Archive Website of the UK government

How to complain to Land Registry

Follow the steps below if you want to complain to Land Registry.

Step one: contact the person you have been dealing with at Land Registry

Contact the person you have been dealing with and they will try to put things right. You can complain in person, on the phone, in writing (including email) and on the Land Registry website.

If you aren’t sure of this person’s contact details, you can find details of addresses and telephone numbers on Land Registry's website. You can also telephone Land Registry Customer Support on 0844 892 1111 (for the Welsh language service call 0844 892 1122), lines open Monday to Friday 8 am to 6 pm. 0844 numbers are not premium call rate numbers but call charges will vary depending on your service provider.

• Contact Land Registry

• Visit the Land Registry website Opens new window

Step two: contact the relevant local customer service manager

If you have contacted the person you have been dealing with and you are not happy with their response, you can speak to the customer service manager (CSM) at the office you have been dealing with. They will:

• review your complaint
• review the way it was dealt with
• give you a final response - either from the CSM or another senior manager

If your complaint involves a legal decision made by Land Registry it could be looked at by the land registrar (a senior lawyer). Their response is known as a ‘registration decision’. If you are sent a registration decision, see the section ‘If you wish to complain about a registration decision’ below.

Step three: apply to the Independent Complaints Reviewer

If you are unhappy with Land Registry’s final response, you may be able to ask the Independent Complaints Reviewer (ICR) to review your case.

You can only do this after you’ve received Land Registry’s final response and your complaint is about:

• poor service from Land Registry
  
• unfair treatment which has caused you problems or concerns

You can’t usually appeal to the ICR if your complaint is:

• being investigated or has already been investigated by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
  
• a registration decision - although complaints about the way a decision was made may be investigated
  
• about a matter that’s being dealt with by the courts or the Adjudicator to HM Land Registry (an independent tribunal)
• about a matter on which Land Registry has completed its own investigations and offered a final response more than six months ago

• The Independent Complaints Reviewer (ICR)

Step four: contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

You can ask your MP to send your case to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if both of the following apply:

• you have followed all the steps listed above
  
• you are not satisfied with Land Registry's or the ICR's handling of your complaint

• Find your local MP (Member of Parliament)

• Making a complaint against government or public bodies

• Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you wish to complain about a registration decision

A land registrar's decision (which is a decision based upon the laws under which Land Registry operates) is final and can only be reviewed judicially. Judicial review is the procedure through which you can seek to challenge the decision of a public body such as Land Registry.

See the link below to find out how judicial review works.

• Guidance on applying for judicial review Opens new window

How Land Registry will deal with your complaint

Land Registry will:

• not discriminate against you for any reason
  
• be neutral and fair in investigating your complaint
• deal with you in a polite manner
  
• acknowledge your complaint on the day it receives it
  
• review the complaint thoroughly and aim to give you a full response within five working days
  
• tell you within five working days if it needs more time to respond to your complaint
  
• give you a contact name and telephone number
  
• consider what action to take if Land Registry is found to be at fault

More useful links

• Find a solicitor on the Law Society's website Opens new window