More HM Land Registry customers are saving time and money with right-first-time applications

At a glance 

Application quality is increasing. Nearly one-third of qualifying customers* are saving time with fewer queries on their applications (requisitions) over the past six months.  We continue to enhance our training for customers and are introducing automated checks to help improve application quality.  We will soon enhance our current data publication to include data on requisitions that are considered avoidable - often administrative - mistakes.   

Why this matters 

Requisitions cause delays that cost customers and their clients time and money. They also reduce the number of applications our caseworkers can deal with, and increase the time it takes to complete them. Reducing requisitions by improving application quality helps everyone by speeding up applications and improving accuracy. 

In May, we emailed all qualifying customers with details of their avoidable requisitions along with links to free training and support. We also set out our plan to publish every firm’s overall avoidable requisition rate on GOV.UK, which we’ll do in December. Customers have welcomed this information and we want to make sure everyone has access as and when they need it. 

What are avoidable requisitions? 

Requisitions – or queries on applications – can be divided into: 

avoidable (for example, spelling mistakes or missing documents)  other (technical points relating to the law or the transaction) 

We have identified 30 of the most common administrative mistakes, from missing documents and witness details to incomplete or unsigned forms, as avoidable requisitions, which could be addressed before sending in the application. 

This year, we began identifying avoidable requisitions from the overall total to help customers focus on what can be prevented before submission. In May we sent all customers details of their own avoidable requisitions, offering support in the form of training and our specialist support services. 

Progress so far 

Six months after receiving their avoidable requisition figures individually, over 29% of law firms and business customers reduced their avoidable requisitions.  We now have 20% of customers with an avoidable requisition rate under 1%, compared with 17% a year ago. But there is more to do: the average is 4.6%. 16 customers have an avoidable requisition rate of 20% or more, with 28.57% being the highest; 294 customers have an avoidable rate of 10% or more  Independent research by data and market research company Savanta shows fewer customers reporting frustrations with requisition handling.  

This is promising news for the sector, and we thank everyone for working hard to reduce requisitions. 

What we’re doing to help 

We continue to develop and enhance our free training and guidance for customers: 

We have delivered 18 free online workshops on avoiding requisitions, including for new-build applications. Approx 8,800 attendees from more than 1,640 firms have taken part so far. 

And we’re introducing systemic improvements that benefit all customers: 

Automated digital checks to prevent simple errors: These will catch common mistakes before submission, reducing delays and speeding up processing.  Strengthening casework teams: Our Land Registration Academy has trained more than 4,000 colleagues since 2021, improving knowledge and consistency so requisitions are raised correctly as necessary.  Making practice clearer and more consistent: We have simplified wording for entries such as personal covenants and easements, and rewritten requisition templates to make them clear and actionable. 

What’s next 

In December, we will publish updated avoidable requisition data alongside our existing requisition dataset on GOV.UK. This will include: 

Name of firm  Total applications submitted (April to October 2025)  Number of those applications receiving fully avoidable requisition  Percentage of applications receiving fully avoidable requisitions  

We will also email firms with 10 or more completed applications between April and September 2025 with their individual figures. These emails will go to the main contact for each firm, so please alert your responsible user and update their details if necessary.  

Resources to help 

We offer free guidance, including: 

more than 80 practice guides  live and on-demand webinars  practical tips on avoiding requisitions  specialist services for legal professionals dealing with complex land and property transactions 

Research shows only 40% of customers know these resources exist. If you haven’t explored them yet, visit our training hub. 

*Qualifying customers are those who had 10 or more completed applications in the six-month period analysed, excluding discharges submitted via Portal E-DS1 and EDs.