Registers of Scotland (ROS), based in Edinburgh, manages over 21 official registers.
The Register of Sasines
The Register of Sasines is a land registry in Scotland that records the ownership of land and property rights. It is one of the oldest public registers in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century.
The register was created in 1617 to improve the system of land ownership and property transfers in Scotland. Before the creation of the register, property transactions were often conducted orally or through private agreements, which could lead to disputes and legal challenges. The register provides an official record of ownership and transfers, making it easier to resolve disputes and ensure the integrity of the property ownership system.
The register is maintained by Registers of Scotland, which is responsible for the administration and management of land registration in Scotland. The register contains information on property transactions, including deeds, titles, and other legal documents that relate to property ownership and transfers.
Today, the Register of Sasines is no longer used for new property registrations, as Scotland has transitioned to a new system of digital land registration called the Land Register of Scotland. However, the register of sasines remains an important historical record and is still consulted by researchers and historians who are interested in the history of Scottish property ownership and land transfers.
The Land Register Of Scotland
The newer Land Register is a more modern, map-based digital register which allows anyone at the touch of a button to view the title information of a specific piece of land. You can do this through ScotLIS – the Land Information Service. Registers of Scotland is working to transfer all records from the Register of Sasines over to the new Land Register. This obviously takes some considerable time.
This means that if you can’t find what you are looking for in ScotLIS, you may need to check the Sasine Register as well to confirm ownership or who owns the ‘title’ to a piece of land in Scotland. SCotLIS offers help and guidance on searching both registers. However, if you are having trouble finding the information you want, RoS offers a property help service.
New register launched giving valuable information on property
In April 2022 Registers of Scotland launched a new register. The Register for Persons Holding of a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI) shows who has significant influence or control over the owner or tenant of land and property in Scotland where this information may not be available elsewhere.
These registers help inform important decisions about ownership, buying and selling residential property in Scotland.
UK House Price Index
Registers of Scotland is a key contributor to the UK House Price Index (UK HPI). This index is independently assessed and meets the highest levels of trustworthiness, quality and value as defined in the Code of Practice for Statistics. You can sign up for monthly updates and alerts on the website.
The Annual Property Market Report
The Annual Property Market Report, is published in June each year by Registers of Scotland. It provides essential data on the residential and non residential market for the house buying and selling process. It also provides up to date information on the residential sales market. This information includes; by house type and price band, new-build residential market information, residential mortgage, rural and high-value residential market information. You can see the most recent report on the RoS website.
Visit the RoS website for more details about their products and services.
