Land Charges Act 1972

The Land Charges Act 1972 (c. 61) is a UK act of Parliament that updates the system for registering charges on unregistered land in England and Wales. It repealed and updated parts of the Land Charges Act 1925 and other legislation affecting real property.

Land Charges Act 1972

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to the registration of land charges and other instruments and matters affecting land.
Citation	1972 c. 61
Territorial extent	England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent	9 August 1972
Commencement	29 January 1973
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Land Charges Act 1972 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Background

In the early 20th century, a package of reforms were made to register land in England and Wales to make conveyancing cheaper and simpler, and free land to the market. The main legislation was the Land Registration Act 1925, the Law of Property Act 1925, the Trustee Act 1925, and the Settled Land Act 1925. However, much land was to remain unregistered. Instead, for land which was not yet registered, people could choose to explicitly register interests under the Land Charges Act 1925, and so secure better protection than the common law might provide against a bona fide purchaser without notice of any equitable interest to be protected.

A local land charge is a restriction or prohibition imposed on a particular piece of land, which is binding on current and future owners and occupiers of the land. The purpose of the charge is either to secure payment of a sum of money, or to limit the use of the land.

In 1972, the 1925 Land Charges Act was updated into the present scheme.

See also

• English land law