The Department of Finance Land Registration Fees Orders Consultation

Overview

Land Registration is part of Land & Property Services within the Department of Finance. It is responsible for managing four Registers; the Land Register, the Statutory Charges Register, the Ground Rents Register and the Registry of Deeds Register. Land Registration charge fees for customers to use its services and these fees are calculated to cover the cost of offering the services without Land Registration making a profit or loss.

Changes affecting current Land Registration fees such as increases in property prices and the introduction of new digital services mean that the fees need to be reviewed and updated. This review was carried out with input from key stakeholders resulting in the following policy proposals:

• Update scale-fee bands in the Land Register and the associated fees for services to reflect current property values.
• Align fees with new digital services being implemented and include a discount for using the new digital services.
• Simplify the wording and fee structures for ease of understanding and consistency.
• Ensure that the cost of offering Land Registration services is covered by the fees without profit or loss.

The Department of Finance is seeking views from stakeholders and other interested parties on its policy proposals.