What is a Land Registry title plan?
The title plan is produced by the Land Registry and is a map of the General Position of the boundaries of a registered title under Rule 5 of the Land Registration Rules 2003. The title plan is based on the Ordnance Survey map and shows the extent of the land in a registered title by a red line/box on the title plan.
The name 'title plan' refers to the fact it is a plan of a specific title number. Every plot of land has a different title number, and you can find out your title number by looking at your Official Copy of Register of Title.
The title plan shows the title highlighted in red, which represents where a property’s legal boundaries are located, based on the ‘General Boundaries’ system of land registration. It does not show your precise legal boundary.
What does your Land Registry title plan show?
- the title number of the land, for example TGL123456.
- the land included in the title, normally edged in red. There may be other colours or markings on the plan. The significance of these is explained in the Register of Title.
- the scale at which the plan is drawn.
What is the General Boundary?
The General Boundaries system is used in England and Wales for registering land. The title plan shows the property's boundary concerning other physical features on the ground, such as hedges, trees or walls.
It is very important to note that the red edging on a Land Registry title plan is not definitive as to the precise position of the title's 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'.
What is the difference between a physical boundary and the legal boundary?
There is no special meaning to the word boundary, however, in land ownership, it is understood in two ways:
The Physical Boundary:
A registered title rarely shows ownership of individual boundary structures such as walls, fences and hedges. There may, however, be some relevant information on the register or in Land Registry’s files. For example, Land Registry may have kept a copy of a deed that refers to a boundary declaration or agreement, or to the ownership or maintenance of boundaries. Please note that deeds rarely deal with such matters. If ownership or maintenance is important to you, you may, for example, need to talk to neighbours and/or previous owners.
The Legal Boundary:
A legal boundary deals with the precise separation of land ownership. It is an invisible line dividing one person’s land from another’s. It does not have thickness or width and usually, but not always, falls somewhere in or along a physical boundary feature such as a wall, fence or hedge. The exact positions of the legal boundaries are almost never shown on registered title plans.
Does the Land Registry title plan show the legal boundary?
The Land Registry title plan doesn't establish precisely where or on which side of a mapped physical feature the legal boundary lies. A title plan with 'general boundaries' shows the boundary of a property based on a physical feature on the ground, such as a wall or hedge, as identified on our map. Your title plan will not establish the precise position of your legal boundary.
How do I get a copy of my title plan from the Land Registry?
Anyone can buy a copy of any title in England and Wales. All you need is the property postcode and house number; then you can log onto the Land Registry and order the title plan. You can also order an Official Copy of the Register of Title simultaneously, which should be an up-to-date snapshot of restrictions, ownership and registered charges.
Search for property and title plan information from Land Registry Online
What is the cost of a title plan?
You can buy a title plan from the Land Registry Online portal for £3.
Caragh is an excellent writer and copy editor of books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey, property law and mortgage-related articles.
