In 2020, the number of applications for the registration of title to a property grew by 20% compared to the previous year. By the end of July 2021, the number of applications for the registration of title grew by 10% compared to the same period in 2020.
In addition to the growth in home sales, an increasing number of housing companies are joining the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. As far as the Residential and Commercial Property Information System is concerned, the backlog is also partly explained by the challenges faced in its technical development.
‘The construction of NLS’s Residential and Commercial Property Information System has not quite proceeded according to the target schedules, but we took several steps forward technically during the autumn. This will expedite the processing’, says Janne Murtoniemi, Director of the National Land Survey of Finland.
‘Property registrations are mostly done after the fact, and it’s good to remember that title to a property is already transferred with the deed of title, not with the registration of title. We have prioritised the processing of urgent applications. We apologise for the longer processing times, and we ask our customers to wait for us to contact them’, says Murtoniemi.
The rights of the property buyer are not jeopardised in any way even if processing takes a little longer than usual. Currently, the processing of an application for a registration of title takes about 4 months from initiation to decision, the processing of a mortgage application about 2 months, and registrations of the right of ownership to an apartment about 3 months on average.
More effective work processes in addition to recruitment
The National Land Survey of Finland is addressing the growing demand by, among other things, recruiting a lot of new employees.
The National Land Survey of Finland is perceived as an attractive employer, and we were happy to note the large number of applicants in the recruitment campaigns. At the beginning of 2021, 20 new land registration secretaries started working at the National Land Survey of Finland. 16 new apartment registration secretaries will start their work in the autumn. Some of our summer interns will also continue in part-time positions after the summer. New recruitment campaigns for property registration staff are currently under way.
‘We have improved the efficiency of application processing in many ways without compromising on quality. Among other things, we will make use of automation in the processing of applications for the registration of title. Attention has also been paid to the processing of mortgages. For example, in future, we will decide the mortgage applications necessary for the customer to receive financing from a bank more quickly’, says Janne Murtoniemi.
E-services to streamline the processing of property registrations
‘Please don’t call our customer service just to ask for an intermediate progress report on your application. We will contact you when we start processing your application. However, while you are waiting for us to contact you, we recommend that you check matters related to transfer tax in the MyTax e-service. Incomplete tax information is one of the most common reasons for the processing of an application to be delayed’, says Saara Vesa, Service Manager at the National Land Survey of Finland.
We recommend that you send your application electronically and check that all the necessary attachments are included with it. The e-service (in Finnish and Swedish) can be used to supplement the application if requested. The e-service is a secure and fast way to send documents for processing.
The Property Transaction Service can be used to apply for mortgages and transfer electronic mortgage deeds, among other things. An application that is submitted electronically via the e-service can often be processed without delay.
Certain documents cannot be submitted electronically but must instead be sent as original copies. Examples of such documents include lease agreements, estate distribution agreements and agreements on the distribution of matrimonial property. The original documents can be sent by post, and they will be returned without delay. It is also possible to visit one of our customer service points and show the documents.
Further information
Director Janne Murtoniemi, +358 40 710 8862, firstname.lastname@nls.fi