Not all land in England and Wales is on the Land Registry's title register. When it isn't, you can't simply pull up an official record — ownership is proved through a bundle of paper deeds, and third-party interests are tracked through a name-based Land Charges Register. As a solicitor acting on an unregistered purchase, you need to read that chain of deeds, find anything that might bind your buyer, search correctly, and then get the property registered for good. This lesson takes you through that process step by step.
What this lesson covers:
- Investigating Unregistered Title — how a buyer verifies ownership through an epitome of title and a good root of title.
- Examining the Chain of Title — checking deeds are valid and dealing safely with co-owners who have died.
- How Third-Party Interests Bind a Purchaser — the three regimes: land charge registration, overreaching, and the doctrine of notice.
- Land Charges Searches — searching against names, priority protection, and the compensation safety net.
- Classes of Land Charge and Non-Registration — the main classes and what happens when an interest goes unregistered.
- Overreaching and Other Binding Interests — trust interests, occupation, and legal leases.
- Compulsory First Registration — the triggering events, the deadline, and the cost of missing it.
- Classes of Title and Completion — the titles the Registry awards and what changes hands on completion.