Conveyancers notified to ‘get ready’ for fee rise

HM Land Registry has informed conveyancers to ‘get ready’ for a fee rise, which will be the first to be implemented since 2009. The blog that published this information also has suggested that further changes could potentially lie ahead.

Last November the agency reported that fees for registers and transfers of title would increase by up to 21% under new changes that will take place from 31 January.  

In the recent blog, Iain Banfield, the chief financial officer, noted that applications which are submitted before 31 January, but were put forward on or after this date, will be contingent to the new fees, along with will applications placed before 31 January but later cancelled, refused or resubmitted on or after the 31st.

Banfield stated: ‘The fee increase allows HM Land Registry to move forward with plans to deliver what customers need – more consistency and speed in service delivery – by investing in both operational capacity and accelerating the digitalisation and automation of services. With this in mind, we are exploring further changes to the fee order, including its structure and simplicity. We are currently engaging as widely as we can before we set out any proposals.’