In its latest update over processing times, Land Registry said that for complex changes and new entries, the majority of cases (62.4 per cent) take longer than a year to be delivered. Less than 10 per cent are handled in under a month, while Land Registry deals with 38,000 cases of this type each month.
When it comes to applications to register land or property for the first time, around half are completed in about 14 months. Land Registry said that “almost all” are done in 15 months, though “a minority” take longer depending on the application.
Processing times are longer for applications to divide existing titles or register a new lease. Where preparatory work has been done, around half of applications are completed in about 13 months, with almost all completed within 20 months according to the Land Registry.
However, where no preparatory work has been done, half are completed in just over 18 months, while almost all are sorted within 22 months.
Land Registry noted that these more complex cases include more errors and omissions than straightforward cases, with between 55 and 65 per cent of applications requiring clarification or further information, which holds back completion further.
According to the data, with information service requests the vast majority are dealt with in under a day (93.1 per cent), with a tiny number taking longer than four days (0.4 per cent).
With register updates, more than a third (39.7 per cent) are handled in a day or less, while a quarter (28.3 per cent) take longer than a month.
Land Registry has come under fire from brokers for the impact of slow processing cases. For example, reports in the Observer at the weekend included tales from brokers whose clients have been left out of pocket as a result of delays.
These included cases where a client bought a Right to Buy property in December 2021 which has still not yet been registered, while another wanted to add their wife to the deeds at the start of the year but this has not yet been carried out. This delay has meant the client has been unable to remortgage.
A spokesperson for Land Registry said that specialist teams had been hired to tackle the oldest cases. It also noted that applications can be “fast-tracked (expedited) free of charge if registration is needed urgently for financial (including remortgaging), legal or personal reasons with more than 95% of expedited cases being processed within 10 days.”
