Reduced numbers of Land Registry staff result in application delays

Reduced numbers of Land Registry staff result in application delays

Failing to complete a registration in a timely fashion can result in good conveyancing firms being thrown off lender panels, even though at times the registration process is out of the hands of the conveyancer.

Reasons have been speculated as to what or who could be the cause of seasonal delays and setbacks often faced by many conveyancers.

Land Registry applications are a significant part of the process, and one area of conveyancing that usually takes a long period of time. Today’s Conveyancer get in touch with the Land Registry to discover the possible reasons why applications may experience delays, and whether there may be a clear strategy to shorten timescales.

Throughout 2014, as Figure 1 demonstrates, the length of time taken to process applications increased substantially. At the peak, the longest time for all types of applications reached over 34 days, and even took up to 43 days for Transfers of Part.

The Land Registry has reported that 2014 has seen the highest levels of applications in seven years and have made significant efforts to reach their target of 98% accuracy. That said, they also claim to complete the majority of applications within 12 working days, and according to these latest figures, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

While the property market is booming, you’d expect the Land Registry to take heed and employ resources to handle with increased demand. As shown in Figure 2, there was a significant surge in transaction levels in January of last year, with levels lowering then remaining steady throughout summer, with another great surge in the autumn period. You would expect the staffing levels to reflect the market as well as seasonal trends. When analysing the staffing levels at the Land Registry, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Despite there being greater transaction levels following a dip in April 2014, Figure 3 shows levels declining, despite the intrinsic need to keep up with the property market. This had a notable impact on the time taken for applications, as this is met by more than a 50% rise in the number of days taken for the process of applications.

Whilst Land Registry did increase its staff count late in the year, the combination of a rising market and few staff in the first half of the year will have had a devastating impact on many conveyancing firms, as the delays associated with registrations increased and lenders became ever more intolerant of delayed registrations.

What are your experiences and views?

Georgia Owen

Georgia is the Content Executive and will be your primary contact when submitting your latest news. While studying for an LLB at the University of Liverpool, Georgia gained experience working within retail, as well as social media management. She later went on to work for a local newspaper, before starting at Today’s Conveyancer.

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