Prospective home buyers and sellers will soon be able to see the number of ‘avoidable’ errors that conveyancers make in applications to HM Land Registry – a move that has been welcomed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The number of requests (requisitions) that Land Registry has to send out for further information costs the conveyancing sector an estimated £19m a year.

Land Registry already publishes data on the number of requisitions that conveyancing firms receive. This autumn, it will start publishing the number of ‘avoidable’ errors made by firms. ‘Avoidable’ errors include name discrepancies, missing documents and witness details.

‘Not only have customers been asking for this data, the move is also supported by trade bodies and industry and aligns with the government’s priorities for HM Land Registry, set out in housing minister Matthew Pennycook’s letter of 4 February,’ Land Registry said.

Read more

Land Registry said the data is being sent to conveyancers to help them cut down on avoidable requisitions before the data is made available to the public. Its customer training hub has been 'revamped' to support conveyancers, with a dedicated page on 'tackling avoidable requisitions'.

SRA chief executive Paul Philip welcomed the move. ‘The public need easy-to-access relevant information to help them shop around for legal services,' he said. 'The more useful and accurate information that is available, across a range of potential indicators on quality or cost, the better for consumers to be able to choose the right service for them.’