A New Land Law

Peter Sparkes is Professor of Law at the University of Southampton.

The register: the registration system; registration of estates; compulsion; contents of an individual register; physical proof of title; registered and unregistered titles; the open register; the Land Registry. A land law atlas: the new and old worlds; Birkenhead - the 1925 legislation; a map of property law; into the future - the Law Commission; Europe; Strasbourg and home - fundamental rights to property. Estates: freehold ownership; the fee simple absolute in possession; identification of the estate; behaviour of the freehold estate; law and equity; beneficial interests; beneficial interests - perpetuities; the Crown and feudal lords; freedom of sale; exceptional cases of termination of the freehold; exceptional cases of legal shifting; summary. Sale: proof of title; proof of registered title; proof of unregistered title; land registry checks on unregistered titles; mechanics - transfer of registered land; mechanics - towards electronic conveyancing; mechanics - first registration of unregistered land; Land Registry chains; Land Registry fees; powers of attorney. Trusts of land: forms of trust of land; overreaching; the curtain - unregistered land; the curtain - registered land; the curtain - consents, restricted powers and delegations; the curtain - trustees; interests overreached; power-based overreaching; management trusts; pre-1997 trusts for sale; pre-1997 strict settlements. One-trustee trusts: general - failure to overreach; general - the existence of an informal trust; unregistered land - notice; unregistered land - occupiers; unregistered land - recipients of rent; registered land - priority of one-trustee trusts; registered land - occupiers; registered land - when occupiers bite; registered land - recipients of rent; registered land - reform; general - removal of protection from occupiers. Burdens - classification: property rights; automatic legal burdens; protection by deposit of deeds; classes of land charge; overreachable interests; residual burdens on unregistered land; protectable burdens in registered land; vacation; company charges. Burdens - methods of protection: registered land - protective entries; registered land - searches; protective occupation; land charge s- registration; land charges - searches; priority - land charges; priority - minor interests; priority - other solutions; registered land - reform of the law of burdens. Formality: legal formality; deeds made by individuals; deeds executed by companies; contracts - formation; contracts - special cases; contracts - completeness; informal contracts. Informal trusts: family homes; express trusts; resulting trusts; contributions-based constructive trusts; other explanations for cash injections; intention based constructive trusts; illegality; alternatives to common intention. Proprietary estoppel: doctrinal base; negative expectations (defensive estoppel); positive expectations; contractual expectations; inducement; detrimental reliance. (Part Contents).