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Find a mediator >What do Land Registry Title plans show me
General Boundaries
Land Registry (LR) Title Plans use the Ordnance Survey (OS) mapping as a base for their ‘General Boundary' definition and do not ‘determine' the exact position of the boundary. As a result you may incorrectly assume that your property boundary is the line shown on the OS mapping or even the LR Title Plan.
Ordnance Survey map scales & accuracies
Land Registry Title Plans are based on Ordnance Survey mapping which is usually represented at one of the 3 main large scales of GB mapping (1:1250 - urban; 1:2500 - rural; 1:10,000 Mountain & moorland). These scales due to their inherent historical inaccuracies are notorious for being unable to clearly identify legal boundary positions. Measurements taken on the ground cannot be expected to match that scaled off the mapping or Land Registry Title Plan due to numerous reasons which a suitably qualified Chartered Land Surveyor can explain.
The situation is supported by OS statements that they do not survey boundaries, merely ground physical features. The actual property boundary therefore may be several metres from a physical feature on the ground and as shown on the map/Land Registry Title Plan. To get a definitive answer to your particular problem you require expert assessment from a Chartered Land Surveyor so that this opinion may be used in your defence of registered title.
Joint Statements
For your reference extracts of a joint statement by the Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry are shown below.
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Ordnance Survey - Property Boundaries "Ordnance Survey maps never show legal property boundaries, nor do they show ownership of physical features. Although some property boundaries may be coincident with surveyed map features, no assumptions should be made in these instances and consequently it is not possible to be sure of the position of a legal property boundary from an Ordnance Survey map. Land Registry uses Ordnance Survey mapping to provide a representation of where a property's boundaries are located." |
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Land Registry - General Boundaries England and Wales operates a ‘general boundaries' system of land registration. A title plan with ‘general boundaries' shows the boundary of a property in relation to a given physical feature on the ground such as a wall or hedge as identified on the Ordnance Survey map. The red edging on a Land Registry title plan is therefore not definitive as to the precise position of the boundaries. For this reason official copies of title plans carry the following warning. This title plan shows the general position of the boundaries: it does not show the exact line of the boundaries. Measurements scaled from this plan may not match measurements between the same points on the ground. This is a clear statement that Land Registry is unable to tell you precisely where a property boundary is located." |
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