Registers to begin digital Land Register applications

Registers of Scotland is to open its new digital submission service for Land Register applications from Monday 27 April.

Although Scottish Government advice remains that residential property transactions should where possible be delayed until after the coronavirus restrictions are lifted, the new digital service will help transactions that cannot be delayed.

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act enabled urgent transactions to settle by extending the protections provided by advance notices until after Registers begins accepting paper applications again, as until now all applications to enter transactions on the Land Register had to be accompanied by a paper deed. Registers has also introduced a system of digital applications for advance notices, which prevent competing deeds being registered while the notice remains current.

Following successful user testing, Registers has now taken the further step of enabling a digital process for the submission of applications that cannot be postponed.

Registers emphasised that the introduction of the new service does not mean that the application record is fully open, and to manage the flow of applications it is limiting them to a date related to the corresponding advance notice.

Initially the service will open for applications up to 19 February: only applications that correspond to advance notices received up to and including that date will be accepted. It will then be extended to subsequent dates in stages.

Once applications are received, they will be processed as normal, though users are warned that it may take longer than usual to receive an acknowledgement of receipt and to process the application. The process does not need to be followed up with a paper application.

The special provisions for advance notices remain in place.

Click here for further information and a link to the service guidance.