The Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has reiterated HM Land Registry’s commitment to reducing waiting times, and claims a combination of 3300 new staff and the automation of routine tasks will continue to drive down delays.
In a written answer to Labour MP Amanda Hack, who asked the minister what steps the government is taking to reduce the HMLR’s backlog, Matthew Pennycook said ‘significant progress’ has been made in reducing waiting times for applicants. In addition to the 3300 new staff recruited in the last five years, the minister said the enhancement of digital services is also having a positive impact on waiting times. He added:
“The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.”
Efficiencies are also being introduced through the automation of administrative processes, Pennycook added, which ‘frees staff to focus on more complex tasks that require expertise’.
Enhanced digital customer services, including pre-submission applications checks, are also intended to drive down delays, reduce the number of post-completion applications and ‘provide a better overall experience for customers’, the minister said.
‘HMLR acknowledges that some customers may not yet feel the full impact of these improvements,’ Pennycook acknowledged. He added:
“If a delay to an application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, it can be expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% of these processed within 10 working days.”
In a recent blog posted on the HMLR website, chief executive Simon Hayes said the registry had made ‘real headway’ on its efforts to improve services, including surpassing the March goal of processing 95% of applications within 12 months of submission. However, he acknowledged there was a lot further to go and said the registry wasn’t being ‘complacent’. The organisation is working more closely with customers to reduce errors, he added. Further changes include introducing a Land Registration Academy to train new caseworkers, restructuring to respond to fluctuations in demand, and investing in AI and digital.
In March, a data verification service for Business Gateway-enabled software was introduced with the aim of stopping unnecessary requisitions by preventing ‘simple administrative errors’ from being submitted. The service will ensure the charge date is in the present and not a future date, highlight the omissions of applicant and borrower names and the declaration of trust, and flag title number errors on all digital applications. By highlighting any errors before submission, the registry aims to reduce the number of requisitions.
One Response
But it isn’t under 12 months. I certainly have applications over 12 months which I have just checked and “waiting processing”. I’ve certainly seen firms make similar comments on LinkedIn. Either HMLR has misled the minister or this statement is just plain false.