Land registration

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Land Registration Act 2002

Land registration in England and Wales is governed by the Land Registration Act 2002 (LRA 2002) which aims to build on the earlier Land Registration Act 1925 in order to establish a complete system of registration of title to land and buildings in England and Wales which is reliable, simple and economical to use. The intention is for the register to be a complete and accurate reflection of the state of the title to property at any given time. It also provides a framework to facilitate the introduction of a system of electronic conveyancing.

The practical application of LRA 2002 is principally governed by the Land Registration Rules 2003 (LRR 2003), SI 2003/1417.

The title register

LRA 2002 provides that HM Land Registry is to continue to maintain a register of title to land in England and Wales. The register for each individual title consists of a property and proprietorship register and, if necessary, a charges register.

Each property is awarded a class of title (absolute, qualified, possessory or good leasehold) based on the quality of title submitted to HM Land

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Latest Property News

Property weekly highlights—21 November 2024

This week's edition of Property weekly highlights includes: a Law Commission consultation on the right to renew business tenancies under Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, cases on the failure of a claim for implication of a tenant obligation to comply with legal obligations, specific performance, overriding easement costs, stamp duty land tax group relief and business rates and the latest HM Land Registry updates.

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The Law Commission has launched a consultation to examine how the right to renew business tenancies under Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (LTA 1954) functions and whether it meets the needs of business tenants and landlords. The consultation seeks to assess the efficacy of the current ‘contracting out’ model and explore alternative models, including mandatory security, the abolition of security of tenure, and a ‘contracting-in’ approach. It also examines which types of business tenancies should benefit from security of tenure. The consultation closes on 19 February 2025, with a second consultation paper expected to follow based on the responses received.

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