Article originally published by Landmark Information Group.

Climate change is no longer a ‘next generation’ threat; it’s on our doorstep impacting many different aspects of our lives, not least within the property sector.

Buildings are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the effects of climate change are posing considerable risks to property values and future habitability. It is now undeniable that our sector needs to adapt.

To understand how the property industry is starting to adapt, Landmark conducted comprehensive market research of 150 senior level employees working in estate agency, residential conveyancing, and mortgage lending across England, Scotland and Wales. Our findings have helped us gauge the growing commitment towards sustainability, and how we can help support and nurture this further.

The consensus from the industry

Our report, “Climate change in the property sector: a cross-market perspective,” takes a thorough dive into the findings:

Growing concern

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. A significant majority of property professionals (72%) recognise the urgent need to address its impacts. This growing awareness is driving a shift towards sustainable practices within the industry.

Client awareness

Property professionals said that clients are increasingly concerned about the potential effects of climate change on their property purchases. Flooding (60%), energy efficiency (58%), and local planning (56%) are among the top priorities for homebuyers. As climate risks become more apparent, these concerns are influencing decision-making processes.

Shifting practices

The property industry is adapting to the changing climate, and more professionals are actively advising clients. For example, mortgage lenders are, on average, advising 48% of their clients on potential climate change risks to their property, a similar number can also be seen from estate agents (49%).

Room for improvement

While the industry is making progress, there is still room for improvement. Less than 60% of conveyancing firms are currently on track to meet carbon emission targets. This highlights the need for continued efforts to reduce the industry’s environmental impact.

Encouragingly, more businesses have created net zero strategies (76%, up from 52% in 2023). Conveyancers have made significant progress, with 48% having published their own strategies. This is a demonstrable sign at just how much positive momentum towards solutions the industry is taking when it comes to the fight against climate change.

Download our report

To gain a deeper understanding of the trends and insights from our research, download your copy of ‘Climate change in the property sector: a cross-market perspective‘ here;

Ambitious Targets

The scale of the Scottish Government’s ambitious target to have all of Scotland’s land mass registered by 2024 resulted in a considerable backlog at Registers of Scotland (RoS). The delays in registration processing can have extensive implications, potentially impacting property transactions, refinancing efforts and even large-scale development projects while the application is open.

Current Backlog Status

As of March 2026, the Registers of Scotland’s backlog stands at 81,978 cases, representing a 31.11% decrease from 119,000 cases in April 2024. The oldest unresolved case now dates back to January 2019. While this progress is encouraging, the backlog still presents ongoing challenges for solicitors, and RoS reports that 83.0% of despatched land register applications in March 2026 were processed within 35 working days.

Impact of Solicitors

While homeowners are not restricted from selling, remortgaging or making changes to their land or property title whilst the application is open, it can create unnecessary additional time, effort and sometimes costs for solicitors.

More worryingly we have recently seen a number of occasions where standard securities that were recorded in the Sasine Register have not been discharged as part of the First Registration and solicitors acting in any subsequent transactions are not aware of their existence when following normal practices, until the application makes it out of the backlog!

Once a property moves to the Land Register, there is no need (in theory) to look at the Sasine Register. A Legal Report for a property that has left the Sasine Register will only report on the Land Register title or pending application(s). If the parties acting in the first registration have failed to satisfy their obligation to discharge an outstanding standard security, then this won’t be apparent in normal practice.

How Millar & Bryce can help

We can help mitigate the risk of the above situation. If a property is undergoing first registration, we can send the legal report as normal. However, we can also make you aware of, and arrange, an unregistered legal report. We can examine the evidence of the original, identify the Sasine search sheet and provide an unregistered legal report over the Sasine title(s), making sure there are no surprises when you receive your completed title sheet.

At Millar & Bryce we’re here to help; as well as being experts on searches, we understand your requirements for conveyancing and registration and provide proactive solutions to mitigate risks in transactions.

If you’d like further details, then please contact your Account Manager or email us at relationship@millar-bryce.com

Editorial note

All statistics, figures and market data presented in this blog are believed to be accurate as of 13th April 2026. Figures relating to open casework volumes and turnaround times are updated regularly by Registers of Scotland and should be checked immediately prior to publication to ensure accuracy.

1. https://www.ros.gov.uk/performance/open-casework/total-number-of-open-cases
2. https://www.ros.gov.uk/performance/turnaround-times/casework-turnaround-times