land

droylsdenpete

hi people,right i will try and put it as simple as ican.my mother owns her own house,its on a small row of terraced houses.at the back of the houses each has a small plot of land.now for the 26 years shes been tending this plot,on saturday she had a letter pushed through her door it was of a guy who rents number 5 on her row out,he said that he had recieved a letter off the council saying he was liable for every plot at the back of the row of terraces,does this sound true or does my mother have any claim on the land.hope this is clear enough only i am not very good at these sort of things,thanks anyway

simonfr

There is some law which states that if you use a peice of land for a certain length of time, unhindered without someone claiming ownership during that time, then you can claim it as your own and apply for the deeds. Something to do with a 'common land' thing.

Think the term is about 20 years.

But dont quote me.......

droylsdenpete

cheers mate

simonfr

No probs mate....

When i were a nipper, my mum and dad started using a piece of land, and fenced it and tended it. It was by all accounts 'common' and they were never challenged. After a period of time they appied for the deeds via a solicitor) and no-one else challenged the claim of my parents.

Bingo, they got the deeds, and an acre of land......

This was in Scotland, and in the early eighties. But im sure the same kind of law exists in England.

Robert_Sterling_3

I think the term is not 20 years as guessed above. I think it is 12 years.

If you are not convinced then read this

rozeepozee

In colloquial terms, these are "squatters rights"

Poppy9

Speak to the Council as there the issue maybe to do more with maintenance of boundary walls. Vaguely remember a couple of years back a Welsh couple finding out they were responsible for all their neighbours rear walls. Some had crumbled onto a rear access part and the council were claiming from this one couple.

Bossyboots

The time to claim is 12 years. This is called adverse possession. The rules changed a year ago and it is not so easy now. The landowner has to be notified if you wish to claim and can object. The forms are on the Land Registry website.

droylsdenpete

thanks all