claim land

[cliffhelen]

we have a lump of land next to our home that has been fenced off for about 22 years and we have been looking after it in as much as keeping the weeds down and children out. we now want to claim it for our own and know who it belongs to. can we claim it without cost for the time we have been looking out for it. we have a way in to it from our garden and the house at the bottom has got a fence up seperating it and there is no other way of getting into it other than the house climbing the fence or through our garden. do we have the right to it by law?

[alavahalf]

People are having wars '' today''over a small piece of land.
Somebody owns it...who knows it could be you...!

Do as they did in the wild west...drive a stake into the ground...and write your name on it...

Or on the other hand get your credit card out and have a look here...

http://www.landsearch.net/landregistry/?gclid= CJmVx8--n5kCFYR_3godIHCvpA

[buildersmate]

That website may be able to assist, but don't be fooled into thinking it is the Government site - it isn't, it's a commercial site.

Since the land you are maintaining doesn't have an 'address' , if you are in England/Wales you could this enquiry service to identify whether this piece of land is registered or not, and hence who the owner is. It costs �3.
http://www.landregisteronline.gov.uk/lro/servl et/TitleSearchServlet?searchType=map This is the official Land Registry site.

Having done that, if it is registered, you stand little chance of claiming it. If it is not registered, phone the LR for advice on making an application based on Adverse Possession or post again here for more help.

[Twenty20]

I think you'd have to actually show you have been using the land as your own for the past 12 years to claim it. I think you'd have to be growing stuff on it or using it in some way and not just cutting the weeds down. Check to see if the land is registered first though.

[barb1314]

I live in a row of 3 very old weavers cottages which were done up 9 years ago.Our gardens are not our land.They are all planted and landscaped as gardens and have been for all that time.We have no idea who owns the land at all and all 3 of us have Indemnity Insurance so we have money to fight in court if some distant relative suddenly claims the land as theirs.After 12 years we can claim the land as ours.

[buildersmate]

Not if the land is registered with the Land Registry, Barb. Read my post again. The law on this was changed in 2002. It is now pretty nigh impossible to acquire registered land using this process.

[barb1314]

Sorry buildersmate,I only know what my solicitor discovered when we moved in 2 years ago whilst doing all the local searches.He looked into this thoroughly for us before we exchanged contracts.

[Andy_Gray]

Depsite what you may hear, You CAN legally claim land such as the piece you discribed. You will have to submit and application to the "Land Registry" and prove that you have being using/keeping the land "uncontested" for a certain ammount of time, and they will grant you ownship..... Another great site I found is http://www.claimfreeland.co.uk they have the entire step by step process and it's all in plain english.... Media URL: http://www.claimfreeland.co.uk
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