As mentioned in this month’s CPI Update, the Land Registry is to dispense with watermarked paper for hard copy official copies. A Practice Bulletin now appears on the Land Registry website. We can learn from it that the decision to dispense with the paper has been prompted by the supplier of the paper having gone into administration. This led the Land Registry to review its policy on watermarks. There is no rule that states official copies must be on watermarked paper. The Bulletin asks the obvious question: “Don’t watermarks prevent fraud?” The answer is: “While they may appear to be helpful, they are by no means fraud proof…” One might be accused of being a little over-critical here, but could it not be said that retaining something that is “helpful” in the fight against fraud is a sensible thing to do? (Don’t let us get on to land certificates again…). So, how in future will you know if the paper official copies sent to you are Land Registry Official Copies? “Any person who is uncertain whether a copy of a register, title plan or document which describes itself as an official copy is in fact an official copy, should consider two questions: What does the document look like? Where did it come from?” A bit like this official copy? (Not a creation of your editor. Check carefully…)
Property PSL