Land Registry claims digital investment is reaping rewards

Councils that have moved to the digital Local Land Charges Register are now taking days rather than weeks to send search results.

The Land Registry’s annual report for 2024/2025 shows more than 110 local authorities have successfully transferred more than 7.2m local land charges.

Additionally, the report said its counter fraud group prevented more than £59m worth of fraudulent property applications in 2024-25. 

The Land Registry said:

“They achieved this through a combination of reviewing and updating HM Land Registry’s methods for detecting fraud, working in partnership with other agencies across government and the property sector and encouraging the public to be on their guard and sign up for our free Property Alert service.”

Simon Hayes, chief executive and chief land registrar, said:

“We know how important it is that everyone can rely on HM Land Registry to ensure their property ownership records are secure and accurate. This is fundamental in helping people to buy homes, develop land and secure mortgages. Our role in maintaining the guaranteed record of property ownership in England and Wales is of huge economic importance to the country, supporting and enabling more than £1bn of property market activities every day.

“Our investment in digital services and focus on efficiency has allowed us to process registrations faster, although we will continue to reduce the time it takes for us to process certain applications.

“Our focus on improving the speed of registration has yielded tangible results. By March 2025 we had surpassed our target to process 95% of all applications within 12 months of submission. However, we remain committed to further improving the service we provide to our customers and the industry, both by harnessing technology and through the dedication of our people.”

Kindly shared by EstateAgentTODAY Image courtesy of Adobe