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Law Society engages on Land Registry blockages

The Law Society Conveyancing Committee has published an update on its engagement with the Land Registry on the question of recent changes in registration practice.

The note sets out the "limited progress" made on how best to improve the client experience of the registration process, and details the differing stances of the two organisations.

The Conveyancing Committee has pledged to continue its constructive engagement with the Land Registry to find a lasting solution to persistent challenges.

The most notable change to the Land Registry process was to reject applications outright without providing a reason.

The Land Registry has explained that its staff has an increasing workload, both due to simple demographics, but also because of continuing changes in the banking market.

Following engagement with the Conveyancing Committee, the Land Registry has agreed to provide the “first rejectable reason”, which would prevent registration from happening.

Generic reason insufficient

The Land Registry has also agreed that a generic reason is not sufficient, and more information will be provided to the practitioner.

The Conveyancing Committee has urged practitioners to use the Land Registry checklists provided when lodging applications.

It issued a guidance note in May 2024 and brought Land Registry use of checklists for applications to the attention of practitioners. 

The Conveyancing Committee invites practitioners to continue to share any issues they have with the secretary to the Conveyancing Committee at conveyancing@lawsociety.ie.