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Adflow Marketing - Land Registry Search Service HOME INFORMATION PACKS
The home information pack (HIP) will need to include an official copy of the register and title plan. The 'Register View' available from the Land Registry's public site will not be an acceptable alternative. The difference being that under s.67 of The Land Registration Act (2002) an official copy (OC) of the register is admissible in evidence to the same extent as the original whereas a 'Register View' is analogous to a photocopy. The HIP's regulations do specify 'official copies'.If you are putting together a Home Information Pack we can assist by providing official copies of the register and title plan either in electronic form or paper copies printed and dispatched direct by the land registry.For electronic copies of registers/title plans we can usually offer a same day service and the results will be e-mailed as PDF files. In the view of the land registry (see below) a print taken from the PDF will be acceptable for use in a HIP. The added advantage of a PDF is that it can be stored on your computer and is in a convenient form for e-mailing. Most computers now have a PDF reader and if not, free software is available from the Adobe web site.In some cases, title plans are not available in electronic form and, in these cases, we will undertake to order a paper copy from the administering land registry at no extra cost. In any case, we will, when sending a credit/debit card receipt for our fees, include a print of both the official copy of the register and the title plan.If you would prefer a paper copy of the OC/title plan printed and issued by the land registry, we can order these on line using our direct link. Obviously this is a postal service only; no electronic copy will be downloaded. The land registry charge a little extra for this service which is reflected in our fees. (See PDF for fees and application form at the bottom of this panel)The choice as to which of the two types (paper copy issued and printed by the LR or electronic PDF) of official copy to include in the pack is a difficult one. Whilst within the conveyancing industry the electronic PDF has been used for some time and 'e-conveyancing' is becoming more usual, purchasers and their legal advisors may be more comfortable to see a paper copy printed by the land registry on their watermarked paper. Perhaps a combination of the two is a slightly more expensive but better solution. An electronic copy of the register for your own records and for e-mailing to prospective purchasers plus a paper copy for the HIP. As long as the electronic copy has not been modified in any way, it should still be an official copy within the meaning of the HIP's regulations. Whilst the official copy is covered by Crown copyright, information on the government's HIP's web site suggests that there is no problem in sending copies to prospective purchasers.
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