This book examines the current state of, and emerging issues in relation to, the Torrens and other systems of land registration, and the process of automation of land registration systems in jurisdictions where this is occurring worldwide. It analyses the impacts of advances in digital technology in this area and includes contributions from of a number of experts and leaders in this subject from a number of jurisdictions. While it has an Australasian bias, there are important chapters outlining current challenges and developments in Scotland, England and Wales, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The book will be relevant to those engaged in land registration and conveyancing processes, including, but not limited to, property law practitioners and conveyancers, academics in this field, government and public policy experts, law and property students, and IT and IP experts, especially those working on developing automated land registration systems.

The Land Registration Act 2002 has been in force for almost fifteen years. When enacted, the legislation, which replaced the Land Registration Act 1925, was intended to offer a clear and lasting framework for the registration of title to land in England and Wales. However, perhaps confounding the hopes of its drafters, the legislation's interpretation and application has since generated many unanticipated problems which demand attention. In this book's twenty chapters, leading land law scholars, Law Commissioners past and present, judges, and Registry lawyers unpick key technical controversies, and expose underlying theoretical and policy concerns. Core issues addressed in these chapters include: the legitimate ambitions of registration regimes; the nature and security of title afforded by registration; the resolution of priority disputes affecting registered titles; the relationship between the general law and the registration regime; and new challenges presented by modern technological developments.

The present Guidelines form part of a joint effort by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to help countries achieve indicator 5.a.2 of Target 5.a in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Target 5.a is to “Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources in accordance with national laws” and is measured by two indicators: Indicator 5.a.1: (a) Percentage of people with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land (out of total agricultural population), by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure. Indicator 5.a.2: Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control.

This book is an examination of the law of land registration in England and Wales, in the light of the Land Registration Act 2002, and in particular at the way land registration is influenced by, and in turn influences, the evolution of land law as a whole. It examines the legal problems that have arisen in connection with land registration and considers the effect of the 2002 statute, drawing extensively upon the law in other jurisdictions and considering possibilities for future development. This is a book which will be essential reading for students, their teachers, and practitioners who will have to grapple with the intricacies of the new Act when it comes into force.

Key provisions of the Land Registration Act 2002 provide the legal framework for electronic conveyancing. This book will explain the legislative framework and the current proposals – including the key issues of security and authorisation – and will highlight the points that need to be addressed by practitioners in order to qualify for access to the new system. Electronic conveyancing will not be with us until 2006 and this book will take a thematic approach, highlighting the main practical issues arising from the new law and providing precedents and checklists to help busy conveyancers to manage the risks. This book will seek to highlight – and to give practical advice on – the day to day requirements of the new regime, and to promote sensible and cost-effective management of the risks.