Cautions had been registered against land to protect interests claimed in a pending action. The action had been struck out at first instance, an appeal to the Court of Appeal had failed but a petition for leave to appeal to the House of Lords was still pending. Held: On an interlocutory notice of motion Brightman … Continue reading Calgary and Edmonton Land Co Ltd v Discount Bank (Overseas) Ltd: ChD 1971
The plaintiffs contracted to buy a plot of registered land with a house to be built on it. The developer had charged the estate as a whole to a bank to secure the development finance. The developer became insolvent and the bank sold the estate as mortgagee to the first defendant ‘subject to and with … Continue reading Lyus v Prowsa Developments Ltd: ChD 1982
The agricultural landlord sold part of his land subject to the respondent’s tenancy to the appellant. Before the transfer was registered, notices to quit were served by both the landlord and his buyer. The tenant challenged both notices in the County court, against whose finding and order that the notices were invalid, both defendants now … Continue reading Stodday Land Ltd and Another v Pye: ChD 7 Oct 2016
A father had granted an option over land to his son, but it had not been registered. The father later tried to frustrate the option by conveying the land to his wife for 500 pounds. The land was worth 40,000 pounds. When the son found out about it, he sought to exercise the option, and … Continue reading Midland Bank Trust Co Ltd v Green (No 1): HL 11 Dec 1980
Wife in Occupation had Overriding Interest The wife had made a substantial financial contribution to the purchase price of the house which was registered only in her husband’s name, and charged to the bank. The bank sought possession. The wife resisted saying that she had an overriding interest. Held: Her equitable interest was not only … Continue reading Williams and Glyn’s Bank Ltd v Boland: HL 19 Jun 1980
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The fact of possession of land by the registered proprietor was a factor to be given special effect when a court considered an application to rectify the register. The presumptions following from the registration of the land with title absolute, meant that possession of the land gave the proprietors ownership unless, and until, that presumption … Continue reading Kingsalton Ltd and Another v Thames Water Developments Ltd and Others: ChD 19 Jan 2001
One of two joint proprietors of registered land forged the signature of the other and sold the property. The purchaser charged it to mortgagees who had no notice of the forgery. Held: The original proprietor was entitled to have the Charges Register rectified so as to remove the charges in favour of the mortgagees. Judges: … Continue reading Hayes v Nwajiaku: ChD 10 Jun 1994
The registered freehold proprietor (S) of a property lived abroad, his mother having power of attorney. His sister and her husband, Mr and Mrs Hammond, had the register altered to show themselves as the freehold proprietors. The primary case was that they had forged the mother’s signature on the transfer. A building society mortgage was … Continue reading Argyle Building Society v Hammond: CA 1984
The defendant had taken assignments of the term of two underleases from the claimant, and then re-assigned them to a limited company with guarantors of the rent, and they in turn re-assigned the leases. The last company became insolvent. The landlord and the claimants and receivers agreed to look for a further assignee and therefore … Continue reading Scottish and Newcastle Plc v Raguz: ChD 11 Apr 2006
The plaintiffs had paid deposits for apartments which were to be built. After the developer became insolvent the plaintiffs sought recovery of the deposits, saying they had a lien which preceded the claims of chargees. Held: The one appeal failed and another succeeded. ‘the circumstances in which a purchaser’s lien will arise are not limited … Continue reading Chattey and Another v Farndale Holdings Inc and others: CA 11 Oct 1996
Appeal against order made in landlord and tenant possession proceedings. The tenant said that the judge had approached the case unfairly, and in particular had rejected out of hand the tenants assertion of a document as a lease. Held: The criticisms of the judge had some weight. As to whether the document created a lease: … Continue reading Fitzkriston Llp v Panayi and others: CA 12 Feb 2008
The claimant sought rectification of the land register. In a development deal, an option agreement had not been registered, and the land sold on. The land was required to allow the building of a roundabout necessary for the intended store. An application had been made for registration of the option, but requisitions had not been … Continue reading Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd v Olympia Homes Limited, Hughes etc: ChD 17 Jun 2005
The parties each had a charge over a property, and now disputed which had priority. The brewery appealed an order for rectification of the registers to reverse priority on the basis of an estoppel. The charge in their favour had been registered first, but the respondents charge was intended to secure finance to repay it … Continue reading Scottish and Newcastle Plc v Lancashire Mortgage Corporation Ltd: CA 5 Jul 2007
The claimant alleged the fraudulent transfer of properties by use of a forged power of attorney. Held: The power was fraudulent. Solicitors had acted under the instructions of the agent. The court referred to the Law Society’s practice guidance after Penn and said ‘If instructions come to a solicitor not from the client himself but … Continue reading Al-Sabah v Ali and Others: ChD 22 Jan 1999
The claimants had sought entry into theirs and their neighbour’s registered land titles of entries to acknowledge their rights of way. The neighbours appealed the finding of a right of way of necessity and by proprietary estoppel, and an order for rectification. Held: The appeal failed. The restriction on rectifying the register contained in section … Continue reading Sommer and Another v Sweet and Another: CA 10 Mar 2005
The registered land comprised a shop subject to a restrictive covenant restricting sale of tobacco products and sweets. By mistake, the covenant was not noted in the Register. The (unregistered) leasehold of the premises was assigned to purchasers who wished to sell such products: since the covenant was not registered they had no notice of … Continue reading Freer v Unwins Ltd: ChD 1976
Mr Sharp was the local land registrar with statutory duty to maintain the local registry, issuing certificates in response to search requests. A clerk who had been seconded by another Council to assist him negligently issued an inaccurate certificate to a prospective purchaser of land, omitting any reference to a claim to reimbursement of compensation … Continue reading Ministry of Housing and Local Government v Sharp: CA 1970
A couple bought a property and registered it in their own names with substantial financial assistance from the parents of one of them. The parents occupied the house with them. Without telling the parents, the owners borrowed again, executing further charges. Held: The fact of occupation did not add to the parents’ rights as equitable … Continue reading City of London Building Society v Flegg And Another: HL 14 May 1987
The applicant said that its land had been misappropriated, and sought rectification of the register against the respondent who was a successor in title having bought the land from the wrongdoer. Held: On registration, section 69 operated to vest only the legal title in the prior registered proprietor. The transfer being of no effect in … Continue reading Malory Enterprises Ltd v Cheshire Homes (UK) Ltd and others: CA 22 Feb 2002
The court considered a defence to an assertion of adverse possession, that the plaintiff had given notice of his intention to recover the land: ‘no one, either lawyer or non-lawyer, would think that a householder ceases to be in possession of his house simply by reason of receiving a demand that he should quit. On … Continue reading Mount Carmel Investments Limited v Peter Thurlow Limited: CA 1988
Mrs T, by summons under section 17 sought a declaration that she and her husband were beneficial owners in equal shares of the matrimonial home and that the premises should be sold and the proceeds divided equally between them. She registered a lis pendens under the Land Charges Act. The house was in the husband’s … Continue reading Taylor v Taylor: CA 1968
An option to purchase the reversion contained in a seven-year lease was protected under s. 70(1) by virtue of the tenant’s occupation under the lease. ‘It is vital . . . to bear in mind that what we are seeking to ascertain at present is whether options to purchase are overriding interests or rights within … Continue reading Webb v Pollmount Ltd: ChD 1966
‘The novel issue raised by this appeal is whether the doctrine of overreaching in section 2(1) of the Law of Property Act 1925 (‘LPA 1925′) is capable of operating in circumstances where the conveyance to a purchaser which is alleged to have the overreaching effect is the grant of an easement over land, and the … Continue reading Baker and Another v Craggs: CA 16 May 2018
The claimant sought rescission of a consent order for specific performance made in an earlier action. The purchasers had not complied simply with the order, but had sought to bring back certain parts of the original contract. Held: Once an order for specific performance has been made, the matter of how the contract is to … Continue reading Paige v Webb: CA 26 Jul 2001
The claimants asserted that they had the benefit of restrictive covenants under a building scheme to prevent the defendants erecting more houses in their neighbouring garden. The defendants pointed to alleged breaches of the same scheme by the claimants. Held: There was not only an intention to create a building scheme but also a clearly … Continue reading Turner and Another v Pryce and others: ChD 9 Jan 2008
The court reviewed the conflicting authorities with regard to the creation of trusts and held that the overwhelming preponderance of authority was that, in the absence of any claim for rectification or rescission, provisions in a conveyance declaring that the plaintiff and the defendant were to hold the proceeds of sale of the property ‘upon … Continue reading Goodman v Gallant: CA 30 Oct 1985
Same Sex Paartner to Inherit as Family Member The claimant had lived with the original tenant in a stable and long standing homosexual relationship at the deceased’s flat. After the tenant’s death he sought a statutory tenancy as a spouse of the deceased. The Act had been extended to include as a spouse someone living … Continue reading Fitzpatrick v Sterling Housing Association Ltd: HL 28 Oct 1999
The land owners sought relief from possession orders made under mortgages given in equity release schemes: ‘If the purchaser raises all or part of the purchase price on mortgage, and then defaults, the issue arises whether the mortgagee’s right to possession has priority over, or is subject to, any entitlement of the vendor to continue … Continue reading Cook v The Mortgage Business Plc: CA 24 Jan 2012
The lease had been assigned by the claimant to the defendant and on again to a tenant who became insolvent. The landlord had recovered sums said to be due from the claimant who now sought an indemnity from the defendant. The defendant said that the claimant had overpaid, including sums excused by section 17 of … Continue reading Scottish and Newcastle Plc v Raguz: HL 29 Oct 2008
The appellant challenged a sale and rent back transaction. He said that the proposed purchaser had misrepresented the transaction to them. The Court was asked s whether the home owners had interests whose priority was protected by virtue of section 29(2)(a)(ii) of, and Schedule 3, paragraph 2, to the Land Registration Act 2002. Held: The … Continue reading Scott v Southern Pacific Mortgages Ltd and Others: SC 22 Oct 2014
Appropriation was not in sufficient form The claimants had challenged an order supporting the decision of the Council to use their allotments for a new primary school, saying that the land had be appropriated as allotment land, and that therefore the consent of the minister was needed. Held: The appeal failed. The use of the … Continue reading Adamson, Regina (on The Application of) v Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council: CA 18 Feb 2020
The court was asked ‘whether and if so how an easement arising informally and not protected by any entry at the Land Registry can be effective against a purchaser of the land over which the easement would be exercised.’ The parties respectively owned the ground and first and second floors of a bulding. Access to … Continue reading Chaudhary v Yavuz: CA 22 Nov 2011
