Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with HM Land Registry about improving processing times for applications; and whether they have set any specific targets for service improvement.

Improving speed of service remains a top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR). Plans to achieve this are set out in the Agency’s Strategy 2025+ which was published on 5 November 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here(opens in a new tab).

As its sponsor department, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government holds HMLR to account for its performance and operational delivery and is in regular communication with HMLR about their processing times.

HMLR has been making improvements in this area through hiring and training more staff and by improving the efficiency of the services its customers use. The introduction of new pre-submission validation checks will speed up processes and reduce staff time spent on dealing with errors or mistakes. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.

HMLR processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here(opens in a new tab).

Anyone who is concerned that a delay to their application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, can apply to have their application expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% actioned within 10 working days.

I recently wrote to the Chair of the Land Registry Board setting out the government’s priorities for HMLR on organisational performance over the coming year.