HM Land Registry has published guidance on procedures for dealing with restrictions in the title register that are incorrect or no longer fit for purpose. The guidance, authored by Assistant Land Registrar Bethany Boothby and Registration Services' Andrew Smedley, outlines four main approaches: the 'replacement route' using forms RX3 or RX4 to remove existing restrictions and form RX1 to enter new ones; alteration of existing restrictions using form AP1 for simple changes such as address updates or title number changes; disapplication using form RX2 where beneficiaries cannot be traced, corporate bodies have been dissolved, or consent is unreasonably withheld; and modification using form RX2 in extremely limited circumstances where the original application did not reflect parties' intentions and replacement is not practicable. The guidance emphasises that disapplication and modification applications are at the registrar's discretion and that the replacement route should be used in nearly every case. It includes detailed practical examples demonstrating how these procedures apply to common scenarios involving Form M restrictions, transfers, charges, and changes in beneficiary circumstances.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has published guidance on the Provision of Information (Contractual Control) (Registered Land) Regulations 2026, which require developers, promoters and others holding certain rights over land for development purposes to provide information for a new contractual control dataset.The guidance states that rights granted on or after 8 June 2026 may also need to be reported. It adds that the information must be provided by a regulated conveyancer, and that date and place of birth details may be needed where the landowner is an individual. HMLR also states that machine-readable location data will be required where a contractual control right affects only part of a registered title and that scanned PDF plans will not be accepted for that purpose. It states that common digital formats such as Shapefile and GeoJSON will be supported and that a further practice guide will follow in due course.

HM Land Registry has published new guidance, designed to help reduce avoidable requisitions in land registration applications. The document outlines the 32 most common types of avoidable requisitions—such as name discrepancies, incomplete identity evidence, and missing documents, pages, or form information—and provides practical tips along with links to free training materials and additional resources for each category.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has released ‘Strategy 2025+’, setting out its vision for delivering faster, simpler, and more accessible property services through to 2035. The strategy outlines how HMLR plans to enhance digital services and improve the accessibility and reliability of property information, to to make their services more efficient to use. The strategy focuses on four strategic outcomes: the first aims to make HMLR services and information simple to access, understand, and use, with fair pricing and clear communication at every step; the second focuses on supporting the property market with its data, committing to the use of consistent data standards to digitise, organise and share information securely and responsibly; the third prioritises the simplification of digital systems for better protected property rights, driving modernisation through automation, artificial intelligence and secure digital verification to enable faster, safer property transactions; and the fourth centres on developing a skilled and knowledgeable workforce that embraces digital transformation and fosters a culture of high performance and customer focus.

HM Land Registry has launched Strategy 2022+, ‘Enabling a world-leading property market’, which aims to make land registration in England and Wales more time efficient and accessible for users, alongside a three–year business plan for its implementation. The strategy plans for up to 70% of all updates to the Land Register to be automated end-to-end by 2025 to improve service speeds for customers, as well as for further investment to manage high demand and prevent backlogs. The digitalisation will also extend to information the public and conveyancers need, benefitting residential and commercial transactions, as well as encouraging the use of digital ID and e-signatures. The strategy also commits to making property data more transparent and supporting the UK’s net zero targets.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has introduced a new form RXC to be used where a consent or a certificate is required to comply with a standard form of restriction in the register. To take account of the new form, HMLR has also updated Practice Guides 19 and 19A.

HM Land Registry has updated its Registration Services fees guidance to clarify information regarding transfers or assents of registered estates not made for monetary consideration. The update provides additional detail under the 'Transactions under Scale 2' section about how fees are calculated for these types of transfers. This technical clarification maintains existing fee structures while providing greater clarity on their application.

HM Land Registry has  reported improved application quality, with almost one-third of qualifying customers experiencing fewer requisitions after receiving individual data on avoidable administrative errors and access to free training. Head of Customer Policy and Service Improvement, Andrew Robertson, stated that the organisation has expanded guidance, introduced automated checks to prevent common mistakes and strengthened casework consistency through staff training. Six months on, 29% of firms have reduced avoidable requisitions, 20% now have rates below 1% and independent research shows reduced customer frustration, although the average rate remains 4.6% and some firms continue to record high levels. In December 2025, HM Land Registry will publish enhanced avoidable-requisition data on GOV.UK, including firm-level figures, while also emailing results to firms with at least ten completed applications.

When engaging in the disclosure process, either voluntarily or pursuant to a formal application for a financial remedy, it will be necessary to provide details about the family home and any other property in which the client has an interest, such as the HM Land Registry title number and details of the registered owner(s) of the property. Where a property is registered, much of the information required will be held on the title to the property. For unregistered properties, confirmation of ownership, details of any charges on the property and other information will be found in the title deeds. Official copies (title number or full address known) Where the title number or full address of the property is known, a request may be made for official copies of the register and/or plan from HM Land Registry. The application is made in Form OC1 or online via the HM Land Registry Portal. See HM Land Registry: Information Services fees for details of the fees payable. The official copy will confirm the title number of the

HM Land Registry has intensified its counter-fraud efforts as part of International Fraud Awareness Week, its dedicated counter-fraud team monitors emerging threats, trains staff to identify suspicious applications and promotes preventative tools such as the free Property Alert service. The organisation works closely with government and property-sector partners to detect trends, raise awareness and combat criminal activity. While property and title fraud remain relatively rare, the financial and personal impact on victims can be severe.

HM Land Registry has updated a number of assent forms and a change of name form. The side notes in application forms AS1, AS2, and AS3 have been amended to make it clear that an assent does not need to be a deed. Additionally, the Change of Name (Transgender and Non-Binary) guidance (CNG) has been updated to clarify HM Land Registry’s handling of applications and to incorporate the required warning note to the base of the CNG form, outlining the consequences for dishonestly entering information on form CNG.

HM Land Registry has updated Notices 1, 2, 19 and 25, withdrawn Notice 20 and updated Practice Guide 25. The changes take effect from 1 June 2026 and relate to digital mortgages, electronic registration services, Qualified Electronic Signatures, digital applications and the registration of lease variations.