Latest News

18/08/2010 - Change of registration practice
Solicitors are asked to note that with effect from 1 September 2010 the registration practice. Click here to read more

23/07/2010 - Change to Customer Service Centres' opening hours
From the week beginning on 9 August, the Customer Service Centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh along with the Chancery and Judicial Registers will open on Wednesdays at 10.00 am rather than 8.30 am. This is a permanent change  to allow staff training to take place. This change affects the public counters, personal presentments and dedicated phone lines for these departments. Customer Services telephone line will be open until 17.00.

The new opening hours are:

Monday  08.30 – 16.00
Tuesday   08.30 – 16.00
Wednesday  10.00 – 16.00
Thursday    08.30 – 16.00
Friday   08.30 – 16.00


16/07/2010 - The Intelligent Sport® UK Challenge
RoS entered two teams in The 2010 Intelligent Sport® UK Challenge. The people who took part in the challenge share their experiences with us in a short video as they helped to raise £1600 for Children 1st, the chosen charity for the event. Click here to watch the story

21/06/2010 - Fee Review Consultation 2010
RoS has recently issued a fee consultation paper. Click here to read more.

11/06/2010 - Alliance & Leicester PLC: Transfer of Assets to Santander UK PLC
With effect from 28 May 2010 (the "transfer date") the business, trading name and all property and liabilities of the Alliance & Leicester PLC was transferred to Santander UK plc by virtue of the Transfer Scheme between the Alliance & Leicester PLC and Santander UK plc approved by the High Court of Justice on 13 May 2010 in terms of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "Transfer Instrument"). Click here to read more.

17/05/2010 - Home Report Video
The Scottish Government has produced a video explaining the basics of the Home Report that is now required when selling property. Click here to view the video on YouTube.

28/04/2010 - Association for Geographic Information
Speaking on 28 April 2010 at the Association for Geographic Information Annual Scottish Event in the Trades Hall, Glasgow, Sheenagh Adams, the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, expressed her belief in the need for a joined-up spatial data infrastructure that enables everyone, whatever sector we are in, to use and adapt it for our own personal and business needs.Click here to view more

07/04/2010 - Publication of RoS Corporate Plan
The Keeper wrote to the Law Society informing them of our Corporate Plan Targets. The background to the outcomes we expect to achieve remains the continuing reduced volumes of business in the property and remortgaging market, which has seen applications to RoS falling by 46% from the high of 2007-2008. This means that we are now operating at a significant loss and funding this from the reserves that we built up when the market was at it's peak.Click here to view more

25/03/2010 - Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) — Latest News
STAMP DUTY CHANGES — The Chancellor has announced that there will be relief from Stamp Duty Land Tax for first time buyers for a period of two years from 25 March 2010.  Where the consideration is more than £125,000 and up to £250,000, SDLT will not be payable if the purchaser or all purchasers are first time buyers who intend to occupy the property as their main home.Click here to view more

24/03/2010 - Transactions affecting multiple Land Register title sheets and/or Sasine titles
Recently RoS has received a number of applications that have affected multiple Land Register title sheets and/or Sasine titles.  These applications usually involve 10 or more properties on one or more of the registers. Several of these applications have been rejected at the initial Intake stage and returned to the Agent for amendment as we require more evidence before we can accept the application for registration Click here to view more

22/03/2010 - Lost Discharges
Registers of Scotland has recently received a number of enquiries about the situation where a standard security is redeemed at the time that part of the secured land is sold. Click here to view more

25/01/2010 - Scottish Home Awards 2010 gets underway
Scotland’s most prestigious property awards programme has launched for a third year with a promise to showcase the best in new build housing across Scotland.

The Scottish Home Awards 2010, sponsored by ros.gov.uk, is now open for entries from a diverse range of housing covering slick city apartments to rural conversions and affordable housing.View Scottish Media Awards 2010 Media Release | Event Entry Guide

5/01/2010 - Stamp Duty Threshold Reverts to £125,000 for residential property
The Stamp Duty Land Tax threshold for residential properties reverts to £125,000 for transactions with an effective date (usually date of entry or date of settlement) of 1 January 2010 or later. View more

2/11/2009 - Kosovo project
The Registers of Scotland International Consultancy Group (ICG) recently submitted a Technical Proposal to work with the Kosovo Cadasteral Agency. This is to undertake a Public Awareness Campaign to address core internal and external communications needs in order to improve their services. View more

29/10/2009 - Royal Mail Strike
In continuing industrial action sections of Royal Mail workers intend to conduct nationwide strikes on Thursday 29 October, Friday 30 October and Saturday 31 October. Customers should therefore be aware that any mail sent to or received from RoS via Royal Mail over the next week may be subject to delays, through the disruption itself and as the backlog at mail centers is cleared. View more

28/10/2009 - Our Annual Report and Accounts 2008/09
Our Annual Report, Accounts and Audit report on Registers of Scotland for 2008/09.
View our Annual Report 2008/09 (PDF 5.73mb) | View our Accounts for 2008/09 (PDF 116kb) | View the Audit Report on Registers of Scotland for 2008/09 (PDF 42kb)

21/10/2009 - Royal Mail Strike
Following a recent ballot of members, Royal Mail workers intend to strike on Thursday 22 October and Friday 23 October. Customers should therefore be aware that any mail sent to or received from RoS via Royal Mail over the next week may be subject to delays. View more

20/08/2009 - artl PKI Registration Policy & Procedures
Amendments have been made to the artl PKI Registration Policy & Procedures document. Click here to view the changes.

