Expedite status improvements
Following customer feedback, we’ve added an ‘Expedite’ status to our application progress information displayed within the View Applications feature on HM Land Registry systems for our professional customers.
The enhancement means that customers can see, at a glance, applications where a request to expedite an application has been approved, improving the transparency of the application journey.
The improvement went live this month.
Digital by default updates to our practice guides
Applications submitted to HM Land Registry are predominately digital by default. This means that our Digital Registration Service (DRS) or our Business Gateway application programming interface (API) are the first port of call to submit almost all application types.
With a view to further supporting customers who use these services, in the summer of 2024 we began updating our practice guides to reflect our digital approach, bringing them in line with how most applications (around 90%) are now made.
These changes do not alter the technical content of our guides. They serve to update current wording to better advise our customers how to make the correct application using our digital services, which in turn should lead to fewer requisitions.
For example, we are removing most references to the AP1 form and references to enclosing paper documents. Instead, we are introducing guidance on how to apply via our digital services, referring to the transaction type and the need to upload supporting evidence. We have worked with our customers and subject matter experts to ensure the wording is appropriate for all digital channels.
For example:
Previous wording: An application for an agreed notice must be made in form AN1.
Updated wording: To apply, you should include an 'agreed notice' transaction in your application and upload form AN1.
We have updated a substantial number of our practices guides, including the 10 guides most commonly referred to by our customers, and aim to update them all by the end of March 2025.
In response to customer feedback, we will no longer issue notifications when we make updates that solely align the wording with our digital by default approach, and the practice guides in question will not appear in the list of guides that have changed.
We are aware that not all applications are suitable for our digital services, and we will continue to review our guides in line with enhancements to our digital services.
