Contractual Control Regulations made

The Provision of Information (Contractual Control) (Registered Land) Regulations 2026 ("Regulations") were made on 8 June 2026. 

Our earlier briefing Land contract information to be made public from April 2027 - Burges Salmon summarises their impact in more detail, but the takeaway is that for contracts containing rights

• within the scope of the Regulations
• which are entered into on or after 8 June 2026
• and relate to land in England and Wales, 

prescribed details of the agreement must be supplied to the Land Registry before 6 October 2027. 

This will not be possible until a means of notification is available, and we still await the launch of the digital platform via which details are to be submitted, expected to be no later than the commencement date for the main Regulations on 6 April 2027.  So those affected should make a note to comply at that point. 

The duty to submit is on the party (typically a developer or promoter) who benefits from the contractual rights conferred in an option, conditional contract, right of pre-emption or first refusal or promotion agreement, rather than the landowner. 

For contracts to which the Regulations apply and which are entered into on or after 6 April 2027, or pre-existing contracts which are varied or assigned after that date, the deadline to submit details will be 60 calendar days after exchange, variation or assignment.  Where details have been submitted, there is also a duty to notify the Land Registry when the right comes to an end — in whole or part — whether by expiry, determination or exercise. 

The information provided will be included in the database of information which will be published from April 2028 onwards, but a copy of the contract itself will not be made public.

Failure to submit the required details will incur penalties and, ultimately, criminal sanctions, and the contract itself may not be able to be protected by noting or restriction at the Land Registry and so might not bind subsequent buyers of the land.

Please get in touch with your usual contact in Real estate | Legal services | Burges Salmon if you would like to discuss this reform further. 

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 HM Land Registry (HMLR) through a regulated conveyancer.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/contractual-control-agreements