Land registry query

[umbel]

Does anyone have any advice for me? We’ve just been to view a Victorian mid terrace and my partner loved it. The owner, who was there, told us that a substantial amount of the land out the back belonged to the property, including side access, a garage, a shed, and land behind where there was an old treehouse. This stretched across the back of at least one other house, which only had a small enclosed yard. I’ve just accessed the land registry title plan map though, and this definitely does not include all the extra land described as belonging to the house. The house was only added to the land registry last month, I assume in preparation for the sale. The owner was old, had been there for over 50 years. They are moving in with family. I’m guessing that the family, in supporting the owner to sell, have not even attempted to unpick which bits of land belong to whom, since agreements predate land registry records, and have instead just opted to “claim” the bit the house has clearest ownership of?

I’m much less interested in the house if the extra land is not included. Is it even worth pursuing? How can I find out who does own the land?

In red is what is shown on the land registry; the blue is what we were told was also part of the property, and the green is the access road.

I think there is a tool on the land registry website where you can click on an area of land and see if it is registered as belonging to someone. You can then download the title deeds if you wish to find out who is the registered owner. There may, however, be no owner registered. You only need to register land if there is going to be a transaction carried out on it (ie a sale) which is presumably why the vendor has only just registered his bit of land.

The neighbours might know something...?

Are they retaining the blue but to sell off as a plot?

Try the mapsearch function on the land registry to see if anything comes up as registered against that parcel of land

Is there separate register for that area. Ask ea to clarify.

Thank you! It’s the first time I’ve used the land registry site so don’t know my way around it. I will try your suggestions. The estate agent is presenting the house with “substantial gardens and potential for a garage or parking space” but there’s not even right of access showing, never mind the land where the old garage is, plus the other stuff. I wonder if the family have maybe already sold the extra land to the neighbours, or are planning to do so for extra cash, but have not made it clear to the owner.

It could be that the land is registered on a number of titles. My parents have the same on their house - different parcels of land acquired through the years and all on separate titles. One is even a square in the centre of the overall plot - formerly a garaged owned by the neighbour who had right of way. Now owned by my parents but on its own title.

Or... it could be that these bits of land are been acquired over the years by the home owners simply by extending their boundary fence. That is a whole different ball game, and I'd speak with your solicitor regarding that.