Government body seeks views on simplifying property registration fees and improving public access to land ownership data.
By The SME Chronicle Newsroom
••3 min read
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HM Land Registry has launched two public consultations aimed at simplifying its fee structure and enhancing access to land ownership data across England and Wales.
The consultations address the future of the registry's fee structure, which is currently based on property value and can cause delays. HM Land Registry is proposing a simplified approach for Scale Two fees, which apply to transfers where no money changes hands or less than market value is paid, and for registering a mortgage. Views are being sought on this new method.
Alongside fee changes, HM Land Registry is also seeking opinions on measures to improve access to the data it holds. This includes proposals for cost-free access for the public sector and considerations for datasets on significant land holdings and land owned by commercial entities. The review aims to balance the benefits of easier access with privacy risks and the impact on the organisation's revenue.
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"Information held by HM Land Registry is crucial in helping us make smarter decisions on how land is used to build the homes and infrastructure we need. That’s why we’ve launched a new consultation to improve access to this invaluable data for housebuilders, businesses, and local communities. Under our proposals, everyone would be able to access datasets showing ownership across the vast majority of land in England and Wales, helping to increase transparency and support better-informed decisions about land use. This is alongside proposals to streamline HMLR’s fee structure that will help avoid unnecessary delays when using their services."
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"We are dedicated to making our services easier for everyone. To do this we need to understand and balance the needs of the thousands of people who use these services. The proposals in these consultations have the potential to dramatically improve the way we work with our customers, and feedback will only make these proposals stronger."
The proposals suggest that while public sector bodies and researchers working in the public interest would have cost-free access to all HM Land Registry titles, general public access would focus on mappable datasets showing land ownership across most of England and Wales. Access to more detailed title information for residential properties would be restricted to public bodies and approved researchers to safeguard privacy. Currently, most titles are accessible individually for a fee, with corporate-owned titles already available in bulk.
These consultations are open from 27 October to 22 December 2026. HM Land Registry is encouraging responses from a wide range of stakeholders.
Based on information from the official source: HM Land Registry (27/10/2026)
