Grave ownership and transfers

If you are the 'Applicant for Burial' you will hold the Exclusive Right of Burial for the grave.

As the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial you have the right to be buried in the grave and authorise further burials in the grave, if there is space. You can also authorise the installation of a memorial on the grave, or have work completed on an existing memorial.

The Exclusive Right of Burial for a grave does not give you ownership of the actual land.

When a grave is first purchased a grave deed confirming the Exclusive Right of Burial is sent to the 'owner'. You must keep this safe as we are not able to issue duplicate copies.

Before 1969, all graves were purchased 'in perpetuity', meaning the Exclusive Right of Burial extended indefinitely. For graves purchased after this date, the Exclusive Right of Burial is purchased for a 75-year lease period.

Possession of the grave deed does not mean you have Exclusive Right of Burial to the grave. If the grave owner dies, they would still be recognised in our registers as the grave owner until ownership is transferred or assigned to someone else.

How to transfer ownership of a grave

You can complete a transfer of ownership enquiry online. The transfer fee is £79 which must be paid prior to any transfer taking place.

Please ensure you provide all the information requested on the form.

Requests for transfer of Exclusive Right of Burial are not guaranteed and will be subject to approval from the current/original holder.

Transfer of grave ownership enquiry

Read our privacy notice which tells you how we use your data.

What happens next?

We aim to respond to your enquiry within 5 working days. However, because we must prioritise imminent burials and cremations, our response time may be longer.

We will contact you to let you know if we are able to complete the transfer. A transfer fee of £79 is payable upon the transfer of deeds - we will tell you how to pay the fee.

Please note our offices are closed at weekends.