Registration: The Land Register of Scotland 

In the early 1980s, The Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 introduced a new “map-based” system of registering properties in Scotland. This new Register would be known as The Land Register of Scotland (not the “Land Registry” as it’s often referred to - that’s the English system!). 

The aim was to create a modern online platform which simplified the registration of properties. It’s introduction means all titles will now be recorded online. If you are looking for a copy of your title, on the basis your Property is registered in the Land Register, and in exchange for a small fee, it is only a click of a few buttons away. 

You may be wondering what we mean when we say “on the basis your Property is registered in the Land Register” and asking “aren’t all properties in Scotland registered in the Land Register?” The answer is no, they aren’t. There are still about 8-9% of properties in Scotland that are not yet registered in our Land Register - they’re likely to still be registered on our historic Sasine Register. 

An event like the sale or remortgage of a property triggers the registration of a Property from our Sasine Register to our new Land Register. More on this in our article “Register - Let’s talk Sasine”. 

The goal was to have all properties in Scotland registered in the Land Register by the end of the 2020s. Will that be achieved? Well, as of February 2021, that remains to be seen... 

If you are curious to know if your Property is Land Registered, you can contact us and we will be happy to carry out the online search on your behalf.