Land Registry plans paperless system
Conveyancing: E-conveyancing comes a step closer with Land Registry Direct
The Land Registry last week launched plans for its new on-line service as the future of electronic conveyancing came a step closer.Land Registry Direct provides on-line extranet access to over 17 million computerised land registers and title plans.It replaces the existing text-based Direct Access service.
The secure site will eventually hold over 100 million filed images at the end of a scanning process that will be completed in 2004.Land Registry Direct will also form the gateway for the National Land Information Service (NLIS), a related on-line project which should be running by 2002.
NLIS plans to give on-line access to all the searches that need to be made on a property during its conveyance.Land Registry Direct aims to make access to title documents easier, faster and cheaper.
A one-off subscription of 100 replaces the previous 200 annual subscription, and there are additional charges of 2 or 3 per register or title plan displayed.Users need a standard PC with Web browser and modem or ISDN link for access.
The new service makes it possible to view title plans and registers on screen, which can then be printed out or copied into other PC applications.
Searches can be conducted by title number, or by property address where the number is not known.Land Registry spokeswoman Marion Shelley said the longer term goal of the Registry is to achieve 'full electronic delivery of dealings with land'.While not wanting to exclude telephone and postal users, she added, they 'would like to start seeing a staged migration of users towards the on-line service'.
Rowland Byass
No comments yet