Legislation to increase the number of properties in England and Wales lodged with the Land Registry was approved in principle by peers last night, with government and cross-party support.
The Land Registration Bill, piloted by law lord Lord Browne-Wilkinson, would end an exemption in the 1925 Land Registration Act for properties that change hands through gift or inheritance.
Lord Browne-Wilkinson said: “The Bill contains concrete proposals which will be of enormous practical advantage to a lot of people. It will make conveyancing quicker and cheaper.”
The bill, which received an unopposed second reading, will increase the number of new registrations by about a third.It would also allow reduced registration fees for the voluntary registration of many of the estimated five million of the country’s 21 million properties that are currently unregistered.
Baroness Trumpington added: “The Government is committed to the objective of total registration as soon as is reasonably possible.”
PA News (Parliament) 20/11/96
