Land Registry makes applications digital by default

The Land Registry has taken what it describes as a major step to fulfilling its automation ambitions.

Applications submitted to HM Land Registry are now digital by default.

The Land Registry said this is a move away from paper-based electronic applications. 

Rather than a scan or a PDF, the details of an application are entered directly into its Digital Registration Service. 

Digital data is more structured, accurate and will enable Land Registry to automate more applications, a statement from the organisation said.

Eddie Davies, deputy director for digital services at the Land Registry, said: “Our objective is to support the development of a simpler, paperless, transparent and user-friendly process for buying and selling property. 

“This update to the portal, and the move to digital by default, is a major milestone in achieving this objective through greater automation which we hope will ultimately lead to better services and quicker applications.

“By automating services, we expect to significantly improve completion of straightforward transactions with an ambition to return to same day applications for many.”

The Land Registry set out ambitious plans in September to automate up to 70% of all updates to its register by 2025 to speed up property sales.

Its three-year business plan warned that the current homebuying process “does not meet some basic expectations for a modern, professional service.”

It said: “We know that people find the process stressful and confusing. HM Land Registry will work with the property market to co-create a homebuying process of the future that is quicker, more efficient and more user friendly.”

The Land Registry has promised significant investment to ensure that automated applications will be completed within one day – many of them in seconds.