Form

How to use the RLE1 form

Updated 8 August 2024

Applies to England

Use the rural land and entitlements form (RLE1) to ask the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to register land or change your land details on the Rural Payments service by post.

You need to:

• print the form

• use capital letters

• fill in the relevant sections

• cross out any mistakes – do not to use correction fluid

Fill in your form

There are different sections of the form depending on what you want to do.

Some sections are mandatory. You must complete these sections.

Part A: General details

You must complete Part A.

Fill in your single business identifier (SBI) and business name.

Part B: Transfer details

Fill in Part B if you want to:

• transfer land

• remove land

You do not need to send a sketch map.

B1 – How are you disposing of your land

Put an ‘X’ in one box only to select the type of transfer or removal.

You should select ‘Sale/gift of land’ if you are transferring land where:

• your holding type is ‘tenant’

• you own less than 100% of the land parcel

You must use a separate RLE1 form for each type of transfer or removal, for example, one form for transfer by lease, another for transfer by sale, and another for removing a parcel that is no longer part of the occupied land.

B2 – Details of the business you are transferring land to

If you are transferring land, fill in the name of the person or business you are transferring the land to.

Fill in the person’s or business’ SBI. You do not need to fill in the SBI if the transfer:

• is by inheritance

• is to a new business formed through a merger, scission or other change – contact RPA for advice

• will take land out of agricultural production, for example, it has been sold for residential use

If you are removing land, you should write the:

• SBI as ‘200116651’

• beneficiary or business name as ‘Land removed from your holding’

B3 – Land transfers

You do not need to fill in B3a, the county parish holding (CPH) number of the business the land is being transferred to. Leave blank.

For B3b, fill in the date you want the transfer to take place. This will normally be the date the land was legally transferred.

Only fill in B3c and B4 if the transfer is a lease or sub-lease. Write the dates when the agreement starts and ends.

Only fill in B5 and B6 if the transfer is the result of a merger or scission.

For B5, put an ‘X’ in the box of whether the business change involved a merger or scission.

For B6, put an ‘X’ in the box to confirm if you have either:

• sent RPA a Separate Business Questionnaire (IACS26) request about the business change.

• updated the Rural Payments service about the business change

RPA will not process your RLE1 form until you send either an IACS26 request or update the Rural Payments service about the business change. If you select no to B6, RPA will put your form on hold and contact you for more information.

Part C

This page is intentionally blank. Do not add anything.

Part D: Field transfers and boundary changes

Fill in Part D if you want to:

• register a new land parcel

• make changes to permanent non-agricultural areas or features

• make permanent boundary changes

You must include a sketch map for each change. Read the guidance [digital maps for rural land: how to create a sketch map].

Use pages 4 and 5 to add your changes. Page 4 is for existing field data and page 5 is for new field data. Use a new line for each change.

Pages 6 and 7 are a continuation of pages 4 and 5. Use these if you have lots of changes.

D1 Ordnance Survey sheet reference and National Grid number

Fill in the Ordnance Survey (OS) sheet reference and National Grid (NG) field number.

Leave blank if you are registering a new land parcel.

D2 Total field size in hectares

Fill in the total size of your land parcel up to 2 decimal places.

Leave blank if you are registering a new land parcel.

D3 Group

Fill in D3 if you are merging or splitting land parcels. Otherwise leave this blank.

Give your own 2-digit group number, for example, 2 land parcels that are merged into one as group 01, one land parcel that is split into 2 as group 02.

D4 Action code

Fill in the action code for what you want to do with the land. Use:

• ‘N’ for registering a new parcel

• ‘B’ for boundary changes and hedge edits

• ‘D’ for splitting parcels

• ‘C’ for merging parcels

• ‘I’ for land cover changes

D5 Effective date of change

Fill in the date the change has or will take place. This may be:

• the date of legal ownership

• the start of a tenancy agreement

• when you changed a boundary

• when you want to split a land parcel

• when you want to merge land parcels

D6 Ordnance Survey sheet reference and National Grid field number

Fill in if you are:

• registering land

• merging land

• changing boundaries

• splitting land

• doing a combination of any of the other activities

Otherwise leave this blank.

Fill in the OS sheet reference and NG field number. You can use the MAGIC website to help you estimate. See the guidance on Using the Where Am I Tool.

D7 Total field size in hectares

Fill in if you are:

• registering land

• merging land

• changing boundaries

• splitting land

• doing a combination of any of the other changes

Otherwise leave this blank.

Fill in the estimated size of the new land parcel up to 2 decimal places.

D8 Transfer this field

Add an ‘X’ next to each land parcel you want to transfer.

D9 CPH number for the land parcel field

You do not need to fill in D9, the CPH number of the business the land is being transferred to. Leave blank.

D10 Mark an ‘X’ if the land parcel is a common

Fill in only if the land parcel is on common land. If you’re not sure, see managing common land.

Part E: Supporting documents

Write the number of each type of printed document you are sending with your RLE1 form. The types of documents are:

• RPA maps, including maps printed from the Rural Payments service

• OS or other professionally drawn maps or mapping apps

• other supporting documents, for example, a map you have drawn yourself or cover letter explaining in detail what edits you are submitting

RPA cannot return your documents. We recommend you keep copies of the completed form and sketch maps for your own records.

Part F: Your declaration and responsibilities

You or the person or business acting on your behalf must:

• read the declaration and responsibilities

• sign and date the form – if you are emailing the form, an electronic signature (digital drawing or typing your signature) is acceptable

• include your customer reference number (CRN) for the Rural Payments service, if known

Do not edit or cross out Part F. RPA will reject RLE1 forms where Part F has been changed or crossed out.

Submit your form

Post your completed RLE1 form and supporting documents.

Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 352
Worksop
S80 9FG

Get help with your form

Email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

Telephone: 03000 200 301

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, except bank holidays
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