Land Registry have been working to improve the standard of applications being received from customers.
Acknowledging customers want the speed of their service to be improved, Registry has stated that this has been prioritised, with the belief that the process time can be reduced. This focuses specifically on new title applications. By improving the quality of applications, the cost and time spent for registration will be brought down.
A test is being run by Registry between 20 and 30 March, where an extended set of rejection criteria will be applied to some applications received. This includes standards which the Registry believe should be executed correctly by customers each time.
These points include:
- Meeting the execution requirements for deeds
- Lodging evidence for power of attorney
- Quoting the accurate fee for a new title application
- Sending Land Registry the correct form for a first registration
- Filling in panels 3, 5, 12 and 17 of the application form for a first registration
If an application is rejected during the test, an explanation will be provided by Registry.
Advice from Registry regarding completion of applications and avoidance of requisitions was improved last year.
By speaking to some of their largest customers, Registry explained that they are aiming to embed this advice within the organisations, working collaboratively to achieve this outcome. Discussions regarding the improvement of application quality have also been highlighted at national Law Society events.
Requisition rates have seen improvements in certain instances, but Registry has stated that they would like the general quality of applications to improve. They highlight that a large number of requisitions are raised each day, with many to be considered as avoidable. These include unaccounted name discrepancies, deeds not executed properly as well as applications missing evidence regarding the powers of attorney.
By continuing to work with both regulatory bodies and customers, Registry aim to improve the standard of their service. A part of this is contemplating whether their current procedure regarding rejection and requisitions need to be altered. The scheduled test with the widened criteria will assist this.
For some of their customers, Registry also mentioned that a new method of reporting requisition data will be tested. Dependent upon whether this is successful, it will then be introduced on a wider scale.
