Challenge

We were instructed by our client, a private homeowner in Hampshire, to create Land Registry-compliant plans for a parcel of land they wished to gift to their children. The detached house is situated just near to the village of Hartley Wintney.

Approach

As part of our standard due diligence, we carried out an initial desktop investigation using Ordnance Survey mapping and MapSearch data. During this review, we discovered that although the entire parcel was enclosed by physical boundaries, part of the land fell outside the client’s registered legal ownership.

The client explained that they had previously purchased this section of land from their neighbour and were surprised to learn that the legal ownership had never been updated. We advised the client that the discrepancy should be resolved before proceeding with the transfer, helping to avoid complications or delays in any future sale or legal transaction.

Outcome

Our recommendation was to undertake a boundary survey to accurately capture the existing physical boundaries and compare the survey data against Ordnance Survey mapping and Land Registry ownership records. The client discussed our findings with their neighbour, and both parties agreed to proceed with the survey and ownership rectification process. The boundary survey was completed successfully, providing the evidence needed to support the necessary legal updates.

As with all our instructions, we carried out thorough desktop investigations at the outset which, in this case as in many others, can identify hidden ownership issues before they become costly problems. When you pay for a Land Registry-compliant plan, you are not only paying for the technical plan itself, but also the professional diligence and years of experience in spotting these potential issues.

This instruction had a positive outcome – but it’s not always the case. Providing clear, proactive advice helped our client make an informed decision to avoid future legal complications. With this case, good communication between neighbours lead to a straightforward resolution of the boundary matter – this is the hope for all such cases!