Registers of Scotland applications hit 400,000 in ‘most significant year’

The organisation accepted over 400,000 applications on to its registers in 2014-15, an increase of nearly five per cent compared to the previous year.

Despite the significant upturn in demand, 99 per cent of all products and services were provided within the published turnaround times, the report said.

The organisation also implemented the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012 on 8 December last year, the biggest change in registration legislation in a generation.

Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, Sheenagh Adams, said: “The 2012 Act is a significant piece of legislation that totally changed the registration landscape, both for customers and for RoS itself. A significant focus of our activities over the first half of the year was on preparing stakeholders and staff for the changes ahead. Following its implementation, we have been able to turn our attention to the many opportunities the 2012 Act creates.

“One of these is the completion of the land register, which Scottish ministers have invited us to complete by 2024, including registering all public land and properties by 2019.

“The 2012 Act has also allowed us to progress our digital transformation; since the designated day, over 30 per cent of submissions to our registers and our reports service have been made electronically compared to five per cent before. Boosting this figure will be a focus of our work over the coming years, as we do everything we can to protect our environment and make registering property faster, easier, and more secure than ever before.”