The land register is the official record of who owns what and what burdens that ownership. Older land was never registered — title was proved through bundles of deeds — and part of a solicitor's job is to bring that land onto the register when the right moment comes. Knowing when registration is required, how long the client has to apply, and what happens if the deadline slips is essential: a missed application can leave a buyer with only an equitable interest in land they thought they owned outright.
This lesson covers:
- Overview — what first registration is, the system it replaces, and the structure of a new title.
- Compulsory First Registration — the events that force unregistered land onto the register, and the ones that don't.
- The Duty to Apply and Failure to Register — who must apply, the time limit, the consequences of missing it, and how to put things right.
- Classes of Title — the levels of state guarantee for freehold and leasehold, and when each is awarded or upgraded.
- Interests That Override First Registration — the unregistered interests that still bind a new proprietor.
- Voluntary Registration and Cautions — registering by choice, and how a non-owner protects an interest in unregistered land.