The Land Registration (Amendment) Rules 2008 came into force this month, and are the result of a consultation with customers carried out by the Land Registry from October 2007 to January 2008.

The Land Registry is the organisation with which all property in England and Wales are listed. The biggest changes are designed to cut down on the risk of fraud and reduce the administrative burden on customers.

Geoff Tomlinson, head of Rural Business at Napthens solicitors, said: “Currently the property sector has been dealt a hammer blow by the credit crunch. Residential and commercial property sales in general are very slow.

“However, property and land is still being bought and sold, and the rural sector remains relatively active. Land prices are still high, and a number of my clients are still actively involved in sales or purchases.

“Therefore, it is important that those involved in property or land sales be aware that there is a raft of changes being introduced by the Land Registry. Most of these simply involve the introduction of new forms, or tighter rules regarding identification checks, which your solicitor will take care of.”