HMLR chief: ‘We’re making headway but have a long way to go’

The chief executive of HM Land Registry has outlined the improvements made by the service and promised no complacency in the ongoing drive to reduce registration times.

‘I know that improving the speed of registration is our customers’ number one concern,’ Simon Hayes wrote in a blog published last week. ‘It is the same for all of us at HM Land Registry. I am pleased to be able to say we are making real headway on this now’.

He added:

“We are not being complacent, though. We know we still have a lot further to go. We will remain absolutely focused on the speed of our service until it is back where our customers need it to be.”

The improvements outlined by the chief land registrar include surpassing the March goal to process 95% of applications within 12 months of submission. However, Hayes acknowledged that at the peak of the backlog, some applications were waiting up to 20 months: ‘That’s far from good enough’.

The blog sets out the four key areas Hayes says have led to improvements: working more closely with customers to reduce errors and shape services; hiring over 2000 new caseworkers and training them in a newly launched Land Registration Academy; restructuring the organisation to enable quicker responses to fluctuations in demand; investing in AI and digital services.

Hayes continued:

“All of this is helping us to process more applications, reduce backlogs and build the foundations for a modern digital land registry at the heart of a reformed property market.”

Further planned changes to be implemented from April include an email sent to firms with insights into common errors and how to prevent them, and an update to the Estimated Completion Date tool that will give clearer, more accurate timelines.

An HMLR spokesperson acknowledged that ‘some customers may not feel the improvements to the degree we are, especially those in the commercial sector’ and said the Registry continues to work closely with customers to improve services, including a project on avoidable requisitions – ‘which we know are a point of frustration’.

However, Hayes said the Registry will continue to pursue ‘a faster, more convenient registration service’ and said he is confident in the progress they will continue to make in the coming months. He added:

“As we continue to improve, I hope you and your clients will continue to feel the difference more clearly in the months ahead.” 

In March, chair of the HMLR Board Neil Sachdev outlined the strategic priorities that will enable the Registry to meet government expectations and support delivery of the promised 1.5 million new homes.

In a letter to Matthew Pennycook, the minister of state for housing and planning, Sachdev committed to digitising and modernising Registry systems, ‘coordinated action’ to create a more efficient home buying process, improved data transparency, a fairer and more transparent pricing structure, leasehold and commonhold reform, and stronger alignment with government strategy. The business plan and strategy are set to be published in the coming weeks.