HM Land Registry consults on fixed fees to replace five-band Scale 2 charges

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has opened a consultation on replacing its five value-based Scale 2 registration fee bands with fixed fees for transfers of equity and mortgage registrations in England and Wales, closing on 22 December 2026.

The consultation was published on 27 October 2026 by HMLR, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the housing minister. It also seeks preliminary views on whether Scale 1 fees, which apply to purchases, should be simplified in future.

Under the current Scale 2 model the fee payable ranges from £20 to £305, HMLR said. The proposal would introduce one fixed fee for changes of ownership not for monetary consideration, such as transfers of equity or assents, and a second fixed fee for registering a mortgage or a transfer of a mortgage.

In the consultation foreword, Iain Banfield, Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar, said: "we recognise that aspects of the current fees and charging model are unnecessarily complex".

The proposal

HMLR argued that property value has little relevance to the transactions covered by Scale 2.

According to HMLR, simpler fees should reduce errors in fee calculation and minimise avoidable requisitions, the queries it raises with applicants that hold up registration.

Background

The consultation is the second stage of a review that began with a four-week call for evidence from 8 March to 5 April 2024. HMLR said then that its fee structure had not changed significantly since its inception in 1862, and that in 2023 it issued around 141,000 written and telephone requisitions relating to fees, delaying applications.

Almost 50% of respondents to that call for evidence who had experienced issues identified fee complexity as the primary cause, HMLR said.

HMLR said its fees cover its operating and improvement costs and are set out in legislation.

Scale 2 fees apply to transfers that are not sales, such as gifts, transfers to beneficiaries under a will or on divorce, and to mortgages based on the amount secured. Scale 1 fees apply to first registrations, purchase transfers and leases.

HMLR's annual report for 2025-26 recorded 4.6m register change applications, 98% of them digital, and total revenue of £500.6m. The register holds more than 27 million titles covering more than 90% of the land area of England and Wales.

Companion consultation on data

HMLR launched a second consultation on the same day on increasing access to its land ownership data. Both run from 27 October to 22 December 2026, with a full response to each to follow shortly afterwards, HMLR said.

Baroness Taylor, Minister for Housing and Local Government, said: "Information held by HM Land Registry is crucial in helping us make smarter decisions on how land is used". She said the fee proposals, which sit alongside the data consultation, would help avoid unnecessary delays.

What happens next

HMLR said it welcomes responses from conveyancers, solicitors, lenders, professional bodies, businesses and members of the public. Responses can be submitted online or emailed to the Strategic Finance Team at feesandchargingstructure@landregistry.gov.uk.

HMLR and MHCLG plan to use an artificial intelligence tool called Consult to assist analysis of responses. The government response will be published on GOV.UK after the consultation closes at 11:59pm on 22 December 2026.