Help! We want to sell our rental property but don’t have the right paperwork—The Sunday Times
Senior associate Laura Murrell has responded to a reader's question in The Sunday Times' Home Help feature on selling a rental property where part of the land is unregistered and the original title deeds are missing. She outlines the legal remedies available in such cases, including how a buyer might still proceed despite gaps in documentation, and what steps can be taken if the original deeds cannot be found.
If this is unsuccessful, you could make an application for first registration based on adverse possession. This would require you to prove that you have had exclusive physical control of the land for the relevant period — in your case this is likely to be the 12 years before 2003.
The full article is available to read online in The Sunday Times via subscription.
Lara Murrell is a senior associate in the property law and conveyancing team. She advises on the full spectrum of residential property matters, including acquisitions, disposals, refinancing, and the grant and extension of leases outside the scope of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.
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