One small step for ARTL...

Forgive the hyperbole, but Saturday 28 July 2007 was a historic date in the history of Land Registration in Scotland. Simply put, the first live transaction on the live Land Register was effected using the ARTL (Automated Registration of Titles to Land) system.

Professor Stewart Brymer took the controls and used the online system to create and then discharge a security over a real title on the live Land Register. I admire the courage of the Registers of Scotland employee (unnamed) who volunteered their title for this exercise.

Both the standard security and subsequent discharge were effected without problems. It seems clear that the system is both easy to operate and intuitive. (No offence to Professor Brymer!)

Professor Brymer said he was very pleased to have been asked to process the first real-time ARTL transactions, which represented the culmination of a lot of hard work. He added:

“I am personally delighted to see the vision of an automated land registration system being realised and am confident that this will be of great benefit to both citizens and conveyancers alike. The next step will be to see a fully integrated digital information system.”

Deputy Keeper Bruce Beveridge was also delighted at the successful operation. “It represents a very important stage and augurs well for the first commercial use of the system. It reflects the successful partnership between Registers of Scotland, their technology partners, BT, the Law Society of Scotland and the lending institutions.”

It is expected that the securities module which permits the creation and discharge of standard securities will be used initially by a small group of firms on a pilot basis from late September. Rollout to the general profession and deployment of the title transfer module should be effected later in the year.

The Society in partnership with Registers of Scotland is planning, for November 2007, six conveyancing conferences throughout Scotland focusing heavily on ARTL amongst other issues.

James Ness, Deputy Director, Professional Practice