Land Registry is committed to fighting registration fraud and has implemented a wide ranging anti-fraud strategy. Some aspects of the strategy must remain confidential but measures already implemented include:
publication of Land Registry Public Guide 17—How to safeguard against property fraud and Public Guide 02—Keeping your address for service up to date, which advise property owners to record current contact addresses with Land Registry. Up to three addresses for service are allowed on the register, one of which may be an email address;
enhanced ID requirements, as detailed in Land Registry Practice Guide 67—Evidence of identity;
anti-fraud training for all Land Registry caseworkers; and
the introduction of IT systems to assist in identifying suspect cases.
The strategy is constantly kept under review and revised as appropriate. Land Registry also maintains contact with relevant national bodies, including the National Fraud Authority.
All Land Registry staff receive face-to-face training sessions on the importance of combating fraud and their part in this, and there are regular updates to all staff as internal processes and policies are reviewed and changed. The last two of these were in October 2008 and January 2009. In each Land Registry office there are senior staff who have had further training on fraud issues and they are there to support casework staff on high risk applications.
Land Registry's in-house electronic processing systems identify potential fraudulent applications automatically and all casework staff have been trained on the actions they must take in such circumstances. Land Registry's technical manuals contain clear instructions as to the processes staff must follow on every application received in order to prevent fraudulent registration.
Land Registry informs owners of applications to alter their register where either the land registration legislation requires it or Land Registry thinks it prudent to do so. Notification is most often sent in cases where the application is made by someone who is not a professional conveyancer.
The notice is sent to the owner's address for service as recorded in the register. All owners are required to provide at least one such address and are entitled to enter up to three. It is important that they keep their addresses up to date to ensure they receive such a notice.
Land Registry will usually not know who the owner's legal representatives are at the time notice is to be sent and so does not generally send the notice to them. For example, it cannot be assumed that the solicitor who acted on a transfer to the owner some years ago is still their representative now. However, if an owner gives their legal representatives' address as one of the owner's addresses for service, Land Registry will send any notification to that address.