New Transparency Requirements For Contractual Control Arrangements Over Land

The Government has recently published regulations and guidance for a new transparency regime requiring details of certain contractual control arrangements affecting registered land in England and Wales to be disclosed to HM Land Registry. The Provision of Information (Contractual Control) (Registered Land) Regulations 2026 were laid before Parliament on 9 March 2026 and are expected to be made in the first half of 2026, and they will come into force on 6 April 2027. The changes will be of particular interest to developers, promoters, strategic land investors and landowners who routinely use options, promotion agreements and conditional contracts. 

Background

For many years, contractual arrangements giving a party future rights over land have largely remained outside the public domain. Whilst notices or restrictions may appear on the register, the nature and extent of the underlying arrangements have often been difficult to ascertain.