GovWire

From Monday 9 December, fees for HM Land Registry information services will increase for the first time in more than 10 years.

The increase reflects the increased costs of running and improving HM Land Registrys services, as well as plans to increase digitalisation and transformation of data.However, even with this increase, the majority of customers will still be paying less than they were in 1992.

Under section 102 of the Land Registration Act 2002, changes to HM Land Registry fees need to be set by means of a fee order (which is a statutory instrument). This was laid before Parliament on 10 September 2024. HM Land Registry customers with automated systems are advised to make the necessary changes to their systems ahead of the increased fees coming into effect on 9 December 2024.

This change does not affect a longer-term review of HM Land Registrys fees and charging model. We are continuing with a wider review to determine whether all fees are aligned to our strategic plans and how they can be made less complex and fair for customers while enabling better access to our data. As part of the review, we will explore pricing options to make information services as accessible as possible while ensuring we remain cost neutral to the taxpayer.

The response to the call for evidence, conducted in March to April this year, will be published in the coming weeks. The results will then form the basis of a proposal for a more substantial change to the structure of HM Land Registry fees, which will be shared in a full, public consultation.

*The increase is 4 per application with the exception of Land Charges applications submitted on paper. These will increase by 6 for searches and 5 for official copies and inspections to address an existing anomaly and also to align with the principle of higher fees for processing paper requests compa

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