Registering land can offer significant advantages for owners and the Land Registry is encouraging voluntary registration to avoid certain problems.
Registration is compulsory on the majority of land transactions, but around 40% of land in England and Wales remains unregistered. Much of this land is farmland which, if registered, could simplify complicated titles.
Benefits include:
- Legal title is guaranteed
- Ownership of land is guaranteed once it has been registered at the Land Registry. Anyone suffering a loss as a result of an inaccurate registration can be eligible for compensation.
- The Land Registry produce an accurate plan of your land
- The plan will show all land within your ownership and will also show the location of any rights of way and any areas affected by other rights, covenants or restrictions.
- The register acts as an authoritive record of ownership
- The register can be particularly useful in the event of a dispute relating to ownership of your land such as a claim for adverse possession or boundary disputes.
- The register records rights and restrictions which affect the land
- The register will set out rights which third parties have over your land and will contain details of any restrictions or covenants that affect the use of the land. Registering your land provides an opportunity to formalise these matters. You can also ensure that any rights you have over neighbouring land are registered, in order to protect those rights as well.
- Once registered, dealings with the land are simplified
We are experienced in dealing with the registration of large estates and farmland and can offer this service at a fixed fee. Please contact Sandra Carleton for further advice.