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Certificate of Ownership: A 2026 Guide to the UK Planning Application Ownership Certificate

Bhavesh Ramburn

What is the Certificate of Ownership?

The Certificate of Ownership (sometimes called the Agricultural Holdings Certificate or Ownership Certificate) is a declaration that you must submit with almost every planning application in England and Wales. The certificate identifies who has an interest in the application site and confirms that the appropriate notice has been served on anyone who is not the applicant.

The legal basis is Article 12 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (SI 2015/595), made under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. A separate but equivalent regime applies in Wales under the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012.

The certificate is part of the standard 1APP application form. Submitting an incorrect or incomplete certificate is a common reason for applications being invalidated on submission. The LPA can refuse to register an invalid application.

For the broader context on the planning-application process, see our householder planning permission guide and our Bradford planning portal guide.

The four types of ownership certificate

There are four types of Certificate of Ownership — A, B, C, and D. The certificate you need depends on who owns the application site and who else has a legal interest in it.

Certificate A — sole owner

Use Certificate A if you are the sole owner of the application site. You are the only person with a freehold interest, leasehold interest (with at least 7 years remaining), or other legal interest in the land.

By signing Certificate A, you declare that you are the sole owner. You do not need to notify anyone else.

Certificate B — partial ownership

Use Certificate B if you are one of multiple owners of the application site. You have a legal interest in the land, but so does at least one other person (e.g. a co-owner, a leaseholder, or a tenant with a lease of 7+ years remaining).

By signing Certificate B, you declare that you have served a Certificate B notice on every other person known to you to have a legal interest in the site. The notice is a standard form (Notice 1 in the 1APP pack) that informs the other party of the planning application and gives them a defined period (typically 21 days) to make representations.

The LPA may invalidate the application if it cannot confirm that the Certificate B notice was properly served on all relevant parties.

Certificate C — owner with unknown interests

Use Certificate C if you have a legal interest in the site but you cannot identify all other persons with a legal interest in the site. This is most commonly used where the applicant is a tenant of a property but cannot identify all other tenants, or where the applicant is a purchaser of a property but the vendor’s interests have not been fully investigated.

By signing Certificate C, you declare that you have made reasonable efforts to identify all other interested parties but have been unable to do so. You must still serve a Certificate C notice on any person you can identify.

Certificate D — agent or commercial developer

Use Certificate D if you are not an owner of the application site but are submitting the application on behalf of an owner, or if you are a commercial developer applying for permission on land you do not own.

By signing Certificate D, you declare that you have served a Certificate D notice on the owner of the site (or, where the owner cannot be identified, on the occupier). The notice informs the owner of the planning application and gives them the opportunity to make representations.

Certificate D is the most common form for agent-submitted applications where the applicant is acting on behalf of the owner (a very common arrangement in practice).

The following people are typically considered to have a legal interest in the application site:

  • The freeholder — the person who owns the land outright.
  • Long leaseholders — anyone with a lease of 7 years or more remaining at the date of the application.
  • Tenants with a commercial lease — typically a business tenant with a lease of 7+ years.
  • Other parties with a legal interest — e.g. someone with an easement, a right of way, or a covenant over the land.

The following are typically not considered to have a legal interest for the purposes of the certificate:

  • Short-term tenants — tenants with a lease of less than 7 years remaining.
  • Lodgers or sub-tenants — occupants without a separate legal interest.
  • Neighbours — owners of adjoining land (unless they share a legal interest with the application site).

If you are unsure whether a person has a legal interest, your solicitor can advise based on the Land Registry title plan and any associated deeds or leases.

How to serve a Certificate B, C, or D notice

A Certificate B, C, or D notice is a standard form (the relevant notice is part of the 1APP application pack). The notice must:

  • Identify the application site and the planning application reference (or, for a new application, the proposed development).
  • Identify the applicant and the LPA.
  • Set out the deadline for representations (typically 21 days from the date of service).
  • Be served on every person with a legal interest in the site.

The notice can be served by:

  • First-class post to the last known address of the person to be served.
  • Personal delivery to the last known address.
  • Email, where the person has agreed to be served by email.

A copy of the notice, with a certificate of service (date, time, method), should be retained as evidence that the notice was properly served. The LPA can ask to see the certificate of service if there is a dispute.

What happens if you submit the wrong certificate

Submitting the wrong Certificate of Ownership is a common cause of application invalidation. The LPA will write to you to confirm the reason for invalidation and ask you to submit a corrected certificate.

For most applications, submitting the correct certificate is straightforward — your solicitor or planning agent can advise. The LPA cannot refuse to register an application simply because the wrong certificate was used; the LPA must give you the opportunity to submit a corrected certificate.

In serious cases — for example, where the applicant has deliberately submitted a false certificate — the application can be invalidated and the applicant may be subject to enforcement action.

Next steps and resources

Editorial note. This article is for guidance only and does not constitute regulated advice. The Certificate of Ownership is a legal declaration. Submitting a false certificate can invalidate the application and may have other legal consequences. For project-specific questions, consult a solicitor specialising in planning law or a chartered planning consultant.