Consultation outcome

HM Land Registry: moving operations to the private sector

This was published under the 2015 to 2016 Cameron Conservative government
This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Detail of outcome

We have decided that HM Land Registry should focus on becoming a more digital data-driven registration business, and to do this will remain in the public sector. Digitisation and increased transparency will allow HM Land Registry to provide a quicker, more efficient service to customers, and maximise its value to the economy.

The digitisation of HM Land Registry is part of a wider government agenda to help improve and speed up the process of buying a home. More detail is available in the Housing white paper.

Detail of feedback received

We received a total of 27,634 responses to the consultation. The majority of these came from individuals, but we also received responses from:

  • businesses
  • business representative bodies
  • central and local government
  • charities and social enterprises
  • legal representatives
  • trade unions and staff associations

Original consultation

Summary

We're seeking views on options to move the operations of the Land Registry into the private sector from 2017.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

HM Land Registry registers the ownership of land and property in England and Wales.

This consultation sets out options to move HM Land Registry operations into the private sector. The purpose of the consultation is to:

  • set out government’s reasons for proposing change
  • propose how a private sector land registry would work
  • share our thinking on possible models for the future of land registry
  • seek views on the proposals, especially on our preferred option

A sale of HM Land Registry could allow government to pay down debt, or enable other investment for the benefit of taxpayers. It is expected that a move into the private sector would also allow HM Land Registry to become even more efficient. At the same time it could continue with an appropriate level of service to support the property market.

Documents

Updates to this page

Published 24 March 2016
Last updated 4 October 2018 + show all updates
  1. Government response published.

  2. First published.

Sign up for emails or print this page