20 is the new 40

Corporate plan sets new service standards

Our corporate plan for 2016-19 is now live on our website.

There are three challenges for our work over the next three years. The first is to continue work towards completing the Land Register. The second is to use our commercial powers to support registration and increase use of our information. And the third is to transform our business through digital change.

These challenges are supported by further improvements to our service standards which, following the introduction of the 2012 Act and the registration of all 1979 Act casework, are now scaled down into the six key targets (right).

This means we will register most applications for customers within 20 days. We have halved the target time for standard first registrations from 40 days to 20 and, for the first time, introduced a quicker service standard for transfers of part that use our development plan approval service. These faster turnaround times are possible thanks to the streamlined processes introduced by the 2012 Act.

These six service standards work alongside the financial targets set by Scottish ministers. These are to deliver a 3% efficiency saving on our unit costs, and to increase our commercial income by 5%.

Sasines closure to standard securities comes into force

Scotland took another step towards a completed Land Register this month, with the closure of the Sasine Register to standard securities on 1 April. Any land or property owner seeking to register a standard security whose title is currently on the Sasine Register must now apply for a voluntary registration to the Land Register at the same time.

As previously reported in the Journal, we carried out a wide-scale public engagement programme, including with the largest bulk conveyancing firms, on the new legislative trigger. We also met with industry bodies, including the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Law Society of Scotland, as well as working with a number of lenders and remortgage brokers on informing customers of the change in legislation.

While this trigger for registration will affect a relatively small number of people – around 5,000 applications onto the Land Register each year, depending on the market activity and the pace of registering domestic properties through Keeper-induced registration (KIR) – it’s a significant move forward for achieving Land Register completion.

In preparation for the change, we’ve updated our e-forms, and a new plans drawing service has been launched to assist customers with their applications, where a plan is required.

The support of solicitors in explaining this change to customers will help ensure that the closure of sasines to securities continues to go smoothly.

Another major landmark towards the completion of the Land Register is KIR. Live pilots of KIR will start in the autumn, in three separate RoS research areas where large amounts of data on property, including rights, burdens and servitudes, are already known.

We will continue to engage with the legal community as this work progresses, and will consult with solicitors in each of the chosen KIR live pilot areas ahead of KIR commencing.