ingests the latest data.

Limit: not all properties are registered with HMLR. Around 13% of land in England and Wales remains unregistered. For unregistered properties, tenure may not be available.

Sold price history

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (PPD)

What it shows: every residential property sale in England and Wales sold at market value since January 1995. Includes sale price, date, property type, tenure (at time of sale), and address.

Refresh: monthly. HMLR publishes Price Paid Data updates around the 20th of each month with the previous month's transactions. Property Passport UK ingests the new data within days of publication.

Limit: PPD only includes residential sales at market value. It excludes non-residential property, rentals, gifts, transfers between family members, and any sale not registered for stamp duty.

EPC rating

Source: EPC Register (operated by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

What it shows: the current EPC rating, expiry date, recommendations, SAP score, and other technical data from the latest EPC certificate for the property.

Refresh: weekly. The EPC Register publishes new certificates as assessors lodge them, and Property Passport UK ingests the latest data on a regular schedule.

Limit: not every property has an EPC. Properties exempt from EPC requirements (some listed buildings, certain holiday lets) may have no certificate. Older EPCs are valid for 10 years from issue.

Environment Agency flood zone

Source: Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning

What it shows: the flood zone classification (1, 2, 3a, 3b) for the property's location, plus surface water flood risk.

Refresh: quarterly. The Environment Agency revises flood maps periodically as new climate data and modelling become available. Property Passport UK ingests the latest version when published.

Limit: flood zones are based on modelling, not on every individual flood event. A property in Zone 1 can still flood in extreme events.

Listed building status

Source: Historic England National Heritage List for England (and Cadw for Wales)

What it shows: whether the property is a listed building, the grade (I, II*, II), and the official listing entry.

Refresh: monthly. Historic England updates the National Heritage List as new listings are added and existing entries are revised.

Limit: only listed buildings are shown. Buildings of historical interest that have not been formally listed are not in the dataset.

Conservation area

Source: Local Authority conservation area designations

What it shows: whether the property is within a designated conservation area.

Refresh: variable. Local authorities update conservation area boundaries occasionally as they review and add areas. Property Passport UK ingests local authority data on a periodic schedule, with priority on the largest local authorities.

Limit: data quality varies by local authority. Some councils publish conservation area data in a structured format; others publish only PDFs or maps.

Local authority

Source: Ordnance Survey Boundary Line and ONS local authority codes

What it shows: the local authority that covers the property's location, used for council tax and planning context.

Refresh: annually. Local authority boundaries change occasionally through reorganisation; Property Passport UK reflects the current boundaries.

Source attribution

Every fact on a Property Passport page shows its source. When you view a property at [/search](/search), each data point is labelled with the source organisation and the date the data was last refreshed. This is part of the platform's commitment to transparency: users should always know where the data comes from and when it was last updated.

What Property Passport UK does not do

Property Passport UK does not:

• Generate valuations or AVMs (use Zoopla, Mouseprice, or a RICS surveyor for that)
• Hold private documents the owner has not chosen to share
• Replace conveyancing searches (the conveyancer's local authority search is a deeper dataset for transaction purposes)
• Show building safety certificates that are held by individual freeholders rather than government registers
• Show service charge data that is held by freeholders and managing agents rather than government registers

For these data items, the original holders remain the source of truth.

How to use it

Search any of the 19.35 million properties in England and Wales at [/search](/search). The platform is free, requires no account, and shows verified data sourced from official UK government registers. Use it for buying decisions, selling decisions, area research, due diligence, or any situation where you need verified property data without paying for a search service.

Look up any UK property on Property Passport UK

Property Passport UK is the national property data registry for England and Wales. Verified data on every one of the 19.35 million properties from HM Land Registry, the EPC Register, Ordnance Survey, and the Environment Agency. Free, no account required. Search any address at [/search](/search).