The Land Registry - an explanation of the new fees order

The Land Registration Fees Order 2003 (SI 2003/165) comes into effect on 1 March 2003 and will replace the Land Registration Fees Order 2001.

It reduces fees for an extended range of services.

The new order is intended to reduce fee income in a full year by around 10.5% in line with efficiency savings and government targets.

The main changes are as follows:

- Scale 1, the main fee scale, is amended by widening the lowest fee band to include properties up to a value of 50,000 rather than 40,000.

- In turn, the next fee band has also been widened.

It is now 50,001-80,000 from the existing 40,001-70,000.

- The fee in each subsequent band of more than 100,000 has also been reduced by 50.The new scale is as follows:

Scale 1

Value or amount () Fee0-50,000 4050,001-80,000 6080,001-100,000 100100,001-200,000 150200,001-500,000 250500,001-1,000,000 4501,000,001 and more 750

- The fee for electronic inspection of title plans is reduced from 3 to 2.

- The fee for official copies of the register title plan and other documents referred to on the register available publicly is reduced from 4 to 2 where the request and delivery is made electronically.

The provision of this service will be introduced by means of a notice given by the Chief Land Registrar.

For NLIS users this is likely to be in April.

- Fees for non-priority electronic searches of the register are reduced from 4 to 2 to bring them in line with the fee for other electronic searches of the register.

- A Land Registry ready-reference card, and a leaflet, PIL 037, which provide additional information, are available free from any district office.

This is expected to be the last fees order under the current legislation.

There will need to be a new order in October this year when the Land Registration Act 2002 is planned to come into effect.

For additional information, contact: Mike Westcott Rudd, Corporate Services Lawyer at: Land Registry Headquarters, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PH (DX 1098) Chancery lane, London WC2, tel: 020 7917 5913; fax: 020 7416 4725 or e-mail: Mike.westcott-rudd@landreg.gsi.gov.uk.