New reporting rules for contractual control rights
The Provision of Information (Contractual Control) (Registered Land) Regulations 2026 require developers, promoters and others who hold certain rights over land for development purposes to provide information to HM Land Registry (HMLR) for publication in a new contractual control dataset. The Regulations apply to registered land in England and Wales and will come into force on 6 April 2027.
Although the new requirements do not take effect until April 2027, some rights granted on or after 8 June 2026 will still need to be reported. A new practice guide is being prepared.
For new rights granted on or after 8 June 2026 but before the Regulations come into force on 6 April 2027, rights granted to clients since 8 June 2026 that will be affected must be identified, so that the required information about those rights from April 2027 can be submitted by 6 October 2027.
For an existing right changed or assigned on or after the Regulations come into force on 6 April 2027, or a new right granted after that date, the required information must be submitted to HMLR within 60 calendar days.
The information must be provided personally by an individual who is regulated to carry out relevant conveyancing activities, and not by a paralegal or other unregulated employee of a conveyancing firm. Where the landowner is an individual, the individual submitting the information will need the landowner’s date and place of birth, which is not always routinely obtained so must be taken into consideration when seeking timely information.
Where a contractual control right affects only part of a registered title, HMLR will need machine-readable location data showing the area affected. It is best practice to obtain a digital spatial data file from the surveyor or professional drafter who prepares the contract plan. Common industry formats such as Shapefile and GeoJSON, based on British National Grid coordinates, will be supported.
Posted on 10/13/2026 by Ortolan
