The Land Charges Act 1972 (c. 61) is a UK act of Parliament that updates the system for registering charges on unregistered land in England and Wales. It repealed and updated parts of the

Land Charges Act 1925 Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land surface ...

and other legislation affecting real property.

Background

In the early 20th century, a package of reforms were made to register land in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

to make conveyancing cheaper and simpler, and free land to the market. The main legislation was the

Land Registration Act 1925 The Land Registration Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 21) was an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that codified, prioritised and extended the system of land registration in England and Wales. It has largely been repealed, and updated in the ...

, the

Law of Property Act 1925 The Law of Property Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 20) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It forms part of an interrelated programme of legislation introduced by Lord Chancellor Lord Birkenhead between 1922 and 1925. The progr ...

, the

Trustee Act 1925 The Trustee Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 19) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on 9 April 1925, which codified and updated the regulation of trustees' powers and appointment. It accompanied the land reform legislation of the ...

, and the

Settled Land Act 1925 A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

. However, much land was to remain unregistered. Instead, for land which was not yet registered, people could choose to explicitly register interests under the

, and so secure better protection than the

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

might provide against a

bona fide purchaser A ''bona fide'' purchaser (BFP)referred to more completely as a ''bona fide'' purchaser for value without notice is a term used predominantly in common law jurisdictions in the law of real property and personal property to refer to an innocent ...

without notice of any

equitable interest In law, an equitable interest is an "interest held by virtue of an equitable title (a title that indicates a beneficial interest in property and that gives the holder the right to acquire formal legal title) or claimed on equitable grounds, such ...

to be protected. A local land charge is a restriction or prohibition imposed on a particular piece of land, which is binding on current and future owners and occupiers of the land. The purpose of the charge is either to secure payment of a sum of money, or to limit the use of the land.

Babergh District Council Babergh District (pronounced , ) is a local government district in Suffolk, England. In 2021 it had a population of 92,300. The district is primarily a rural area, containing just two towns, Sudbury and Hadleigh. The council was based in Hadleig ...

Local land charges information
accessed 7 February 2024 In 1972, the 1925 Land Charges Act was updated into the present scheme.

Content

References

{{Authority control United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1972 English property law Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning England and Wales Housing legislation in the United Kingdom

Background

Content

See also

References