ScotLIS

ScotLIS is a relatively new and user friendly service provided by the Registers of Scotland which is free to use. It allows users to search for properties that are registered on the Land Register and shares information at no cost such as the date the property was last sold, the price it was sold for, what the Title Number is and it also shows a map with the boundaries. Properties on the Sasine Register will not show in the results for this reason it may be a useful tool to establish whether the property is Land Registered or not. There is a service provided for those who are registered with eservices which work in a similar way to Registers Direct searches but these will cost.

This is a useful and helpful tool whether you have the Title Deeds at the beginning of a transaction or not. If you have the Deeds, using ScotLIS before ordering a Multisearch or Legal Report could establish whether Keeper Induced Registration has occurred and save time at later stages. If there is any indication at the beginning of a transaction that the subjects could be in the Sasines register, it is a good first port of call to check for free. I have noted that not all Land Registered properties appear on the free search. When testing the service, a family member's property didn't appear in the results even though we knew it was Land Registered. There doesn’t appear to be a search option for the Title Number of a property but this may well be an option that is rolled out soon.

If you don't have the Title Deeds yet, it could provide the basic information needed to draft a Disposition and to order up any relevant searches before they arrive. It will also help to save time if you need to draft a particularly long Sasines Disposition if the search discloses that the subjects are already Land Registered. This has caught me out a few times where the property was later found to be registered through Keeper Induced Registration but the Multisearch, Legal Report or updated Title Sheet was not yet exhibited. A quick search would disclose this if this information was not yet shared.

63% of properties in Scotland are now in the Land Register but how many within that figure are registered through Keeper Induced Registration? This is unclear but as at June 2018, there are currently 11,421 active Keeper Induced Registered postcodes throughout Scotland which must total a considerable number of properties. For the reasons already mentioned, ScotLIS will help conveyancers and property owners alike. In particular, for those postcodes conveyancers can use this tool to find out if Keeper Induced Registration has applied.

ScotLIS provides a quicker and more simple way of confirming boundaries for boundary disputes without having to order a Registers Direct copy of the Title Sheet on behalf of a client, or even for clients themselves if they are made aware of this free service. It would save time instead of having to wait for the lender to return the Deeds if this was the preferred option should a client not wish to pay for a quick copy of their Deeds. You can search for neighbouring properties as the map will still show the boundaries of the properties nearby which could come in handy for Sasines registered properties. It could also assist if a client is unsure where their Deeds are held in the sense that you can use a free source to establish the title number of the property. If this is not available then you would know to order Sasines Deeds without the need to incur additional (yet small) cost of a Registers Direct copy of the Title Sheet.

Overall, ScotLIS could help in several different ways at the beginning or midway through a transaction and is a good starting point if you are unsure about boundaries or if properties are in the Land Register. It is cost effective, time saving and easy to use. I look forward to finding out which features will be rolled out in the future.