10. Co-ownership 2: The Legal Framework of Co-ownership

Co-ownership of land imposes a trust, which was originally a trust for sale but is now simply a trust of land, and which is imposed mainly because it is essential to determine, separately, the position of the co-owners in law and at equity. This is attributed to the legal framework that governs co-ownership. In the past, land could be co-owned via four different methods—joint tenancies, tenancies in common, tenancies by entireties, and coparceny—the first two of which remain important, while the last two are now virtually nonexistent. This chapter examines the legal framework under which co-ownership of land takes place. It first considers joint tenancies and tenancies in common before turning to co-ownership after 1925, severance and implied severance, acts of severance, disputes between co-owners, and disputes over sale.

6. The Transfer of Freehold Land

Land may be transferred by sale and upon death. The process of buying or selling a house is known as conveyancing and involves three stages: the pre-contract stage, in which the buyer and the seller conclude the negotiations and make an agreement as to the sale of the property; the formation of the contract; and the completion of the transaction when the property is conveyed or transferred to the buyer and the seller receives the purchase money. This chapter deals with the transfer of freehold land in England via sale or upon death. It discusses the pre-contract stage, contracts made before 27 September 1989 and after 26 September 1989, terms of the contract, failed contracts, estoppel, electronic conveyancing, the effect of the contract after it has been signed by both parties in land transfer, transmission of the legal estate, testate succession, and intestacy.

5. Registration of Title

The 1925 legislation was enacted in part to encourage the development of the registration of title to land, to which end the basic doctrines of substantive Land Law had to be simplified. Thereafter, the legislation’s ultimate goal has been to make sure that all land titles in England and Wales are registered. Registration of title aims to facilitate the security of land ownership and land transfer. This chapter focuses on the registration of land titles in England and Wales. After providing an overview of the basics of title registration, it discusses the Land Registration Act 2002, registrable interests, registration with an absolute title, third party rights, unregistered interests which override registration, titles that are less than absolute, dealings with registered land, and indemnity as a result of alteration of register.

2. Tenure and Estates

The doctrine of estates appears to be a logical consequence of tenure. The theory underpinning Land Law in England is that all land belongs to the Crown and that people held the land from the Crown, originally, in return for the performance of services. In this case, the tenants did not actually own the land itself, but only held an interest, or estate, in the land. Certain incidents of ownership can be divided between different people at different times, a process facilitated by the doctrine of estates. This chapter focuses on the doctrines of tenure and estates. It discusses freehold estates, which include the fee simple, the life estate, and the fee tail, as well as the co-existence of estates, ownership and possession of land, and leasehold estates.

4. The 1925 Legislation

In 1925, England enacted substantial legislation that recast the existing Land Law, and which provided the framework on which modern Land Law was developed for more than seventy-five years. The essential framework remained intact until the enactment of the Land Registration Act 2002, which replaced, and substantially modified, the Land Registration Act 1925. But while the Land Registration Act 2002 is expected to be an important piece of legislation relating to land ownership in England, the 1925 legislation will still provide a good deal of the theoretical underpinning of the subject. This chapter discusses the main strategies of the Land Registration Act 1925, focusing on its effect on unregistered land. It first describes Land Law after 1925 before turning to legal estates, legal interests in land, equitable rights, land charges registration under the Land Charges Act 1925, unregistrable interests, and classification of interests.

1. The Scope of the Subject

Land is an important commodity in society that it is both permanent and indestructible, two features which distinguish it from other forms of property. More than one person can have a relationship with the land and share the right to possess it. The right to possess a land is known as ownership right, but it is also common for people to have enforceable rights in other people’s land. This is the third party right, an example of which is where the owner of a house in a residential area agrees with neighbours that the house will only be used as a residence. This chapter discusses land and property rights, ownership rights, third party rights, and conveyancing. It also examines the distinction in English law between real property and personal property, the meaning of land, items attached to the land, fixtures and fittings, and incorporeal hereditaments.

15. Licences and Proprietary Estoppel

In recent times, there has been considerable development with respect to determining how rights in land can be created and the implications of such rights for purchasers of land. Licences are not considered full proprietary rights but provide an interesting area where the law seeks to protect licensees from both the licensor and, in some cases, the purchaser. It is an area of law where the courts have had to deal with informal relationships and try to balance the conflicting pressures of the satisfaction of legitimate expectations with the desire for security of transactions. This chapter focuses on licences and estoppel. It first considers the nature of licences before turning to contractual licences and the licensee’s rights, contractual licences and third parties, equitable estoppel, estoppel and other concepts, and estoppel and third parties.

13. Easements

An easement is a form of third party right that allows one to enjoy the benefits of land ownership. Some examples of such rights are rights of way, rights of light, the right to use a washing line on a neighbour’s land, the right to use a neighbour’s lavatory, and the right to park a car on another person’s land. The easement must exist for the benefit of land and cannot exist in gross. The rule that an easement cannot exist in gross has been a controversial subject. This chapter, which explores the nature of easements and considers their related concepts such as natural rights, public rights, restrictive covenants, and licences, also discusses legal and equitable easements, the creation of easements, and proposals for reform of the law on easements.

11. Leasehold Estates

The lease was not originally perceived to be within Land Law at all, but is now a familiar part of landholding. The underlying basis of the lease is a contractual one, a factor that has led, at times, to conflict between landlord and tenant as to whether the relationship should be regarded as the incidents of that estate, or should be governed by normal contractual principles. Leases are employed in three main areas: residential property, commercial property, and agricultural property. This chapter, which deals with leasehold estates, examines the context of leases, the essentials of a lease, exclusive possession, types of tenancy, and equitable leases, and also discusses the rights and duties under a lease, the enforceability of covenants, and termination of tenancies.

7. Adverse Possession

According to Section 17 of England’s Limitation Act 1980, a person who loses the right to recover possession of land also loses his title to that land. The corollary is that the person who takes possession of the land acquires ownership rights. In cases where title is unregistered, English Land Law provides that ownership of land or, more accurately, estates in land, is a relative concept. In a dispute over entitlement to possession of land, the court must determine which of the two claimants has a better right to possess, rather than who is the owner. This chapter explains legal aspects of possessing land titles in England. After providing an overview of land ownership and possession, it discusses the rationale of the statute of limitation, the link between registered land and human rights, limitation under the Limitation Act 1980, the accrual of a right of action, and adverse possession.