Does anybody know if there is a timescale set out in law for land purchase to be registered with HM Land Registry?

I've tried reading the Land Registration Act 2002 but I can't see anywhere that it sets a timescale (unlike the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax which is 30 days from the date of completion).

Thanks

M

I don't think so.

 

Depending what you are doing it could be a couple of months to quite a lot of months.

 

I have always found their helpline to be very informative, so a phone call may help you get to grips.

 

If you really need to expedite it your solicitor may have access to their online 'trade' system and that may be quicker than doing it yourself with paper forms (if that is what you are doing).

 

Edited October 2, 20206 yr by Ferdinand

excellent, thanks Ferdinand! I will give them a call

9 minutes ago, Omnibuswoman said:

excellent, thanks Ferdinand! I will give them a call

 

I have occasionally done things by going to visit the regional office near me - especially where I want to have particular things explained, and reference several docs.

 

But I have not done LR stuff since 2017 or so, and COVID has affected it in god-knows-what ways.

 

It all helps to short circuit the thing that always worry me most about LR - which is getting something not quite right on a form and being told much later to go back and start again.

Edited October 2, 20206 yr by Ferdinand

4 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

which is getting something not quite right on a form and being told much later to go back and start again.

 

Yes, this happened with HMRC. I made an error on the SDLT1 form by not writing in an address for the land (although the instruction clearly said that if the land had no address, instead I should submit a plan, which I did). It was rejected because Q28 is a mandatory question, and not completing the box is an automatic fail. We've now been fined £100 for not submitting our land tax payment on time, because they rejected the form and the payment. Suffice it to say I have appealed the fine based on their own guidance for completing the form, which offers the option not to complete that particular question...

5 hours ago, Omnibuswoman said:

Does anybody know if there is a timescale set out in law for land purchase to be registered with HM Land Registry?

I've tried reading the Land Registration Act 2002 but I can't see anywhere that it sets a timescale (unlike the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax which is 30 days from the date of completion).

Thanks

M

 

I think this might be it.. see section 6 (4)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/9/part/2

 

"(4)The period for registration is 2 months beginning with the date on which the relevant event occurs, or such longer period as the registrar may provide under subsection (5)."

 

Edit: section 7(1) implies the transfer is void if you dont comply with section 6

 

Edited October 3, 20206 yr by Temp

Interesting,.

 

I had interpreted the Q as whether a legal SLA applied to te( land registry process, not a timescale for the purchaser to meet.