18/08/2009 - Registers Direct 2
We are set to launch an upgraded version of Registers Direct next week with the first organisations migrating to the new version on Tuesday 25 August.

The migration of existing users of Registers Direct will take place over the next couple of months. You will receive two separate e-mails in the week prior to your migration date with further details and advising you of your new username and password.

We would encourage all users of Registers Direct to access our website http://www.ros.gov.uk/registersdirect2/ and familiarise yourself with the upgraded system through the training demonstrations. In particular, Register of Inhibitions users should familiarise themselves with the new search methodology.

01/07/2009 - Sheenagh Adams takes up Keeper post
Sheenagh Adams, today 1 July, takes up her new post as the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. View more

01/07/2009 - Bruce Beveridge moves to new post
Bruce Beveridge, Deputy Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, is leaving RoS after five years with the organisation, to take up a new post with the Scottish Government. View more

08/06/2009 - New Keeper at RoS
The First Minister Alex Salmond, with the consent of the Lord President of the Court of Session, has today announced the appointment of Sheenagh Adams as the new Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. View more

28/05/2009 - Registers of Scotland cuts information fees
Following public consultation Scottish Ministers will be bringing in reduced fees for a range of Registers of Scotland’s (RoS) information services. The new charges will take effect from 1 June 2009. View Press Release

27/05/2009 - Norwich Union
Norwich Union Equity Release Limited change of name to Aviva Equity Release UK Limited With effect from 1 June 2009 (the appointed date) Norwich Union Equity Release Limited will change its name to Aviva Equity Release UK Limited. To view more on Norwich Union Equity Release Limited Name Change please click here

18/05/2009 - Registers Update 25
The Fees in the Registers of Scotland Amendment Order 2009. View more

12/05/2009 - Dunfermline Building Society: Transfer of Assets to Nationwide Building Society
With effect from 30 March 2009 all of the Dunfermline Building Society’s savings accounts, branches, head office and the majority of its residential mortgage book (other than social housing loans) have been transferred to Nationwide Building Society. These assets were transferred to the Nationwide Building Society in terms of the Dunfermline Building Society Property Transfer Instrument 2009 (“the Transfer Instrument”) issued by the Bank of England on 30 March 2009.  To view more on Transfer of DBS Assets please click here

16/10/2008 -Effective date of an Inhibition
The Agency has recently received several enquiries from solicitors who have suggested that the law may have changed with regard to the date on which an inhibition becomes effective against a transaction by the inhibitee.

The law on this point is expected to change in late 2008 or early 2009, when section 149 of the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007 is scheduled to come into full effect.  Briefly, the result of the change will be that – where a Notice of Inhibition has been registered in the Register of Inhibitions within 21 days prior to the registration of the inhibition itself – the effect of the inhibition may stem from the date on which the inhibition was served on the debtor.  This differs from the present law, under which the effect of the inhibition may stem from the date of registration of the Notice.

The Keeper’s understanding is that the law on the effective date of an inhibition remains unchanged, pending the commencement of Part 5 of the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007.

19/09/2008 - PISCES
PISCES announces launch of e-registration project with Land Registry, please click here.

02/09/2008 - SDLT Holiday
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that from 3rd September he will introduce a temporary holiday (“exemption”) from Stamp Duty Land Tax (‘SDLT’) for acquisitions of residential property worth not more than £175,000.

The exemption will be available where the effective date of the land transaction (normally the date of settlement) is on or after 3rd September 2008 and before 3rd September 2009. For that period the threshold for payment of SDLT has been raised from £125,000 to £175,000.

The exemption does not alter the requirement for solicitors and their clients to complete and submit a Land Transaction Return to HM Revenue & Customs. As such the change to the SDLT threshold does not affect the obligation contained in section 79(1) of Finance Act 2003 to present a SDLT certificate along with appropriate deeds/applications for registration or recording.  All deeds/applications which currently require an SDLT certificate will continue to require such a certificate.

See the SDLT FAQs for further information

15/08/2008 - Registers Direct 2
To view the email recently sent to all key contacts of RD accounts on the migration process, please click here.

14/08/2008 - Legal Update
Solicitors are reminded of the dicta in the case of The Board of Management of Aberdeen College v. Stewart Watt Youngson and Another [2005] CSOH 31 and are advised that the Keeper will not accept a Disposition granted by a party or parties to themselves in the same status or capacity for recording in the General Register of Sasines or for registration in the Land Register.

30/06/2008 - SSSI Register
Registers of Scotland (RoS) will maintain a new online Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) from today (30 June 2008). The Register will hold information on all SSSIs across Scotland.  A SSSI is an area of land that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) considers to be special for its plants, animals, habitats, rocks or landforms, or a combination of such natural features. Go to SSSI Page

23/04/2008 - Changes to Bankruptcy Legislation
Part 1 of the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007 came into effect on 1 April 2008. View more