We receive 1,000s of applications to update and create registers every single day. We also complete 1,000s of applications every single day. Yet processing times can be lengthy and in some cases applicants can wait several months before the register is updated or created.
HM Land Registry: processing times - GOV.UK
EXPEDITION is absolutely vital in ensuring that where an urgency exists we are able to bring the processing forward and to keep the
'wait time' to a minimum
Request an expedite - GOV.UK explains the criteria we ask you to meet in order to have an application expedited. Often it will be the conveyancer who requests expedition but it could be a private individual as well. We ask both to submit their request using the
dedicated channel provided in the link. Requests lodged through other channels may not be seen/read swiftly and the urgency is left unactioned when you need it the most.
The most common reasons for expedition are a linked/dependent transaction for example a sale/purchase/chain is in danger of collapse if the register is not updated/created quickly. Or there is a personal/financial need where you are or might suffer a significant financial loss if again the register is not updated/created.
Expedition is not a '
magic wand' or '
golden ticket' - Expedition generally speaking gets the application to the processing start line as soon as possible - we quote
10 days but in most cases it is much quicker than that.
But there's still a process '
race' to be run - whilst many simple applications can be processed and completed same day there are also many examples of where that
'race' can be a much longer one
Examples of where an expedited case may not be completed same day as processing starts include
- The application is not in order and is of poor quality - we issue 100s of requests every day to applicants/conveyancers to correct poor applications and/or to provide more information
- Wider checks (Notices) are needed that allow recipients time to respond to consent/object to the application - 15 days/3 weeks is the most common Notice period but some can be 65 days depending on the type of application being processed
- A site visit/survey is required - this is particularly true of applications involving adverse possession (claims of ownership of land) and those involving requests to amend boundaries
- Referral to a senior officer/technician/lawyer within HM Land Registry - complex cases or those with specific issues can be referred for a second consideration. Any referral delays the processing and invariably available resource re senior officers/technicians and lawyers is much smaller than specific caseworkers
- Prior pending applications against the same title(s) - land registration is based on priority. Not what's most important but when an application was protected and/or submitted. In the simplest of terms if you have two applications pending against the same title then the first one must be processed and completed before the second one - that's the priority order. The priority order cannot be ignored to enable an expedited application to often be processed let alone completed out of order. This is particularly an issue with busy developments involving plot sales and where delays currently exist.
AND in some cases applications can be affected by more than one of the above examples meaning that your Expedite race isn't the 100m sprint you had hoped for but a much longer race, sometimes with hurdles or even a steeplechase involved
REMEMBER Expedition is not a
magic wand or
golden ticket - it's a very important means of getting an application processed much sooner than the majority of others.
