HM Land Registry has highlighted plans to increase the automation of its processes and step up the use of its digital tools in the property market.
The agency has just published its Strategy 2022+ and Business Plan 2022-2025, emphasising its vision for a fully digital market as it takes on a convening role in the UK property sector.
This includes a target for the end-to-end automation of 70% of updates to the Land Register by 2025, with applications to be completed in one day. This will give case workers more time to deal with complex applications, Land Registry said in announcing the publications.
It added that a new drive to rapidly digitise the information the public and conveyancers need most will allow people to access its information on ownership, location, mortgages, local land charges and more in real time, so they will be better informed when making a decision.
This will be accompanied by making its data more findable, accessible, interoperable with other data and re-usable in line with FAIR principles.
Signatures and platforms
Elements of the strategy include enabling property to be bought and sold digitally through measures such as the adoption of more secure, qualified electronic signatures, the integration of Land Registry’s services with other conveyancing platforms and systems, and the development of an open ecosystem of digital services in the property sector.
Efforts to provide near real time property information will include the automation of all the agency’s information services, the digitisation of the most useful register information and an increased use of data science.
This will come with the provision of accessible digital data from the Land Register, the Local Land Charges Register, the Land Charges Register and the Agricultural Credits Register – supported by data access standards developed with other key national geospatial data providers.
The business plan highlights steps such as enabling business customers to lodge all application types through the agency’s Digital Registration Service, making full use of the Application Processing digital casework system, and completing the onboarding of local authorities to the Local Land Charges Register.
Revolution and growth
Business Minister Lord Callanan said: “Industries across the economy stand ready to seize on the digital revolution and the UK’s world renowned property market is no different. The digitisation proposals in this strategy will help the Land Registry deliver more efficient and user-friendly services, while driving productivity and growth for the sector.
“These proposals, along with other action the Land Registry is taking such as the completion of a Local Land Charges register, will provide a boost to households and businesses engaging with the property market throughout the UK, supporting our ambitious levelling up agenda.”
Amended pm 1.9.22 to show 70% automation target for Land Register, not Local Land Registry
