Problem Expediting Homes England Consent to Update Land Registry

I purchased my newbuild leasehold flat in April 2022. I am now selling my property and upon initiating the sale process, I was informed that the property was still registered as freehold and owned by the builder (Morris Homes) on the HMLR.

The specific issue is that I am still waiting for consent to be received from Homes England in order to update HMLR. I have been in contact with my solicitor since the issue was flagged to me on 5 March 2025, but each update I get is 'be patient' 'keep waiting' etc. I spoke with Morris Homes Legal Team on 31 March 2025 who outlined the scale of the issue and informed it was being discussed at a high level between Morris Homes and Homes England - however, it has been a further 2 months (and over 3 years in the property) and now I have a memo of sale for my property and have had an offer accepted on another, I really do need this resolved as I am at significant risk of losing money and the chain.

This issue is starting to disrupt the sale process and my concerns have intensified recently, as the lender of my buyer queried why the flat was a 'freehold' when it is not.

I was informed on 28 April 2025 that another property owner who refinanced recently got their consent through from HE as a 'one off'. The hope was that the memos of sale provided by me to my solicitor and onto Morris Homes would help to expedite this for my property. Today, I received the update from my solicitor that the memos of sale have been shared but that the matter remains unresolved. 

I have noticed on a forum that Adam Hookway was able to support someone else with this issue by reaching out HE, as a fellow government department, to see if they can shed any light on the issue/delay. I wondered if you would be able to reach out to HE for me to see if this can be expedited? Please can you help my to resolve this?

Oliver - what's the title number/property address involved please?

NOTE - I see you also used our contact form channel and duplicated the enquiry. Please rely on the forum as your point of contact re this specific matter

Thanks for the swift response Adam - noted re duplicate enquiry, I will keep to here.

Unfortunately I do not know the title number. The property address is Flat 7, 17 Conquerors Way, Upton, Northampton, NN5 4WZ. It is part of the Shelbourne Estates development, Hunsbury Grange, which is overseen by Morris Homes.

Please let me know if you require any further information - thank you.

Oliver - many thanks. I'll see if there's an update Homes E can provide for me
NN387424

Thanks Adam, much appreciated. 

Hi Adam - just posting a message to see if you managed to find anything out for me? Thank you

Hi Adam - just a quick update to let you know my solicitor has now received the outstanding consent we were waiting for from Homes England. Many thanks

Hi Adam. Titled number is NN386111.

Please can I confirm the status of this registration and whether or not it has been expedited?

I am being pressured by the chain to get this fully resolved. My solicitor was planning to complete the registration for me on Monday. 

Thank you

Hi Oliver - still waiting for the aforementioned information so the application is still pending. The conveyancer asked for more time again recently
I'll try Homes E again on your behalf to see what they can update on
NN387424

Thanks Adam - this is really useful to know. The outstanding consent was received by my solicitor (different firm to who I am using for my sale/purchase) on Friday 6th June - we definitely have that as I was cc'd in with a copy of the consent too.

My solicitor did tell me it would take a day for them to attend to this matter, but clearly that has not happened yet. I will give them another nudge from my side. I was informed yesterday there is significant risk of the chain collapsing if the confirmation of registration in my name is not received to initiate draft contracts being issued. 

When the consent is provided to/registered on HMLR - how long does it normally take to receive a completed registration? And is there anything which can be done to expedite this? Thank you

Oliver - if we get a full response then expedition generally means the application can be completed quite quickly. But impossible to be definitive re timescales as all about timing and available resource
Just let me know when they have definitely replied in full
NN387424

Thanks for the quick reply Adam. As soon as I have confirmation they have replied in full, I will post on here to make you aware. 

Hi Adam, I have received the following update from my solicitor:

Land Registry has all the documentation it requires to complete the application. I will phone them to see if the application can be completed today.

Title number NN386111.

Hi Oliver - I'll check with the casework team for an update
NN387424 is your title number. The one the solicitor is quoting is the seller/landlord's title 

Thanks Adam and thanks for clarification over title number too!

Hi Oliver - the application has been completed and the registered information is now available online 
NN387424

Amazing news, thanks so much for your support on this forum page Adam. 

Best wishes for next property steps - I'll remove this thread shortly as it serves no purpose for other forum users