E-Conveyancing: 6,500 law firms go on-line as system reduces time taken for searches from weeks to days

The number of electronic property searches performed using information from the National Land Information Service (NLIS) reached five million this month.


The NLIS system, which was set up in February 2001, has processed 200,000 search requests every month in the past six months.


NLIS has reduced the time taken to perform local authority searches from weeks to days, with the fastest recorded local authority search through NLIS taking just nine minutes. The service is used by some 6,500 law firms, which purchase it through one of three NLIS-licensed Internet shops - SearchFlow, TM Property Service or MDA TransAction Online.


NLIS simplifies the search process by allowing users to search for data from government bodies in one single request.


Denis Cameron, chairman of the Law Society's land law and conveyancing committee, said: 'All use of e-channels is good for e-conveyancing. Solicitors need to get used to using electronic methods, as we will see more and more that they will be obliged to file things on-line.'


Councillor Ian Swithenbank, chairman of the Improvement and Development Agency, which provides the NLIS service, said: 'It is fantastic that the on-line purchase habit is being embraced by a number of conveyancing professionals across England and Wales. NLIS is one of the best examples of electronic government service delivery.'


Mark Riddick, chief executive officer at SearchFlow, added: 'The NLIS initiative is a huge success. It has made an enormous contribution to providing greater efficiency and transparency in the provision of publicly held land and property search data in England and Wales.


'NLIS speeds up the search process and guarantees provision of accurate, authoritative information... The whole conveyancing process has been transformed from a time-consuming and uncertain chore, to a simple on-line task, with ease, speed and certainty. We are seeing more and more conveyancers converting to this way of working.'


He continued: 'I believe NLIS is the driving force behind taking conveyancing into the electronic age. NLIS will allow all conveyancers to develop e-conveyancing, and is a necessary prerequisite for the success of home information packs.'