Automated Registration of Title to Land (ARTL) - for Scotland only
ARTL is being introduced by Registers of Scotland (RoS) in early 2007. RoS will separately be contacting Scottish practitioners inviting them to apply for a licence to become a registered ARTL user. They will visit all firms who apply for a licence and take them through the registration procedures. Registration visits will start in February 2007. Only when a firm is registered will it be able to use ARTL.
ARTL will create an efficient and fast conveyance service for the future by allowing:
- online completion of the SDLT Return as an integral part of the ARTL process
- immediate registration upon settlement of the land transaction
- payment by BACS to Stamp Taxes through RoS
ARTL is a fully automated, internet based online service. It is not mandatory and very little is required by way of IT in order to use it – all users need is a PC with internet access. Full details of ARTL IT requirements are available and ARTL can also be used with disability software.
Benefits/features of ARTL
- Most fields within the SDLT Return will be pre-populated from the Scottish Land Register and other information provided by the practitioner for the associated application for registration.
- The ARTL SDLT Return is an intelligent form. It includes automatic validation to ensure that the return can only be submitted when it is fully completed.
- Because the system is fully validated, there is no requirement for ARTL users to submit an SDLT 5 certificate when applying for registration of title
- The registration process is streamlined - in most cases it will be complete within 24 hours of submission of the application.
- ARTL users will also get the benefit of lower registration fees than applications submitted on paper.
ARTL can only be used for transactions affecting the proprietorship or charges sections of a land register title sheet. These are the most straightforward transactions, which form the vast majority. The system cannot be used where the transaction involves the grant of a new lease but can be used for the assignation of an existing single property lease.
RoS will collect any SDLT due in respect of an ARTL transaction through variable direct debit, at the point of registration. They will then pass the payment onto us, so customers will find it much easier and quicker to make SDLT payments under ARTL.
ROS held ARTL roadshows throughout Scotland in September and October, with Stamp Taxes attending the bigger venues. RoS has also produced an ARTL information pack that includes information about the Stamp Taxes Online service. This pack will be issued to all practitioners who apply for an ARTL licence.
The fit with Stamp Taxes online filing
Stamp Taxes Online service (see below) will still be available for any ARTL customers to use for transactions the system does not cover, such as:
- grants of lease (code 'L' cases)
- multi-property assignments (code 'A' cases)
- code 'O' cases (such as the acquisition of an easement or servitude)
- exchanges where one property is in Scotland and one elsewhere in the UK
E-conveyancing
E-conveyancing is a Land Registry (LR) project to develop an electronic system of conveyance and automated conveyance processes. Electronic conveyancing products and services will be introduced gradually in a number of tranches over the next few years. An early prototype of the Chain Matrix will be launched during the first quarter of 2007. A pilot of electronic conveyancing will follow the introduction of the necessary legislation which is unlikely to be in place before March 2008.
E-conveyancing uses an online chain matrix, to allow the conveyance process to be monitored, with a ‘traffic-light’ system that builds up for all properties in the chain. Online alerts notify changes so that all parties can see where the chain is held up – and chase as appropriate. Only when everyone’s lights are on ‘go’ can the conveyance move on to the next stage – and everyone in the chain exchanges at the same time.
We will give you more information about e-conveyancing in future issues of this publication.
SDLT Online filing
As part of the move towards e-conveyancing, SDLT online filing has been available since August 2005. This allows you to file your Land Transaction Return over the Internet - using either:
- Our free Online Tax Return - Land Transaction product
- 3rd Party Internet filing enabled software.
If customers get used to using online filing now, they will be ahead of the game when ARTL and HM Land Registry’s full e-conveyancing system are introduced.
Online filing allows customers to file SDLT Returns at any time, day or night. The data input on the return is validated as customers go along. This means that no letters asking for more information (SDLT 8s) are generated - which in turn, cuts down on delays. And more importantly, because the data goes directly into our IT system, the SDLT 5 certificates reach customers faster.
From 1 November 2006, online users who submit SDLT Returns using software produced by 3rd party software suppliers will also receive their SDLT 5 certificates online. Further information is available on our TPV page.
Please see further details on SDLT online filing.
Previous issues of the SDLT Practitioners’ Newsletter
Information in earlier Practitioners' Newsletters was current at the time of publication but may become outdated or incorrect with the passage of time. Such material should not be relied on as a permanent source of guidance.
We do not retain hard copies of previous issues, but they are all available at Previous Practitioners' Newsletters.
