Applications submitted to HM Land Registry are now digital by default
As of 30th November 2022, HM Land Registry has taken a major step to fulfilling the automation ambitions outlined in the 2022+ strategy published in the summer.
Applications submitted using the HM Land Registry customer portal are now digital by default, using the Digital Registration Service. This is a move away from paper-based electronic applications. Rather than a scan or a PDF, the details of the application are entered directly into the service, capturing the data digitally. Digital data is more structured, accurate and will enable HM Land Registry to automate more applications.
The move to digital by default has been supported by the first major redesign to the customer portal since it was launched in 2009.
The Digital Registration Service start page guides customers into the service and directs them to the legacy service for the small number of applications that aren’t yet available in the Digital Registration Service.
The remaining application types will be added in early 2023 and from there the legacy service will be wound down – and eventually withdrawn – later in 2023.
Deputy Director for Digital Services Eddie Davies commented:
“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.”
You can submit applications digitally:
- Using the Digital Registration Service in the HM Land Registry portal
- Through legal software connected to HM Land Registry systems
If you are still finding barriers to submit digital applications, please complete the Land Registry’s short survey.
