The main aims of the strategy, coined Strategy 2022+, are to ensure secure and efficient land registration, enable property to be bought and sold digitally, near real-time property information, increasing openness and accessibility of its data and pioneering research with property market partners.
HMLR said that on the land registration side, it aimed to improve its speed of service, automate and personalise in conveyancing service, invest in expertise and increase resilience to fraud and cyber threats and explore mapping or unregistered land.
The organisation added that it would work with the property sector to make the process of buying and sell property digital and develop fully digital services that connect easily with one another. It added that it would also promote a “secure and inclusive digital system of conveyancing”.
Currently one in five applications to HMLR requires a follow-up with the applicant to resolve problems, and this goes up to two in three for complex applications. The agency said that it was working with customers to “reduce avoidable errors in their applications”.
Significant investment in automation
HMLR explained that it planned to complete automation of all information services, digitise “the most useful register information”, develop greater transparency and online access and complete instance-access to the local land changes register.
It also stated that it would prioritise register digitisation, making data more “findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable”.
It said that significant investment in automation would see end-to-end automation of up to 70 per cent of all updates by 2023, and that automated applications will be completed in one day.
Working together to create a paperless homebuying journey
As part of the next stage of digital transformation, the organisation is inviting the UK property sector to “work in partnership to create a simpler, paperless and transparent process for buying and selling property which will benefit homeowners across the country”.
The strategy is supported by Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, the Conveyancing Association, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Council of Property Search Organisations, the Law Society, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Society of Licensed Conveyancers and UK Finance.
Simon Hayes, chief executive and chief land registrar of HMLR, said: “Strategy 2022+ comes at a pivotal moment. The very high level of activity in the property market in recent times has underlined the urgency with which all players need to work together to improve the system.
“With property transactions taking record time to complete, it is imperative that we work as partners to innovate and remove friction so that the process is as quick and painless as possible.”
He added: “For HM Land Registry, that means a step-change in our offering to customers so that they receive an outstanding, fully digital service. As we do so, we are placing people – those buying and selling property – at the heart of our transformation.”
