Help shape our new contractual control service
As a user researcher at HM land Registry (HMLR), I work in a team whose goal is to make our services as easy-to-use as possible for customers. This means understanding any pain points in the user journey so we can do our best to reduce them.
The Provision of Information (Contractual Control) (Registered Land) Regulations 2026 (‘the Regulations’) legislation has been made and will come into force on 6 April 2027.
Information about certain land agreements such as options, conditional contracts and pre-emption rights where those agreements give a person the power to control how land is used or developed, is to be submitted digitally to HMLR through a regulated conveyancer.
We are currently developing a new service for conveyancers to record and submit this ‘contractual control’ information.
How you could help develop the service
We’re now approaching an important stage of development and would like to invite future users of the service to take part in our upcoming private beta phase this November.
If you are interested in taking part, please provide your details in the form linked to below and someone in the user research team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Who do we need to take part?
We’re looking for legal professionals who will be involved in recording and submitting contractual control information to HMLR when the service goes live.
Shaping the service to suit customers
So far this year we have engaged with around 31 legal firms and 48 individuals for user research, typically Professional Support Lawyers (PSLs), conveyancers, solicitors and legal assistants. We have also been engaging with legal professionals in other forums and working groups as well as other stakeholders from the property industry, such as property developers, technology suppliers and local authorities.
Why take part?
This is an important opportunity for legal professionals to influence the service before its planned launch in April 2027.
During private beta, selected users will try the service before it launches. Their feedback will help us check that it works well and make improvements before it goes live.
The private beta will provide access to a fully functioning version of the service, (still subject to further changes), allowing you to help evaluate how effectively the new system will support your work and help you meet your obligations.
What do you need to do?
You can take part in whichever way works best for you. This may include:
• remote sessions
• submitting feedback via an online form
• completing a short survey to share your experiences
• face to face sessions
What previous participants have said
Earlier user research participants have commented: “It's so helpful for us to see the thinking and hopefully provide some useful feedback to you as well”, “It was quite illuminating” and “This is very helpful because it gives us an idea of how it's going to work out.”
How user research has shaped the service so far
User feedback has directly influenced the way we've designed the service to date.
For example:
Simplifying the process
Some users told us they were concerned about the number of steps required to provide contract information. To address this, we've combined related contract details into a single workflow, reducing unnecessary navigation and making the process more efficient.
Making questions easier to understand
During testing, we found that some questions and condition categories could be interpreted in different ways. In response, we've refined the content and simplified the language to help users understand what information is being requested and how to answer with confidence.
Developing the service
While we want to create a user-centred service, we aren’t always able to incorporate everyone’s preferences, as we have to take things like legislation, technology, and the needs of people who will be using the data when it is published, into account.
Get involved
By taking part in the private beta testing, you can help us make the contractual control service as user-friendly as possible before it launches in April 2027.
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