What Crofting Commission does

The Crofting Commission is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) of the Scottish Government, established in 2012 under the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 (as amended) to regulate and promote crofting across Scotland's crofting counties. It serves approximately 21,000 crofts and a crofting-associated population of around 33,000, including tenant and owner-occupier crofters, landlords (private, community, and public), and grazings committees. Headquartered in Inverness at Great Glen House, the Commission operates with 38 staff under a Board of 9 Commissioners (3 appointed by Scottish Ministers, 6 elected by crofters every five years), with most staff working from home and the office open four and a half days a week.

The Commission's core technology stack comprises the Crofting Information System (CIS) for processing data, an Online Applications Portal at account.crofting.scotland.gov.uk (for decrofting, assignation, subletting, apportionments, and consent-to-be-absent applications), and ROC Online, a publicly searchable Register of Crofts maintained in collaboration with Registers of Scotland. Supporting tools include an Annual Notice compliance system (processed by an external Scottish contractor), a Form Finder navigation tool, and a Vulnerability Disclosure Programme run via HackerOne. The Commission also issues interim policy statements covering Apportionments, Decrofting, Residency (including a 32km residency rule), and Consent to be Absent, and operates a fourth Gaelic Language Plan (2026-2031) approved by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

The Commission's business model is non-commercial: it is wholly funded by the Scottish Government through grant-in-aid (sponsored by the Agriculture and Rural Economy Division) and operates under a Framework Document with Scottish Ministers with statutory accountability. It does not charge fees for regulatory services, has no external shareholders or investors, and reaches stakeholders through its official website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletters, the online portal, and Microsoft Teams-broadcast public board meetings held approximately every seven weeks. Data-sharing partnerships operate with Registers of Scotland, RPID, the Scottish Land Court, HIE, local authorities, and the Crown Office.

Name

Crofting Commission

Legal name

The Crofting Commission

Website

https://crofting.scotland.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Crofting Commission is a Scottish Government Non-Departmental Public Body that regulates crofting across Scotland's crofting counties under the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, serving approximately 21,000 crofts and 33,000 crofters via an online applications portal and the public Register of Crofts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The Crofting Commission is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Scottish Government, funded by public money. Revenue comes from Scottish Government funding as a statutory regulatory body.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Crofting Commission regulates and promotes the interests of crofting in Scotland under the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993. It maintains the Register of Crofts, processes regulatory applications (decrofting, assignment, subletting, apportionments, consent to be absent), enforces crofter residency and land use duties via an Annual Notice system, and operates an Online Applications Portal at account.crofting.scotland.gov.uk for digital submission of regulatory applications and notifications.

Product overview

The Crofting Commission operates as a regulatory body for Scotland's crofting system, offering a suite of digital services centered around its Online Applications Portal and Register of Crofts (ROC Online). The core product is a digital platform that enables crofters to submit regulatory applications and notifications online, supported by a searchable public database of registered crofts. Additional offerings include the Annual Notice system for duty compliance, a Form Finder tool for navigation, and various policy documents (Policy Plan, Interim Policies on Decrofting, Residency, Apportionments, and Consent to be Absent) that guide regulatory decisions. The Commission also maintains a Gaelic Language Plan reflecting its commitment to Scotland's Gaelic-speaking crofting communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Applications Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 21,000 crofts regulated across Scotland
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rural Payments & Inspections Division (RPID)coreOthersRPID carries out reports on behalf of the Commission. Personal data is shared with RPID for regulatory purposes including investigation of suspected breaches of duty.
• Registers of Scotland (RoS)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Crofting Commission forwards croft registration applications to the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland after initial processing. Collaboration on the Crofting Register.
• Scottish Land CourtcoreOthersData shared with Scottish Land Court when required for court orders or processing applications relating to crofting. Commission shares copies of decrofting directions, apportionment orders, and associated documentation.
• Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommission collaborates with HIE and others involved with sustainable development of crofting. Partnership aimed at raising awareness of benefits of crofting and promoting successful working relationships.
• Local AuthoritiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommission works with local authorities involved with sustainable development of crofting in Highland and Islands areas.
• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal ServiceminorOthersPersonal data may be shared where an individual is guilty of failing to provide required information in the annual notice.
• NatureScotminorOthersCo-located at Great Glen House, Inverness. NatureScot provides the service delivery team for the building as a whole.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA): UK-level regulator for animal and plant health. Broader incumbent in regulatory enforcement for agricultural/rural matters, comparable as a public agency enforcing compliance duties on land managers using inspections and reporting — analogous regulatory model to crofting duty enforcement.
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA): Scotland's environmental regulator and NDPB. Much larger in scope, but structurally analogous: statutory NDPB of the Scottish Government with regulatory enforcement powers, public reporting duties, board governance, and policy-plan-driven operations.
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE): Scotland's economic development agency for the Highlands and Islands. Comparable because the Crofting Commission partners with HIE on sustainable crofting development; both operate as Scottish NDPBs serving the same geographic region and overlapping stakeholder base.

Direct peers

• Scottish Land Court: Specialist Scottish court handling disputes over land including crofting matters. Operates as the judicial counterpart to the Crofting Commission: where the Commission administers crofting regulation, the Court adjudicates appeals and disputes arising from Commission decisions.
• NatureScot: Scottish Government NDPB responsible for Scotland's natural heritage. Co-located with the Crofting Commission at Great Glen House, Inverness. Same governance and funding model (NDPB of Scottish Government) and similar small-staff operating profile over a geographically dispersed remit.
• Registers of Scotland (RoS): Statutory public body responsible for maintaining Scotland's land registers. Directly comparable: it is a Scottish NDPB that registers land interests, and the Crofting Commission forwards croft registration applications to RoS for final registration. Closest functional peer in land-tenure administration.
• Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID): Division of the Scottish Government that administers rural payments and conducts inspections on behalf of regulators including the Crofting Commission. Closely comparable regulatory-administration function in Scottish agriculture, sharing data and reporting lines with the Commission.
• Scottish Forestry: Scottish Government agency regulating forestry and woodlands. Operates as a comparable Scottish NDPB regulating a rural land-use sector under statutory authority, with similar structure (board, policy plans, public register) and similar small-staff profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCH0mvYYAozy0UsHNk3uCE0w
• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline
• Instagraminstagram.com/croftingscot
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crofting-commission

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crofting Commission