Implementation of land deed official authority under Article 12(1) of Government Regulation No. 24 of 2016: A study of IPPAT and the Land Office in Malang

This study aims to analyze administrative obstacles to the implementation of Article 12(1) of Government Regulation Number 24 of 2016, which establishes the working area of Land Deed Officials (Pejabat Pembuat Akta Tanah, PPAT) as encompassing one provincial territory, and to formulate optimization measures to ensure legal certainty in Malang City. The research gap lies in the limited availability of empirical studies identifying administrative obstacles based on the practices of PPATs and the Land Office. The novelty of this study lies in mapping implementation obstacles in terms of regulatory frameworks, resources, institutional arrangements, coordination, and land administration facilities. This study employs a socio-legal research method with a sociological juridical approach. Field research was conducted in Malang City involving 18 informants selected through purposive sampling, comprising 17 PPATs representing five subdistricts in Malang City and one Head of the Rights Determination and Registration Section at the Malang City Land Office. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations of land administration practices, while secondary data were obtained through documentation of relevant laws and regulations, books, journal articles, and other relevant documents. The data were analyzed qualitatively. The findings indicate that implementation remains suboptimal, as reflected in the continued reliance on regency/municipality-based working area boundaries in administrative practices, limited understanding of the regulatory changes among some PPATs, inadequate technical guidelines and administrative instruments, limitations in electronic systems and cross-regional data access, and challenges in workload management and service coordination at the Land Office. These conditions indicate a gap between legal norms and administrative practices that may create uncertainty in the exercise of PPAT authority. Accordingly, implementation should be optimized through the harmonization of implementing regulations, standardization of service procedures, adaptation of administrative and electronic systems to accommodate transactions across regencies and municipalities, enhanced interinstitutional outreach and coordination, and consistent application of the relevant legal provisions to ensure legal certainty for PPATs and the public.