Anyone browsing the property pages of a news website in the last year will have seen countless articles about how busy the UK housing market has been and continues to be. We have seen a big increase in demand for our services as a result.
It is not unusual for your name not to appear in the Land Register for some time after you have moved into your new home. You don’t need to worry about this, as your property ownership remains securely held as soon as we receive your application, even while the register is being updated, as we cover in more detail here.
We recognise that, in certain circumstances, you may need your application to be completed urgently. In this blog, we’ll look at how to request our expedite service if you have an application that is urgent and where you can go for information on how long we are taking to process applications.
What is HM Land Registry’s fast-track process?
If you need an application to be completed urgently, let us know as soon as possible so that we can help you. You can tell us by applying to have your application fast-tracked. This is called our expedite service and it is free. It is available for applications where a delay would either put a property sale or any kind of property transaction at risk or cause problems not related to a land transaction.
We are currently processing around 1,000 fast-tracked applications every day and complete 95% of them within 10 working days.
Does my application qualify to be fast-tracked?
If you believe you may qualify for an expedite, please put in a request as soon as possible, stating why your application is urgent – for example, your mortgage offer is set to expire – rather than waiting until those problems arise.
You can apply via your solicitor or conveyancer. If you haven’t used a solicitor, you can request an expedite yourself.
Although it is extremely rare that any delays to our services would affect a property sale, sometimes an application must be completed before a transaction can proceed or to prevent some other negative impact.
Anyone who is about to either remortgage or sell their property within 18 months of having moved in should ask their conveyancer to check the registration status of their property as soon as they can. Requesting an expedite will reduce any risk of delays.
How long are applications taking?
Throughout this busy period for the housing market, our priority has been to deliver the essential services that enable property transactions to continue uninterrupted. These are mainly searches of the register before a property is bought or sold. Our searches of the title register and title plan will prove the seller is actually the legal owner of the property they are selling and will give other important details, such as any debts registered against the property or any rights of way over the property. We get around 100,000 search requests every day and deliver nearly all of them within seconds.
As well as requests for searches before a transaction, we have also seen a big increase in the number of applications we receive after a property or piece of land has changed hands, such as applications to update the register to add a new owner’s name or details about their mortgage.
The time taken to complete an application should not affect a property sale because it usually takes place after a transaction. The applicant’s legal interest in the property is protected the moment we receive the application, not when it is completed.
We can’t tell you how long your individual application will take, as different applications vary greatly. However, we can give an estimate based on recent processing times. We publish the latest information on our processing times online. This page is updated monthly so it is the best place to go for information on how long we take to process applications.
Improving the speed of our services is our top priority
HM Land Registry’s programme to improve efficiency has meant that we are completing more applications per month than we did three years ago. However, because of the increased demand in the housing market, some applications are currently taking longer than they usually would.
In August, we published our new Strategy and Business Plan, a roadmap for how we will improve our services over the next few years. This includes our plan to automate up to 70% of simpler applications to update the register so that they are completed in seconds. This will allow us to refocus our expert staff onto bringing down wait times on complicated applications. You can learn more about our clear and ambitious plans here.
16 comments
Comment by Nick posted on
Hi there - I'm currently trying to buy a house and we're having issues getting the charge from the seller's lender removed from the title (the seller repaid his mortgage several months ago). The request to expedite the application was received and approved, but it is still taking a while. Is there any way to know what the hold up is about?
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Hello Nick. Thanks for your comment. The vast majority of expedites are completed within 10 working days. Some cases are more complex, and not all applications can be expedited if there are any outstanding applications or requests for information (requisitions) that need to be completed first. You can contact us for further information at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-hm-land-registry
Comment by samantha chubb posted on
Our biggest hold up is with new lease registrations. Applications are lodged and we are advised that it will then take 12 -24 months before they are looked at.
Clients don't understand why it is taking so long and we haven't got any explanation to give them. Delays due to a lockdown doesn't really cut it now that we are two years on.
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Hello Samantha. Our services have been impacted by the unprecedented activity in the property market, meaning some applications are taking longer than we would like. I am sorry this is affecting your clients. Please do let them know the expedite option is available should their application be urgent.
Comment by Jane Mahoney posted on
Been going through a re-mortgage but buying my husband out, so removing him from the deeds. We started this process in July and I believe the issue is stuck with Land Registry. How can I get this through quicker as this is holding up the mortgage as well as my husband having his money in order to be able to move on? Thank you
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Hello Jane. Thank you for your comment. You can request for your application to be expedited via your solicitor or conveyancer or, if you haven’t used one, you can put the request in yourself. For more information on the process and the evidence you will need to supply, please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/request-an-expedite
Comment by Laura posted on
What happens if expedite can’t be done because of outstanding applications and I loose my mortgage offer?
My solicitor won’t complete until we have the new title number from land registry and I’ve been advised it could be delayed until May 2024
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Hello Laura. Thanks for your question. We would always recommend you request an expedite if your application is urgent. If there is an outstanding application, we will need to consider that first. However your expedite request will mean that application is prioritised and handled as quickly as we can.
Comment by Js posted on
Hello - I have requested an "expedite" for a newly registered leasehold flat in a block of flats and the search page now displays 2 results 1) the freehold (obviously not belonging to me) and 2)
"Unknown result"
"This service is new and some information is not available here yet."
Does "Unknown result" - "This service is new and some information is not available here yet." mean that it is currently "in progress"
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Assuming you are using our Search for land and property information service, yes it is currently in progress. Once it's registered the information will be available immediately. Your conveyancer can confirm expedition and progress for you through their secure online portal.
Comment by Tim Walker posted on
Hello, we are currently looking to raise funds on one of the properties that we own. This property is an old cottage that has been in the family for circa 90 years and we have recently found out that it is not formally registered at Land Registry. We are raising the funds to provide the deposits to purchase a further 2 investment properties using a bridging loan. The lender has said they might be able to speed things up if we use their solicitors which we are now doing however our solicitor has said that from his experience it will not be a quick process.
We have deeds dating back to 1840 however they are rather vague in their description and there are no plans identifying the extent of land ownership as would be the norm today. Given the challenges with registering this property, even if the solicitor requests to expedite the process, are we likely to be able to get this concluded within a month or is it likely to be significantly longer?
Many thanks.
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Hello Tim. We can't say how long it will take until we've seen the application and assessed the work involved. You can see the latest on our processing times here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/measures-to-support-customers.
Comment by William posted on
We have been gifted a property from an elderly friend and the transfer is sitting with land registry. We are told that the transfer could take a considerable time and this is the nub of our enquiry. We have been told that the transfer is now at risk because the person making the gift could pass away before Land Reg make the transfer and should this be the case the transfer would be cancelled. Do we qualify to apply to expedite this transfer
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
Hello William. Thanks for your question. You can absolutely request an expedite though we can reassure you that the transfer would still take place. Applications to change the register have priority as soon as we receive them, not from the date they are processed.
Comment by William posted on
What are your lead times on changes to the register? We have been told it’s up to one year by our solicitor which I’m sure is just someone trying to manage our expectations
Comment by Gavin Curry posted on
We provide details of the wait times for different application types on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/measures-to-support-customers. This information is updated monthly.