Our service standards
- When you make applications to us
- When you write to us
- When you phone us
- When you visit us
- Meeting your needs
- If you have a suggestion or a compliment
- If you have a complaint
- Disengagement policy
Land Registry is the government department responsible for the land register (and associated property registers) for England and Wales, which serves as the basis of the state guarantee of property ownership.
Land Registry is the comprehensive source of core residential and commercial property information (including ownership, charges, rights and sale price) and offers a range of products and services to both citizens and businesses within a regulated framework, which ensures fair pricing, equitable access, efficient delivery and a commitment to meeting customer needs at an acceptable cost to both Land Registry and the customer.
Land Registry has a set of values that define our approach to serving our customers.
- Trust - We use our expertise and professionalism to ensure the integrity and accuracy of our registers, allowing you to trust in the protection of your assets and the quality of our products and services
- Progressive - We are committed to continuous improvement in quality, efficiency and effectiveness, always looking for new and better approaches which are in touch with customers’ needs and are perceived as fair
- Responsive - We will constantly seek to understand our customers' ever changing needs and then act quickly and responsibly to meet them
- Valued - We recognise that we enjoy a privileged status and, therefore, we make every effort to ensure we demonstrate that we really do value our customers, even when disagreeing with them or when being unable to deliver what they want
When you make applications to us
We aim to deal with all applications without making any mistakes. If we do make a mistake, we will try to put it right as soon as possible.
We aim to deal with all information services applications within three working days.
We aim to deal with all registration services applications within five weeks.
When you write to us
We aim to reply to correspondence within five working days. This applies to letters, faxes and e-mails. If we cannot do this, we will write to explain why and tell you when you can expect a reply.
This standard does not apply to requests for information under the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act, which we will respond to within forty calendar and twenty working days respectively.
When you phone us
We will answer phone calls helpfully and as quickly as possible. We will try to answer your question straight away. However, if we cannot do this, we will contact you within five working days with a reply, or tell you when you can expect one. Textphone and Minicom users can contact us by using the text relay service by adding the 18001 prefix followed by the number.
When you visit us
Land Registry information and services are available in a variety of ways, including on-line and by post, so in most instances it may not be necessary to visit one of our Customer Information Centres.
If you do need to visit us in person, our Customer Information Centres are open between 8:30 am and 6:00 pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays). You will need to make an appointment, giving at least 24 hours notice. To make an appointment, you can either use the appointment form or telephone Customer Support on 0844 892 1111.
We aim to see visitors with an appointment at the appointed time.
Meeting your needs
Our staff are committed to meeting your needs and will:
- give you their name
- be helpful and treat you in a polite and professional way
- give you advice on how to fill in our forms
- arrange for you to discuss any problems if needed
- make arrangements for urgent or complicated matters.
Please tell us if you would like:
- help understanding the information we give you
- the information in an alternative format, such as on audio tape or in large print
- an adviser, friend or member of your family involved when you deal with us.
We will do our best to help.
If you have a suggestion or a compliment
We welcome suggestions for improvements, which will always be considered by the managers concerned.
We are delighted to receive compliments, and we will make sure the staff concerned are aware.
If you have a complaint
The majority of your dealings with us will be routine and straightforward, and no problems will arise. However, mistakes and delays can occur from time to time, and sometimes you may feel unhappy with the way in which we have dealt with you. Whatever the problem is, we want you to let us know so that we can put matters right, if we can. Also, if we have got something wrong, or if your complaint shows that there is a problem with our procedures or our guidance, receiving your complaint will give us a chance to address this so that we can improve our service for all of our customers. Read more about making a complaint.
We promise that we will not discriminate against you for any reason and we will be impartial in investigating your complaint. We will also:
- acknowledge your complaint on the day we receive it
- review the complaint thoroughly and aim to give you a full response within five working days
- tell you within five working days should we need more time to respond to your complaint, explaining the delay , what we are doing to resolve it and when you can expect to hear from us
- deal with you in a polite and courteous manner
- give you a contact name and telephone number
- consider whether any form of redress is appropriate.
Disengagement policy
Whilst Land Registry succeeds in satisfying the majority of its customers there are occasions when a customer remains dissatisfied even though Land Registry considers that it has given a final response to their complaint and there is nothing further to add to what has already been said and it is not appropriate, or helpful, to continue correspondence.
Usually a customer may expect to be given notice of the fact that Land Registry cannot continue to respond to them on the matters that have already been fully considered and they will be given an explanation for this decision. Lengthy contacts on issues Land Registry cannot resolve may lead to customers being 'out of time' for seeking redress or a solution through other means, such as by judicial proceedings, because they are focussed solely on their contact with Land Registry. Land Registry, like many other organisations, has a policy of 'disengaging' when this final response has been given.
Decisions to disengage from customers are not taken lightly or without proper consideration of whether disengagement is appropriate. Disengagement will be considered when:
- there is nothing more that can be usefully added to what has already been said; and/or
- a customer is/has become abusive or unreasonably persistent in their dealings with us.
Once we have taken the decision to disengage we will not normally re-engage with customers unless, for example, it is considered that closure needs to be reiterated, new issues have been raised or a new complaint about the way the matter has been handled is raised. Any further contact will be referred to the person who took the decision to disengage, or to someone who is aware of the history of the case, to consider whether it is appropriate to re-engage.
The existence of this policy is endorsed by Elizabeth A Derrington, Independent Complaints Reviewer to Land Registry, who has observed that by continuing correspondence after a final response Land Registry may mislead dissatisfied customers when there may be other options open to them to tackle their problems.
