Registration Can Prevent Litigation

The Land Registration Act 2002 forms the basis for the registration of legal title to all land in England & Wales and continues a process first started in 1925. This process is overseen by the Land Registry, the governmental body dedicated to dealing with ownership of land.

The traditional way of proving ownership of land was to produce title deeds and documents which can be extremely old or unclear (or which in some cases are lost) Registration of Title upon the Land Registry’s computerised database uses the latest Ordnance Survey maps and allows the drawing of clear and accurate boundaries. Once recorded, the Registered Title is regarded as conclusive evidence of ownership.

Located in rural South Cheshire, Bowcock Cuerden have considerable experience and expertise in dealing with matters relating to land ownership and use. We act for a number of landed estates, a national governmental organisation as well as numerous smaller scale landowners. We are also the sole National Farmers Union legal panel firm for Cheshire & Derbyshire. With our intimate knowledge of the potential problems and costs associated with land ownership we have recommended voluntary first registration to many of our clients.

There are many reasons why we recommend land registration, and these can be particularly relevant at times of financial uncertainty: 

● registration of title to land provides clarity and security for owners of any land, no matter what the size of holding; 

● registration offers better protection against squatters and other adverse claims; 

● we have encountered numerous situations where someone has registered a title to land that does not belong to them. If you do not act to ensure that all your land is correctly registered, you may find that others have registered themselves as the legal proprietor instead – a problem which may be costly, and / or difficult, to put right;

● land with a registered title is generally easier and thus less time consuming to deal with subsequently, reducing the time spent and therefore the fees of professionals who act for you; 

● the Land Registry is presently offering a 25% discount on its fees for voluntary registration;

● significant savings can be made on larger scale applications, as opposed to piecemeal registration

If you would like to discuss land registration or any related issue then please call 01270 611106. The volume of land registration work we have completed has enabled us to maintain a dedicated team who have developed a streamlined process to secure Registration of Title in the quickest time possible and at the lowest cost to you.



This bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide specific legal advice. It should not be relied upon in the absence of specific advice given in relation to particular circumstances.