Land Registry centralisation plans will put listed homes at risk and destabilise housing market
Press Release: 12 March 2014
Land Registry centralisation plans will put listed homes at risk and destabilise housing market
Under new plans to centralise local land charge searches the Land Registry will only be responsible for digitisation of records back to 1999 which will mean that the 430,000 buildings that were listed before 1999 will not show up on searches for people buying these properties.
In fact, it is unlikely that any listed homes will show up on searches at all given that properties usually have to be at least 30 years old to be listed.
Other significant issues that may not show up if registered before 1999 include conservation areas, tree preservation orders, noise abatement orders and private sewers. The latter, if not maintained to a high standard, could cause tens of thousands of pounds of damage for the homeowner. All this could be taken on by a home owner in ignorant good faith.
James Sherwood-Rogers, chairman of the Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) said: “The very real consequence is that people could find themselves buying a listed property without knowing it as this will not show up on a Land Registry search if the listing took place more than 15 years ago.
“The result of this could be alarming – an unwitting buyer making illegal alterations, adding on a conservatory or even knocking down part of the listed building. This could be an expensive mistake when English Heritage find out and it puts at risk our most valuable and historic housing stock.”
Research by CoPSO, the trade association representing firms that carry out 80% of all searches carried out by the property search industry, suggests the government’s plans to centralise the Local Land Charges Resister will have serious implications for the wider property market.
- The unions involved are against it as jobs are at risk and strikes and walkouts are a real possibility
- More property sales will fall through as a result of homebuyers searches on homes taking up to 40 days to come through
- Homebuyers will pay more for searches if the Land Registry ends up being privatised as is currently being mooted
Sherwood-Rogers added: “The Minister, Michael Fallon, claims to be consulting on changes to the Local Land Charges Register but we believe this consultation is a sham, littered with misleading and inaccurate statements. We have written to him demanding he withdraw it immediately and talk to the industry direct.
“We seriously believe there is a very real risk to listed properties. The quality of searches will also diminish, leaving buyers in the dark about such things as tree preservation orders, financial responsibility for private drainage and whether a property is located in a conservation area.”
James Sherwood-Rogers, Chairman of CoPSO, is available for interview and can explain more fully how the changes will negatively impact on the housing market.
CONTACT DETAILS james@copso.org.uk or phone 07899 998400 or 08714 237191
Notes to editors:
- Consultation on these changes closes on 9th March
- Local Authority routinely searches records going back to 1926
- Under the proposed system Land Registry will only digitise records back to 1999
- The Land Registry currently achieves a 98% customer satisfaction level and raises £98m for the treasury
- Government proposes spending £26m on digitising local authority records – CoPSO believe this can be done for £10m
- The Land Registry has written off £87m on failed project in recent years
See here for details of consultation: http://consultations.landregistry.gov.uk/consult.ti/LLC1/consultationHome
Ends
For further information contact The Wriglesworth Consultancy:
Neil Mackwood, Director, 0207 427 1400; n.mackwood@wriglesworth.com
Fiona Brandhorst, Director, 0207 427 1400; f.brandhorst@wriglesworth.com
Jamie Till, Senior Account Executive; j.till@wriglesworth.com
Notes to editors
About The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO)
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) is the major trade association for the property search industry. Members provide a broad range of property search reports including local, environmental, mining, chancel repair, drainage and water data and undertake over 2 million searches each year.
The membership includes water companies, environmental search providers and organisations offering local searches. Today, CoPSO members produce 80% (by volume) of all searches produced in the market.
About the Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB)
Formed in 2006, the Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB) is an independent compliance body. Its primary role is to maintain a register of firms that choose to subscribe to the Search Code of Practice and to independently monitor their compliance with the Code. Subscription to the Code is not mandatory but the vast majority of search products in the market are produced by Code subscribers. PCCB is a not for profit organisation with a public interest majority on its Board and is funded entirely from the subscription fees paid by registered firms.