New consultations launched on future of fees and access to data
HM Land Registry is consulting on both the future of its fee structure and on increasing access to data on land ownership.
HM Land Registry is launching two consultations in a bid to make its fees clearer and simpler for customers, and to make it easier for them to access the information they need.
Registration fees in the main are currently based on the value of the property, which can be hard to determine in some circumstances, leading to requisitions and further delays. HMLR is proposing a simplified approach for Scale Two fees (a transfer where no money changes hands or less than market value is paid and registering a mortgage) and looking for views on this new approach.
Alongside this consultation, HM Land Registry is also asking for views on a series of measures to improve access to the data they hold, including cost-free access for the public sector. They are also considering datasets on significant land holdings and land held by commercial entities. This review will explore how to best support those who need, and can benefit from, easier access to the information the organisation holds, whilst minimising risks.
Baroness Taylor, Minister for Housing and Local Government, said:
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.
Iain Banfield, Chief Executive, HM Land Registry said:
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 are designed to balance the benefits of greater transparency against privacy risks and the impact on HMLR’s revenue. The level of access would depend on who is accessing the information and for what purpose, with proportionate safeguards applying in each case:
- Everyone, including individuals, businesses and community groups, would have access to mappable datasets showing the ownership of the vast majority of land in England and Wales. They would also be able to inspect the more detailed title information for that land free of charge. This general public access would not extend to information about the majority of ordinary homeowners.
- Public sector bodies would have cost-free access to information across all HMLR titles, including residential titles.
- Researchers working in the public interest, such as academics, regulators and investigative journalists, would also be able to access information across all titles free of charge, provided they can demonstrate a public-interest purpose and meet appropriate requirements for safe use and responsible publication.
This approach is possible because most individual titles relate to homes, while most of the land itself is held in larger, non-residential titles. We can therefore provide broad public access covering the great majority of land, while restricting access to the much larger number of more privacy-sensitive residential titles to public bodies and approved public-interest researchers.
This compares with the status quo, where all titles are publicly accessible, but most can only be obtained individually, as PDFs costing £7 each. The main exception is the 16% of titles owned by corporate bodies, for which HMLR already makes ownership data publicly available in bulk.
These two consultations will be open from 27 October to 22 December 2026, a full response to each will be given shortly afterwards. The organisation is keen to get responses from a wide range of stakeholders and anyone interested and will be directly reaching out to key stakeholders.
Read the proposals in full and respond to the consultations via the links below: