How often to do you visit each of your properties?
How often do you walk the boundaries?
How quickly would you know whether squatters were in one of your properties?
Would you know if a neighbour moved a boundary fence?
If the answer to any of these questions would give you concern then you may want to give serious consideration to registering your properties at the Land Registry.
There is no requirement for you to register your land but registering your properties provides an up to date official record of who owns them and is a safe and straight forward way of transferring land that cuts the cost of conveyancing and helps to prevent fraud.
In particular registration makes it more difficult for squatters to gain title to land which they can otherwise do after being in occupation for 12 years. This can be particularly important to landowners who have large numbers of properties or properties with large acreages or which are visited only infrequently or are unoccupied.
To register title to land you would need to produce the title deeds to the Land Registry and pay a registration fee starting at £50 and going up to £690 for a property worth more than £1 million. You may need the consent of your lender if the property is mortgaged. In addition there would be legal costs in checking the title and preparing the application.
However this should be weighed against the advantages we have set out and also against reduced costs on selling or leasing the land (especially if it is intended to do so in several parts) because proving your title to your property is much simpler.
If you would like further information please contact Colin Parker on 0121 214 3524 or by email, colin.parker@anthonycollins.com.