Do I own this land?

longleggedhair

This is slightly long so I will try to expedite it! There is a small parcel of land at the back of my property, which originally belonged to my house but as I understand it ways sold off to the people at the back in the 1980s. The land has been left as essentially scrub land and is unused and a damn mess. I approached the old lady some years who “owns” it to buy it. To my surprise she categorically refused and it was left at that. Then recently due to something unrelated I was sent a copy of the land registry by my solicitor -and the land is registered as belonging to my property. Does this actually mean the land does belong to me officially? And how would I go about appropriating it if that is the case?

longleggedhair

Well when I say small not that small I should say about 60ft by 70ft

davidmcn

If your title says you own it, where did you get the information about it having been sold off? Have you checked what the neighbour owns?

longleggedhair

Well there was an old rotten fence that was broken when I moved in which I replaced, and a neighbor said the land had been sold by the previous owner of my house in the 80s. I left it at that. Unfortunately I don’t have the deeds and solicitors paperwork from the purchase as it was all ruined in a water leak some years ago.

Flugelhorn

check the neighbours title before you go any further 

longleggedhair

How would I do that? The sort of lady she is she would never let me see and paper deeds she owns. According to the land registry map I viewed the land she owns is “mine” and her garden ends where it would have done if she didn’t own the land.

Slithery

You can download it for £3...
https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

Flugelhorn

as @Slithery says - but there could be a problem if the old lady's  property is not registered 

greatcrested

a neighbor said the land had been sold by the previous owner of my house in the 80s. I left it at that.

That's hardly a reliable source!

* are you checking your own Title Plan, purchased from the Land Registry for £3 here?

* have you checked the neighbour's Title Plan, purchased from the same place?

Assuming this plot of land falls within your Plan, and does not fall within the neighbour's Plan, there is no discrepancy - you own the land.

Since you do not appear to have received a positive reception from the owner of the neighbouring land, I would simply quietly remove the fence, construct a new fence where the boundary should be, and start landscaping the plot.

Have the two title plans (hers and yours) printed off, and if/when she complains, show them to her and give her copies to review).

davidmcn

longleggedhair said:

Well there was an old rotten fence that was broken when I moved in which I replaced, and a neighbor said the land had been sold by the previous owner of my house in the 80s.

I suspect that the Land Registry is a more accurate source of information about land ownership than the vague folklore of your neighbours. Maybe a sale had been discussed (but never completed) or there had been some other arrangement.

Norman_Castle

longleggedhair said:

This is slightly long so I will try to expedite it! There is a small parcel of land at the back of my property, which originally belonged to my house but as I understand it ways sold off to the people at the back in the 1980s. The land has been left as essentially scrub land and is unused and a damn mess.

If the gardens are large its possible a previous owner fenced of this area as he didn't want to maintain it. Is it possible your neighbour thought you were trying to buy part of what clearly is her garden and not this overgrown area?