HM Land registry (HMLR) have boasted that their digital, holistic Local Land Charges (LLC) system will reduce official search times from “8 weeks to 8 clicks.”
Unfortunately, the digital system that was supposed to avoid unnecessary and avoidable delays was blighted with ‘technical issues,’ disrupting its online and phone service for over 24 hours.
Although the system and allure of instant results will revolutionise the search process and potentially speed up house completions, a fully integrated system, that includes all 326 local authorities, could still be seven years away. Currently, LLC searches have been used by Warwick District Council since July 11th, Liverpool went live on 3rd September and City of London Corporation LLC data became fully digital on October 8th.
The first Tweet from HMLR Tech Support went out yesterday at 8.21am, stating “There is currently an issue impacting HM Land Registry services. This is being investigated as a matter of urgency.”
Since that time, six other Tweets have been sent updating customers on the lack of progress in determining the problems.
The final two Tweets assured customers that the online system has been fully restored, but the phone service was experiencing high volumes.
People reliant on the service provided by HMLR were understandably annoyed and confused by the delays: one tweeter stated “Still not working and have an office full of people with nothing to do…” Many more pleaded with HMLR for more information and updates, but nothing other than a very generic response was sent through the twitter channels.
The official HM Land Registry Press Release, stated: “As you may be aware, we have been experiencing technical issues over the last 24 hours. Our online services are now working, but not operating at full capacity. Our phone lines are currently available, but we are experiencing very high call volumes.
“You should now be able to lodge your applications in the normal way, but you may still experience functionality issues. If you have an urgent enquiry, you can email us:customersupport@landregistry.gov.uk
“We will be working over the weekend to restore services. We appreciate your continued patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
As HMLR continue to increase their digital presence by creating a holistic digital system, the recent technical issues and widespread disruption it has caused may concern some that have been affected.
Were you affected by the recent technical difficulties? How long did you have to wait before the service was resumed? Were you given enough clarity by HMLR Tech Support?
